---
title: "Long-Term Care Funding in Delaware | Funding LTC Marketplace"
url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/
description: "Delaware's new transfer-on-death deed law and mandatory DSHP-Plus managed care make its 2026 Medicaid LTC rules worth a close look."
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.
---
State Funding Guide

# Long-Term Care Funding in Delaware

Delaware channels most long-term-care Medicaid services through Diamond State Health Plan Plus, or DSHP-Plus — a mandatory managed-care program for older adults and people with physical disabilities. The Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance (DMMA) sets the state's 2026 figures at a $2,485 monthly income standard for an individual and a statewide transfer-penalty divisor of $13,378.33 per month.

The bigger recent development is on the legal-tools side: as of December 4, 2025, Delaware finally has a genuine statutory transfer-on-death deed. Its lifetime provisions are notably protective — the law says using the deed doesn't affect the owner's or beneficiary's public-assistance eligibility while the owner is still alive — but that protection during life doesn't erase the need to think through what happens to the property after death.

## Why Delaware is different

- **Brand-new statutory TOD deed** — effective for deeds where the owner dies on or after December 4, 2025, the deed is revocable, nontestamentary, and doesn't jeopardize public-assistance eligibility during the owner's lifetime.
- **Mandatory managed care through DSHP-Plus** — nearly all HCBS waiver programs for older adults and people with physical disabilities (other than the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services waiver) were folded into DSHP-Plus effective April 1, 2012.
- **Miller Trust option for income above the cap** — Delaware's income-qualifying trust can exclude income over the Medicaid limit when properly structured and administered.
- **Estate recovery ties to Delaware's probate code** — the state defines the recoverable estate by reference to Title 12, Chapter 19 of the Delaware Code, its probate law, rather than spelling out every non-probate asset type by name.
- **A TOD deed can still face a claim after death** — Delaware's TOD statute lets the estate pursue an allowed claim against TOD property if the probate estate falls short, and gives the estate eight months after death to start that proceeding.

## Delaware at a glance

- Individual resource limit: $2,000
- Couple resource limit: $3,000
- Individual LTC income standard: $2,485/month before the $20 disregard
- Home-equity limit: $752,000
- Community-spouse resource allowance range: $32,532–$162,660
- Nursing-facility personal-needs allowance: $75/month
- Look-back period: 60 months
- 2026 transfer penalty divisor: $13,378.33/month

## Which situation matches yours?

| If this is your situation | Start here |
|---|---|
| Care Needed NowA hospital discharge or facility decision is imminent, or home care has already started. | [Delaware Medicaid Look-Back Period](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/medicaid-look-back-period/)[Delaware VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/va-aid-attendance/) |
| Care Within 1-3 YearsA recent diagnosis or fall has made the timeline real even though care isn't needed today. | [Delaware VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/va-aid-attendance/)[Delaware Long-Term Care Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/long-term-care-planning/) |
| Planning AheadNo crisis yet — just the recognition that long-term care is a matter of when, not if. | Delaware Long-Term Care Insurance[Delaware Long-Term Care Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/long-term-care-planning/) |
| Veteran or surviving spouse of wartime serviceAdds a federal pension benefit on top of whatever the Situation and State rows point to. | [Delaware VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/va-aid-attendance/) |
| Owns significant home equityThe home is usually exempt during life but affects estate recovery and private-pay runway. | [Delaware Transfer-on-Death Deed](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/transfer-on-death-deed/)[Delaware Medicaid Long-Term Care](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/medicaid-long-term-care/) |
| Already has LTC insurance or a hybrid policyExisting coverage is usually the first dollar spent, with other pillars becoming supplemental afterward. | Delaware Long-Term Care Insurance[Delaware Medicaid Long-Term Care](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/medicaid-long-term-care/) |

## The 10 funding pillars in Delaware

Every pillar below has its own dedicated Delaware page with the current rules, dollar figures, and what to do next.

- [Delaware Medicaid Long-Term Care](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/medicaid-long-term-care/) (Medicaid Program): How DMMA delivers nursing-facility and community long-term services through Delaware Medicaid and DSHP-Plus.

- [Delaware Medicaid Asset Limits](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/medicaid-asset-limits/) (Financial Eligibility): Delaware's 2026 resource, income, home-equity, and community-spouse standards for long-term care.

- [Delaware Medicaid Look-Back Period](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/medicaid-look-back-period/) (Look-Back & Penalties): Delaware applies a 60-month transfer review and a 2026 penalty divisor of $13,378.33 per month.

- [Delaware Transfer-on-Death Deed](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/transfer-on-death-deed/) (Asset Protection Tool): Delaware's new statutory TOD deed is revocable and preserves public-assistance eligibility during life, but it is not a substitute for recovery analysis.

- [Delaware Medicaid Estate Recovery](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/medicaid-estate-recovery/) (Estate Recovery): Delaware defines the recoverable estate by reference to its probate law and publishes specific recovery exceptions and hardship-waiver standards.

- [Delaware Nursing Home Medicaid](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/nursing-home-medicaid/) (Nursing Home Coverage): Delaware's Nursing Facility Program requires medical and financial eligibility, with a $75 monthly personal-needs allowance.

- [Delaware Home Care Medicaid](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/home-care-medicaid/) (Home & Community Care): DSHP-Plus is Delaware's mandatory managed long-term-services program for older adults and people with physical disabilities, alongside the DDDS Lifespan Waiver.

- [Delaware Long-Term Care Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/long-term-care-planning/) (Planning Ahead): Delaware planning combines a 250%-of-SSI income cap, Miller Trust option, five-year transfer review, probate recovery, and a family-support statute.

- [Delaware VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/va-aid-attendance/) (VA Benefits): Federal Aid and Attendance can sit beside Delaware Medicaid; the state has one 144-bed Veterans Home and a disabled-veterans school-tax credit.

- [Delaware Long-Term Care Insurance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/delaware/long-term-care-insurance/) (LTC Insurance): The Delaware Department of Insurance regulates LTC insurance, and its current published carrier list includes Partnership plans for sale.

Participates in the State Long-Term Care Partnership Program.

## Sources and official resources

- [Delaware DHSS: Long Term Care Medicaid Programs](https://dhss.delaware.gov/dmma/home/medicaid/long-term-care-medicaid-programs/)
- [Delaware Department of Insurance: Office of Long-Term Care Insurance](https://insurance.delaware.gov/divisions/consumerhp/longterm/)
- [Delaware Administrative Code: 16 Del. Admin. Code 20345, Qualified State Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program](https://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title16/20000)
- [CMS: 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards](https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/cib04272026.pdf)
- [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.