Qualifying for Georgia Medicaid to pay for nursing home care requires meeting specific income and asset limits. Most people do not qualify automatically — they must either spend down their assets or engage in legal planning to meet the requirements.
Here is what Georgia Medicaid requires and how most families end up qualifying.
Georgia Medicaid Income Limits for Nursing Home Care
In Georgia, the income limit for Medicaid nursing home coverage is $2,829 per month (2026). This is the gross income cap — if your monthly income exceeds this amount, you do not automatically qualify.
However, Georgia allows a Qualified Income Trust (also called a Miller Trust) to handle excess income. If your income is above the limit, income can be directed into this special trust, which makes you eligible despite having higher income. The income in the trust is then applied to the cost of your care.
Georgia Medicaid Asset Limits for Nursing Home Care
The asset limit for a single person applying for Georgia Medicaid nursing home coverage is $2,000 in countable assets. For a married couple where one spouse needs nursing home care, the community spouse (the one at home) can keep more — up to approximately $154,140 in countable assets (2026 figure, adjusted annually).
What Counts as a Countable Asset?
- Bank accounts (checking, savings, money market)
- Investment accounts and brokerage accounts
- Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
- Additional vehicles beyond one
- Vacation or rental property
- Cash value of life insurance over $1,500
What Does Not Count as a Countable Asset?
- Your primary home (if you intend to return or a spouse lives there)
- One vehicle
- Personal belongings and household items
- Prepaid irrevocable burial plans
- Certain annuities structured under Medicaid rules
The Spend-Down Problem
Without planning, a single person applying for Medicaid must spend their assets down to $2,000 before Medicaid kicks in. For someone with $200,000 in savings, that means spending $198,000 on nursing home care before any benefits start.
This is the problem Medicaid planning solves. Legal strategies — including irrevocable trusts, exempt asset repositioning, and spousal protection planning — can reduce or eliminate the spend-down.
The Five-Year Lookback Period
Georgia Medicaid reviews all asset transfers made in the five years before your application. If you gave assets away or transferred them to a trust during that window, Medicaid can impose a penalty period — a set number of months it will not pay for your care.
This is why planning must happen early. A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust created today does not protect assets from the lookback until five years have passed.
How to Actually Qualify: Two Paths
Path 1: Spend Down
You spend your assets on nursing home costs until you hit the $2,000 limit, then apply. This is the most common path for people who did no planning — and the most expensive for families.
Path 2: Legal Planning
Working with an elder law attorney, you restructure your assets before you need care. This may involve creating a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust, converting countable assets into exempt assets, or using other legal strategies to qualify without spending down everything.
When to Start Planning
The best time to start is five or more years before you expect to need nursing home care. The sooner you act, the more options you have. If you are already in a nursing home or facing an imminent admission, some planning is still possible but the available strategies are more limited.
If you want to understand where you stand and what your options are, The Hive Law offers a Family Protection Audit — a 60-minute session where Melissa Breyer reviews your specific situation and walks you through your options.