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Massachusetts · checked September 2026
How Massachusetts helps pay for long-term care, who to call when you need help or something's wrong, and how to check a facility before you sign.
The first question
We couldn't confirm it on an official page.Call your local aging office below and ask; it's the first thing they'll know.
Massachusetts's Medicaid rules for long-term care, and the programs that pay for care outside a nursing home.
$2,982
2026
$2,982 a month (300% of the federal SSI rate) is the 2026 income limit for the Frail Elder Waiver, PACE and the state Home Care Program. For nursing home care there is no income limit and no trust is needed: your parent pays most of their monthly income to the nursing home (called the patient-paid amount), keeps $72.80 a month for personal needs, and MassHealth pays the rest. Part of the income can be set aside for a spouse still living at home.
$2,000
2026
$2,000 for a single person ($3,000 for a married couple living in the community). When one spouse goes to a nursing home, the spouse at home can keep up to $162,660 in assets in 2026. A home with more than $1,130,000 in equity can block eligibility. MassHealth looks back 60 months for gifts or transfers made for less than they were worth.
Massachusetts doesn't use a hard cap. People over the limit can qualify by paying most of their income toward their care (a spend-down).
Look-back on gifts and transfers: 60 months.
Apply for MassHealth
MassHealth (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services)
This is the main way MassHealth helps with care in an assisted living residence. It pays for help with daily tasks like bathing and dressing, medication reminders, nurse oversight and case management for someone on MassHealth Standard who needs help with at least one daily activity. It does not pay rent or meals; a low-income resident may get extra SSI money (SSI-G) toward those costs.
Waitlist: Ask the assisted living residence whether it takes GAFC and has an open unit, and ask MassHealth about any wait.
For people 65 and older (or 60 to 64 with a disability) who need nursing-home-level care but want to stay at home. It pays for help such as personal care, home health aides, respite, adult day, meals, transportation and dementia coaching. It cannot be used by someone living in assisted living or a rest home. Income must be $2,982 a month or less in 2026. Start by calling your local Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) through MassOptions.
Waitlist: Sometimes. The state caps how many people can be served each year, so there may be a wait when slots are full.
A no-cost health plan for people 65 and older who have MassHealth Standard and Medicare Parts A and B. One plan covers doctors, prescriptions, home care and nursing home care, with a care team to coordinate it all. Members can live at home or in a nursing home. Five plans are open to new members; call a plan or MassHealth to enroll.
For people who need nursing-home-level care but can live safely in the community and live in a PACE service area. The PACE program provides all medical and support services, often through a day center. Contact the PACE program that serves your parent's town to ask about age, income and cost rules.
MassHealth pays for daily personal care from a live-in caregiver in a family home, either your parent's home or the caregiver's. A family member, including an adult child, can be the paid caregiver; a spouse or legal guardian cannot. The caregiver gets a tax-free payment through an AFC agency, plus nurse and case manager support. Your parent must need help with at least one daily activity.
MassHealth pays for a personal care attendant that your parent (or a helper acting for them) hires and directs, for someone on MassHealth Standard with a lasting disability who needs help with two or more daily activities. An adult child can be hired and paid. A spouse, the person's surrogate or legal decision-maker, or any legally responsible relative cannot be paid.
A state-funded program (not MassHealth) for people 60 and older, or younger with early-onset Alzheimer's or dementia, who need help to keep living at home. Services include personal care, adult day, meals, respite and dementia coaching. Income under $2,982 a month (2026) pays a monthly co-pay of $10 to $141; higher incomes can still join but pay more. Not available to people living in assisted living. Call MassOptions to be connected to your local ASAP.
Massachusetts adds $454 a month to federal SSI for low-income people living in assisted living (called SSI-G), for a total of $1,448 a month in 2026. It helps with rent and meals, which MassHealth does not pay. It is usually paired with Group Adult Foster Care. Apply for SSI through Social Security; the state portion is paid by the Department of Transitional Assistance (877-863-1128).
PACE provides all medical and long-term care for people 55+ who need nursing-home-level care but can live in the community. Programs in Massachusetts:
Free, and on your side. Start with the aging office if you don't know where to begin.
The state's aging office and its local agencies explain your options, screen for programs and help with applications.
A free, independent advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living. Call about any problem with care, rights, billing or a discharge.
You don't need proof to report. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
24/7
Unbiased Medicare help from counselors who don't sell anything: plans, bills, appeals, and programs that lower costs.
Help spotting and reporting Medicare fraud, billing errors and scams.
In Massachusetts, assisted living is licensed as: Assisted Living Residence (ALR); dementia units are called Special Care Residences. Read inspection reports before you sign anything.
Confirm a community's license here, and ask the agency how to see its inspection reports.
File a complaint
Medicare rates every nursing home on staffing, inspections and quality, with full inspection reports.
State veterans homes are often far cheaper than private care for eligible veterans and, in many states, their spouses.
Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS)
Free legal help for older adults on issues like benefits, housing, powers of attorney and elder abuse.
Can a family member be paid to provide care? Yes, in some programs.
Yes. Through MassHealth Adult Foster Care, a family member other than a spouse or legal guardian can live with your parent and receive a tax-free payment for providing daily care. Through the MassHealth PCA program, an adult child can be hired and paid as a personal care attendant; a spouse or the person managing the care cannot.
Free help for unpaid family caregivers of someone 60 or older, or of anyone with Alzheimer's or dementia. A caregiver specialist at your local ASAP can offer counseling, care planning, support groups, referrals and short breaks (respite).
Coaching for families caring for someone with dementia, offered as a service in the state Home Care Program and the Frail Elder Waiver. The Home Care Program also accepts people under 60 with early-onset Alzheimer's or related dementia. Call MassOptions to be connected to your local ASAP.
The state's guide to dementia services, caregiver support and daily living tips in Massachusetts.
A state income tax credit of up to $2,820 (tax year 2025) for people 65 and older whose property taxes or rent are high compared with their income. Renters can qualify too, and you get the money back even if you owe no tax. Claim it on Schedule CB with the state tax return. Income limits for 2025: $75,000 single, $94,000 head of household, $112,000 married filing jointly.
In towns that offer it, older homeowners can cut their property tax bill by volunteering for the town. Each town sets its own rules, including the age limit and the most you can save; ask your town hall or local council on aging.
Free help paying heating bills for lower-income households, including renters whose heat is included in rent. Apply online or through your local fuel assistance agency; call 211 for help, including to check the income limit.
State help with prescription drug costs. The program stopped accepting new applications after September 11, 2026; people already enrolled keep their coverage. Current members can call customer service (option 3).
$2,000 for a single person (2026). $2,000 for a single person ($3,000 for a married couple living in the community). When one spouse goes to a nursing home, the spouse at home can keep up to $162,660 in assets in 2026. A home with more than $1,130,000 in equity can block eligibility. MassHealth looks back 60 months for gifts or transfers made for less than they were worth.
The Massachusetts Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: 617-222-7495. It's free and independent.
Researched from 75 sources, official pages first. Last checked .