--- title: "Long-Term Care Funding in South Carolina | Funding LTC Marketplace" url: https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/ description: "South Carolina Healthy Connections Medicaid: income-cap rules, Income Trusts, five-year look-back, and no statutory TOD deed yet." 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. --- State Funding Guide # Long-Term Care Funding in South Carolina South Carolina runs its long-term-care Medicaid through an income-cap model rather than a spenddown system. Healthy Connections Medicaid sets a hard monthly income ceiling for nursing-facility and waiver applicants, and anyone over that line typically needs an Income Trust to still qualify. The state's current published policy also pegs the community-spouse resource share at a fixed $66,480, and — unlike a growing number of states — South Carolina has not yet enacted a statutory transfer-on-death deed for real property, which puts extra weight on how a home is titled. ## Why South Carolina is different - **Hard income cap, not a spenddown** — the 2026 federal 300%-of-SSI figure of $2,982 a month functions as a strict ceiling for the nursing-facility and waiver pathway, with an **Income Trust** required for anyone above it. - **No enacted real-property TOD deed** — South Carolina's current transfer-on-death law only covers titled personal property like vehicles and boats, not homes; two 2025-2026 bills (S. 49 and H. 4264) would change this, but neither has become law. - **Fixed community-spouse figure** — the state's posted manual lists a $66,480 community-spouse resource share rather than the annually shifting federal range some other states use. - **Recovery framed around the probate estate** — South Carolina's statute directs recovery from a decedent's estate rather than spelling out an expanded definition reaching joint tenancy or living-trust assets. - **A dedicated Income Trust statute** — Section 44-6-720 governs these trusts specifically, requiring the state Medicaid agency as a beneficiary and directing leftover funds to the state at death. ## South Carolina at a glance - Individual resource standard: $2,000 - Federal SSI couple resource standard: $3,000 - 2026 monthly income cap (300% of SSI): $2,982 - Posted community-spouse resource share: $66,480 - Posted state-manual home-equity figure: $688,000 - Nursing-facility personal-needs allowance: $60/month - Transfer look-back review: 60 months ## Which situation matches yours? | If this is your situation | Start here | |---|---| | Care Needed NowA hospital discharge, an imminent facility decision, or home care that has already begun. | [South Carolina Medicaid Look-Back Period](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/medicaid-look-back-period/)[South Carolina VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/va-aid-attendance/) | | Care Within 1-3 YearsMemory changes, a fall, or a new diagnosis have made the timeline real, though care isn't needed yet. | [South Carolina VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/va-aid-attendance/)[South Carolina Long-Term Care Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/long-term-care-planning/) | | Planning AheadNo diagnosis or crisis yet, just the recognition that long-term care is a likely eventual need. | South Carolina Long-Term Care Insurance[South Carolina Long-Term Care Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/long-term-care-planning/) | | Veteran or surviving spouse of wartime serviceA federal pension benefit that stacks on top of whatever the care-timeline or asset situation already points to. | [South Carolina VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/va-aid-attendance/) | | Owns significant home equityThe home is typically exempt from Medicaid counting during life but remains relevant to recovery and to how long private pay can last. | [South Carolina Home Transfer Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/home-transfer-planning/)[South Carolina Medicaid Long-Term Care](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/medicaid-long-term-care/) | | Already holds LTC insurance or a hybrid life/LTC policyThat existing coverage is usually tapped first, with other funding pillars stepping in once benefits run out or a gap appears. | South Carolina Long-Term Care Insurance[South Carolina Medicaid Long-Term Care](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/medicaid-long-term-care/) | ## The 10 funding pillars in South Carolina Every pillar below has its own dedicated South Carolina page with the current rules, dollar figures, and what to do next. - [South Carolina Medicaid Long-Term Care](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/medicaid-long-term-care/) (Medicaid Program): How Healthy Connections Medicaid, the Department of Health and Human Services, and clinical level-of-care review fit together. - [South Carolina Medicaid Asset Limits](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/medicaid-asset-limits/) (Financial Eligibility): South Carolina's published LTC resource, income-cap, home-equity, and community-spouse rules. - [South Carolina Medicaid Look-Back Period](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/medicaid-look-back-period/) (Look-Back & Penalties): South Carolina reviews five years of transfers and uses its current private-pay rate when calculating a penalty. - [South Carolina Home Transfer Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/home-transfer-planning/) (Asset Protection Tool): South Carolina has no enacted statutory real-property TOD or enhanced-life-estate deed, so home transfers need individualized planning. - [South Carolina Medicaid Estate Recovery](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/medicaid-estate-recovery/) (Estate Recovery): South Carolina seeks recovery from an estate, with survivor protections and a state undue-hardship waiver process. - [South Carolina Nursing Home Medicaid](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/nursing-home-medicaid/) (Nursing Home Coverage): Nursing-facility Medicaid uses a CLTC level-of-care review and a $60 monthly personal-needs allowance. - [South Carolina Home Care Medicaid](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/home-care-medicaid/) (Home & Community Care): The Community Choices Waiver is South Carolina's principal home-care alternative for people who meet nursing-facility level of care. - [South Carolina Long-Term Care Planning](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/long-term-care-planning/) (Planning Ahead): Planning turns on a strict income-cap route, an Income Trust when needed, five-year transfer review, and title-specific recovery analysis. - [South Carolina VA Aid & Attendance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/va-aid-attendance/) (VA Benefits): VA Aid and Attendance can supplement pension benefits while South Carolina offers six State Veterans Homes and a disabled-veteran property-tax exemption. - [South Carolina Long-Term Care Insurance](https://fundingltcmarketplace.com/states/south-carolina/long-term-care-insurance/) (LTC Insurance): The South Carolina Department of Insurance regulates LTC coverage and maintains the state's LTC Partnership regulatory framework. Participates in the State Long-Term Care Partnership Program. ## Sources and official resources - [SCDHHS: Nursing Facilities](https://www.scdhhs.gov/resources/programs-and-initiatives/long-term-living/nursing-facilities) - [SC Department of Insurance: Long-Term Care Insurance](https://doi.sc.gov/609/Long-Term-Care-Insurance) - [SC Department of Insurance: Bulletin 2009-04, SC Long-Term Care Partnership Program](https://doi.sc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2833/Bulletin-2009-04-Implementation-of-the-SC-Long-Term-Care-Partnership-Program) - [CMS: 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards](https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/cib04272026.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) Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.