---
title: "Arizona ALTCS Look-Back Period: 60-Month Rule"
url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/arizona/medicaid-look-back-period/
description: "AHCCCS reviews 60 months of transfers before an ALTCS application. How penalties use county private-pay rates and what ALTCS covers during a penalty period."
last_updated: 2026-10-20
author: George A. Mellendorf, CLTC, LTCP (Central States Insurance Services, Inc.)
publisher: Funding LTC Marketplace
note: Educational content; not legal, tax or financial advice. Markdown copy of the HTML page at the URL above.
---
Arizona · Look-Back & Penalties

# Arizona Medicaid Look-Back Period

Last updated 2026-10-20

AHCCCS reviews the 60 months before the month someone applies for ALTCS, with that window starting on the first day of the 60th month before the application month. Any transfer made during that period, or after the application, gets examined to see whether the applicant received full value in return — so a five-year lookback isn't limited to transactions labeled as gifts; it covers any transfer of ownership below market value.

AHCCCS separates the transfer penalty from the eligibility decision itself. An uncompensated transfer doesn't automatically stop or deny ALTCS eligibility when every other requirement is met — but during the resulting penalty period, the person only receives ALTCS's limited service package rather than full long-term-care coverage. In other words, being approved for Medicaid doesn't necessarily mean the nursing-facility or home-care costs are actually covered during that window.

## Arizona figures

- Look-back period: 60 months

## Sources and official resources

- [AHCCCS: ALTCS coverage for long-term care needs](https://www.azahcccs.gov/Members/GetCovered/Categories/ALTCS.html)
- [U.S. Code: 42 U.S.C. § 1396p (liens, estate recovery, transfers of assets, Partnership disregard)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1396p)

Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.

[← Back to the full Arizona guide](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/arizona/)