For most families mapping out Idaho long-term-care Medicaid, the income cap is the detail that shapes everything else. The 2026 eligibility guide puts the individual limit at $3,002 a month for both Nursing Home Medicaid and waiver applicants, and it identifies the fix for anyone over that number: an irrevocable Qualified Income Trust, or Miller Trust, with Idaho named as the remainder beneficiary.
Setting up that trust doesn't finish the job, though. DHW still requires nursing-home and HCBS applicants to pass a Level of Care Determination after clearing financial eligibility, and its nursing-home guidance separately flags that transferring income around can jeopardize eligibility rather than protect it — a reminder that Idaho planning has to account for both the income-cap mechanics and the functional-care review.