Alaska Medicaid Long Term Care Eligibility for 2023

Alaska Medicaid Long Term Care Programs in 2023

Alaska is an income cap state, meaning that in order to be eligible for Medicaid long term care benefits there is a hard income limit. Non income cap states allow applicants to spend down money for their care, whereas income cap states require the amount to be no higher than their limit at time of application.

Types of care:

Home and Community Based Waivers (HCBW) in 2023: People of any age who experience long term medical conditions that require a level of care offered in a nursing home, or those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) who meet an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) level of care may be able to receive services in their home and community through one of four unique HCBW programs. These programs are all administrated through the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services (DSDS) and are provided in addition to all other regular Medicaid services.

Services include:

Delivered meals: Up to two meals per day delivered to a recipient’s home.
Congregate meals: Meals provided to adults in a community setting.
Respite: Services provided in hourly or daily increments that give the primary caregiver a break.
Chore: Provides light housekeeping tasks in a recipient’s home
Transportation: Access to a recipient’s community is provided through a variety of conveyances that include wheelchair-accessible travel.
Equipment used to assist recipients with activities of daily living. Some of the devices available include: reacher; shoe/sock donner; hand held shower; Emergency response system (medical alert); adaptive eating devices; wheelchair lift installation for van; portable ramps; humidifier.

Eligibility:

1. Residency and Citizenship – the applicant must be a resident of Alaska and be a U.S. citizen or have proper immigration status in 2023.

2. Age/Disability – the applicant must be age 65 or older, or blind, or disabled. The applicant must meet certain medical requirements consistent with the level of care requested.

3. Income Limitations in 2023– the applicant’s income (wages, Social Security benefits, pensions, veteran’s benefits, annuities, SSI payments, IRAs, etc.) must be less than $2,742 per month. Persons with income in excess of $2,742 can still qualify for Medicaid coverage if excess income is placed into a Qualifying Income Trust (QIT). The trust must be irrevocable and Alaska Medicaid must be the designated recipient when the beneficiary dies. Only income in excess of $2,742 must be placed in the trust.

4. Asset Limitations (Exempt vs. Available) in 2023– Medicaid divides assets into two categories: Exempt and Available. Exempt assets are specifically designated under the rules, and ownership of an exempt asset by the applicant will not result in a denial of benefits. If an asset is not listed as exempt then it needs to be liquidated and applied toward the costs of nursing home care before the applicant can receive Medicaid benefits. Alaska has a look back period of 5 years with a penalty for people who sell assets below fair market price, transfer assets to others, or give money and property away.

Exempt Assets for an applicant in Alaska include:

i. $2,000 or less in cash/non-exempt assets if single.

ii. Personal effects and household goods

iii. One home (equity value limited to $688,000) is exempt if expecting to return, a spouse, a child under 21, or a disabled person resides in it. The house can be transferred with no penalty to the spouse; a natural, adopted, or step child who is under 21, blind or disabled; a sibling who has equity interest in the home and lived with the institutionalized individual one year prior to institutionalization; another adult, who lived with the resident and provided care for at least two years thereby delaying institutionalization.

iv. One motor vehicle if the vehicle is used for the long term care recipient’s medical treatment, employment, modified to accommodate a disability, or the primary vehicle of the community spouse—no matter the value for 2023.

v. Burial spaces and irrevocable pre-paid burial trusts, no amount specified.

Spousal Rules:

Amount of assets community spouse may retain: The community spouse can keep one-half of all non-exempt resources owned by one or both spouses with a maximum of $148,620.

Community spouse impoverishment protection in 2023: The community spouse can keep part of the institutionalized spouse’s income if the community spouse has an income of less than $2,861.25 per month. If the community spouse can document high shelter expenses (rent, utilities, phone, etc.) then the income limit may be raised to a maximum of $3,715.50.

Offices by specific locale:

Office Physical Address Telephone Fax
Bethel District Office 460 Ridgecrest Drive, Suite 121 Bethel,
AK 99559 543-2686
1-800-478-2686 543-5912
1-888-443-2650

Coastal Field Office 1 3601 C Street, Suite 410
Anchorage, AK 99503 269-8950
1-800-478-4372 or 4364 562-1619
1-888-266-1619

Denali KidCare / Coastal Field Office 2 3601 C Street, Suite 120
Anchorage, AK 99503 269-6529
1-888-318-8890 269-0986
1-888-318-8890

Eagle River Job Center 11723 Old Glenn Hwy., Space B-4 Eagle River, AK 99577 694-7008 694-1490
Fairbanks District Office 675 7th Avenue, Station E, Fairbanks, AK 99701 451-2850
1-800-478-2850 451-2923
1-877-451-2923

Gambell District Office 400 Gambell Street
Anchorage, AK 99501 269-6599
1-888-876-2477 269-6520

Heating Assistance Office 10002 Glacier Highway, Suite 200,
Juneau Alaska 99801 465-3010
1-800-475-3058 465-3319

Homer District Office 3670 Lake Street, Suite 200
Homer, AK 99603 226-3040
1-877-235-2421 235-6176
1-877-235-2421

Juneau District Office 10002 Glacier Hwy., Suite 200 Juneau,
AK 99801 465-3537
1-800-478-3537 465-4657

Kenai Peninsula Job Center 11312 Kenai Spur Hwy., Suite #2 Kenai, AK 99611 283-2900
1-800-478-9032 283-6619
1-888-248-6619

Ketchikan District Office 2030 Sea Level Drive, Suite 301
Ketchikan, AK 99901 225-2135
1-800-478-2135 247-2135

Kodiak District Office 211 Mission Road, Suite 101
Kodiak, AK 99615 486-3783
1-888-480-3783 486-3116
1-888-281-3116

Kotzebue District Office 240 5th Street
Kotzebue, AK 99752 442-3451
1-800-478-3451 442-2151
1-888-856-2151

Long Term Care Office 3601 C Street, Suite 410
Anchorage, AK 99503 269-8950
1-800-478-4372 or 4364 269-5608
1-855-869-5608

MatSu District Office 855 W. Commercial Drive Wasilla, AK 99654 376-3903
1-800-478-7778 373-1136 / 357-2538
1-877-357-2538

Muldoon District Office 1251 Muldoon Road, Suite 111B Anchorage, AK 99504 269-0001
1-888-876-2477 269-6058

Nome District Office 214 E. Front Street Nome, AK 99762 443-2237
1-800-478-2236 443-2307
1-800-574-2307

Senior Benefits Office 855 W. Commercial Drive Wasilla, AK 99654 352-4150
1-888-352-4150 357-2561
1-866-352-8539

Sitka District Office 201 Katlian Street, Suite 107
Sitka, AK 99835 747-8234
1-800-478-8234 747-8224