Alaska is an income-cap state
The 2026 guide says an applicant above the Nursing Home Medicaid or waiver income cap may use a Qualified Income Trust. Alaska Law Help describes this as an irrevocable Medicaid Qualifying Income Trust or Miller Trust that directs excess income into a special account; it is for income, not for excess assets, and the remaining funds are subject to the trust's state-payback provision (2026 Alaska long-term-care eligibility guide; Alaska Law Help Miller Trust guide).
The 2025 Alaska presentation says the trust must be funded for the month of eligibility, use an independent trustee, and be registered with Alaska Superior Court. Those technical statements should be checked against current DPA forms and policy before a trust is signed or funded (Alaska LTC Medicaid eligibility presentation).
Spousal and home protections require separate calculations
For a married long-term-care applicant with a spouse living in the community, the 2026 guide reports a $162,660 Community Spouse Resource Allowance. It also says the applicant's $2,000 limit remains separate and the community spouse's income is not counted for the applicant's nursing-home or waiver income test (2026 Alaska long-term-care eligibility guide).
Alaska's Department of Health currently states a $500,000 home-equity limit for long-term-care eligibility and says Alaska could elect to raise that amount to $1 million beginning in 2028. That official current statement should control over older sources that display a different federal-range figure (Alaska Department of Health Medicaid application information).
A home can also be exempt because of who lives there. The 2026 guide describes exceptions where a spouse, a minor child, or a blind or disabled child lives in the home; it also describes an intent-to-return analysis. The worker must apply the current facts, title, equity, and exception rather than treating the home as automatically protected (2026 Alaska long-term-care eligibility guide).
2026 figures reported for Alaska: $2,000 individual LTC resources, $3,000 for two applying spouses, $2,982/month individual LTC income, and $162,660 community-spouse resources. Alaska's official public page currently states a $500,000 home-equity limit; verify all figures with DPA (
2026 Alaska long-term-care eligibility guide;
Alaska Department of Health).
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