---
title: "Michigan Lady Bird Deed | Funding LTC Marketplace"
url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/michigan/lady-bird-deed/
description: "Michigan's signature enhanced life estate deed: retained control, nonprobate transfer, no Medicaid divestment penalty, and estate-recovery avoidance."
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.
---
Michigan · Asset Protection Tool

# Michigan Lady Bird Deed

Last updated 2026-10-20

Michigan is a confirmed Lady Bird deed state, and the instrument — technically an enhanced life estate deed — is treated by Michigan legal and institutional sources as an established, reliable estate-planning tool.

The Michigan Supreme Court settled the question in *Department of Health and Human Services v. Rasmer*, characterizing the deed as a legitimate mechanism to avoid probate. That ruling is a big part of why Lady Bird deeds are so widely used in Michigan home planning.

## Sources and official resources

- [MDHHS: Nursing Facility Eligibility](https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/-/media/Project/Websites/mdhhs/Doing-Business-with-MDHHS/Forms-and-Applications/nursing_fac_elig_134653_7.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)
- [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 Michigan guide](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/michigan/)