---
title: "District of Columbia Nursing Home Medicaid | Funding LTC Marketplace"
url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/district-of-columbia/nursing-home-medicaid/
description: "Nursing-facility Medicaid requires financial eligibility and a DHCF long-term-services assessment, with a $109 2026 personal-needs allowance."
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 · Nursing Home Coverage

# District of Columbia Nursing Home Medicaid

Last updated 2026-10-20

DHCF's Institutional Care Program covers District residents who need an institutional level of care, whether that's in a nursing facility or an intermediate-care facility for people with intellectual disabilities. The financial rules are the same ones that apply across DHCF's long-term-care framework: a 2026 Special Income Standard of $2,982 per month, resource limits of $4,000 for an individual and $6,000 for a married couple, and a medically needy spend-down alternative for people whose income is higher but who carry substantial medical expenses.

Meeting the financial rules is only half the equation for nursing-facility admission. DHCF's nursing-facility quick reference also requires a resident to meet nursing-facility level-of-care criteria, generally established through a comprehensive health assessment. For applicants with serious mental illness or an intellectual disability, there's an additional step: Preadmission Screening and Resident Review, which determines whether nursing-facility placement is actually appropriate and needed before admission moves forward.

In 2026, families should also know that the personal-needs allowance for nursing-facility residents on Medicaid is $109 per month — the amount a resident is allowed to keep for personal expenses out of their own income once Medicaid is covering the rest of their care.

## District of Columbia figures

- 2026 Special Income Standard: $2,982/month
- Individual resource limit: $4,000
- Married-couple resource limit: $6,000
- 2026 personal-needs allowance: $109/month

## 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/)