For 2026, the community spouse may generally keep the greater of the state minimum Community Spouse Resource Allowance ($74,820) or half of the couple's countable resources, up to the federal maximum of $162,660. The community spouse is also entitled to a Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance of $4,066.50 per month from the institutionalized spouse's income. These figures come from NYSDOH's GIS 26 MA/03 guidance, effective January 1, 2026.
The detail behind the program
Spousal impoverishment protections exist specifically so that a healthy spouse still living in the family's Nassau or Suffolk home isn't left destitute when the other spouse needs Medicaid-funded nursing home care. The math works in two parts: a protected pool of countable assets, the Community Spouse Resource Allowance, ranging from $74,820 up to $162,660 depending on the couple's total resources, and a protected stream of monthly income, the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance of $4,066.50 per month for 2026, that can be shifted from the institutionalized spouse's income to the community spouse if the community spouse's own income falls short. These figures are set annually by NYSDOH and adjust each January, so a couple planning a Medicaid application should confirm the current-year numbers rather than relying on a prior year's figures found in an older article.
Related questions
- Do I have to enroll in an MLTC plan for home care in Nassau or Suffolk County?
- What is the NHTD Medicaid waiver and could it help my parent stay out of a nursing home?
- What is New York's Assisted Living Program (ALP) and how is it different from private-pay assisted living?
- My mom is 68 with a low income - does New York's ACA Medicaid expansion cover her nursing home or home care costs?
- How much spending money is a Medicaid nursing home resident allowed to keep each month in New York?
- What is the MLTC special income standard for Long Island and why does it matter for Medicaid home care?
