North Carolina's planning framework starts from a structural choice: the state uses a medically needy deductible approach rather than a strict institutional income cap. That means qualifying medical expenses can actually help someone become eligible when their income exceeds the categorically needy limit, rather than automatically disqualifying them.
On the resource side, the most recently published NCDHHS figures are $2,000 for a single applicant and $3,000 for a couple, formally effective April 1, 2025 — with no expressly 2026-dated revision identified, so current figures are worth confirming directly with the state.
Because of North Carolina's expanded estate recovery and lack of TOD or Lady Bird deed options, a thorough plan here usually weighs trust structures, the 60-month transfer-timing rules, and how each asset type would be treated under the state's broader recovery policy — not just eligibility thresholds in isolation.