---
title: "District of Columbia Medicaid Long-Term Care | Funding LTC Marketplace"
url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/district-of-columbia/medicaid-long-term-care/
description: "How DC Medicaid uses the Special Income Standard and medically needy spend-down to fund nursing-facility and community long-term care."
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.
---
District of Columbia · Medicaid Program

# District of Columbia Medicaid Long-Term Care

Last updated 2026-10-20

In the District, Medicaid long-term care is administered by the Department of Health Care Finance, known as DHCF. Coverage can look very different depending on the setting: it pays for care in a nursing facility, and separately, it funds services delivered at home or in the community through Home and Community Based Services waivers. Before either path opens up, DHCF checks four things — that you live in the District, that your citizenship or immigration status qualifies, that you meet the financial rules, and that you have a documented medical need for the level of care you're requesting.

Financially, DHCF actually gives applicants three ways in. If you already receive or qualify for SSI, you're automatically Medicaid-eligible. If your income runs higher than the SSI cutoff, you may still qualify under the Special Income Standard — set at 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate, which works out to $2,982 per month in 2026. On the resource side, DHCF's long-term-care framework allows $4,000 in countable resources for a single applicant and $6,000 for a married couple, and it doesn't count the value of your home, one vehicle, or ordinary household and personal belongings against that limit.

None of this replaces an individualized eligibility review — DHCF's published overview is a starting point for understanding the shape of the program, not a substitute for having your specific numbers checked against current rules.

## District of Columbia figures

- 2026 Special Income Standard: $2,982/month (300% of SSI federal benefit rate)
- Individual resource limit: $4,000
- Married-couple resource limit: $6,000

## Sources and official resources

- [D.C. DHCF: Long-Term Care (LTC)](https://dhcf.dc.gov/service/long-term-care-ltc)
- [CMS: 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards](https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/cib04272026.pdf)

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

[← Back to the full District of Columbia guide](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/district-of-columbia/)