All tools · Long-Term Care Cost Check FL

What Is the Medicaid 5-Year Look-Back in Florida?

Use the free tool — Long-Term Care Cost Check FL

What the look-back is

Florida Medicaid looks back 60 months (5 years) before the date someone applies for long-term care Medicaid. It checks whether the applicant or their spouse gave away money, property, or other assets for less than they were worth. This look-back applies to Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program, which can pay for nursing-home care and, through a waiver with a wait list, for assisted living or in-home care.

What a transfer during the look-back does

If Medicaid finds a transfer for less than fair value inside the 60-month window, it can impose a penalty period — a stretch of time when Medicaid will not pay for long-term care, even though the person otherwise qualifies. This is why families are sometimes told not to give away a house or savings right before applying.

What still protects a spouse and the home

• A spouse who stays at home keeps a protected share of assets and income — called the community spouse resource allowance and the minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance. The exact dollar limits change yearly; DCF applies them.
• The home is generally exempt while a spouse or dependent lives there, or while the applicant intends to return to it.
• Income above Medicaid's limit can often be handled with a Qualified Income Trust (Miller trust), instead of being counted directly.

What happens after death

Even when the look-back and other rules are followed, Florida's estate-recovery program may seek repayment of Medicaid long-term care costs from the estate after the person dies (Fla. Stat. 409.9101).

Before anyone moves money or the house

Please don't transfer a house or savings to try to qualify sooner without talking to an attorney first. There are lawful planning options, but only a Florida elder-law attorney can evaluate them for your family's situation. The cost of that consultation is small next to what's at stake. The Florida Bar's Lawyer Referral Service can help you find one, and the Aging and Disability Resource Center (Elder Helpline 1-800-963-5337) can screen for waiver programs while you look for a lawyer.

What to do next

The free tool at this site reads the situation you describe — the care needed, income, savings, the house, whether a spouse is at home — and lays out the cost landscape, what Medicare does and doesn't cover, how this look-back and Florida Medicaid long-term care program apply, and the exact questions to bring to an elder-law attorney or the ADRC. It uses only your own numbers, nothing is stored, and it is not legal or financial advice — confirm eligibility with DCF and any transfer questions with a Florida elder-law attorney.

Long-Term Care Cost Check FL explains Medicare, Florida Medicaid long-term care and community programs in plain language from official sources; it can be wrong, and it is not legal, financial or medical advice. Eligibility is determined only by DCF. Nothing you type is stored.