Medicaid Eligibility for Home Care in Pennsylvania

What “Medicaid home care” means in Pennsylvania

When people ask whether Medicaid pays for home care in PA, the answer is Community HealthChoices (CHC) — the state's Medicaid managed long-term services program. Instead of paying for a nursing home, CHC can fund personal care in your own home: help with bathing, dressing, meals, mobility, and more. Full CHC waiver walkthrough.

The three eligibility tests

1. Age & residency — generally 21 or older and a Pennsylvania resident (most recipients are 60+).

2. Functional need (“level of care”) — you must need the level of care a nursing facility provides, measured by how much help you need with daily activities like bathing, dressing, eating, and moving safely. An assessment determines this.

3. Financial limits — the part most families worry about. For 2026, a single applicant generally must have income at or below about $2,901/month and countable assets around $2,000. Important: not everything counts.

What usually does NOT count toward assets

• The home you live in (within an equity limit)
• One vehicle
• Personal belongings and household goods
• Certain prepaid funeral/burial arrangements
• A spouse's protected share (spousal impoverishment rules let the at-home spouse keep more)

This is why families who assume they “have too much” often still qualify — especially married couples. Don't rule yourself out before checking.

A note on the 5-year look-back

Medicaid reviews asset transfers (gifts) made in the 5 years before applying. Giving away money or property to qualify can trigger a penalty period. If you're considering this, talk to an elder-law attorney first — there are legal planning tools, but DIY transfers often backfire.

How to start

1. Apply for Medicaid / CHC through COMPASS (compass.state.pa.us) or your county Area Agency on Aging.
2. Complete the level-of-care assessment.
3. Choose a CHC plan (Keystone First, PA Health & Wellness, or UPMC Community HealthChoices).
4. Pick your home care agency — Mary Angels works with all three CHC plans.

It's a lot of paperwork. We help families through it every week — call 412-318-4237 or book a free assessment and we'll point you to the right starting line.