Indiana Medicaid Estate Recovery

Once a Medicaid recipient turns 55, whatever Indiana Medicaid paid on their behalf becomes a preferred claim against that person's estate — though it still sits behind the statutory priority given to funeral costs, last-illness expenses, and estate-administration costs. The state's Family and Social Services Administration directs probate notices for decedents age 55 or older straight to Indiana Medicaid Estate Recovery.

What really sets Indiana apart is how broadly the law defines "estate" for recovery purposes. It's not limited to probate property — the statutory definition also reaches certain real-property interests conveyed through survivorship joint tenancy, real or personal property conveyed through a nonprobate transfer, and certain annuity sums. In other words, calling Indiana a simple probate-only recovery state would be inaccurate.

For families who miss a recovery notice or need relief, Indiana's undue-hardship process comes with a documented 90-day deadline for filing the application — a date worth marking on the calendar the moment a recovery claim shows up.