Connecticut Medicaid Look-Back Period

Last updated: August 21, 2026 Jurisdiction: Connecticut

Connecticut applies a 60-month transfer review

DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05 says the transfer look-back date is 60 months before the first date on which both conditions exist: the person is institutionalized and the person is applying for or receiving Medicaid (DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05). The policy’s definition of institutionalized includes long-term-care-facility services, equivalent medical-institution services, and Medicaid HCBS-waiver services (DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05). In practical terms, the review is commonly called the five-year look-back, but the policy’s triggering dates matter.

The rule concerns assets disposed of for less than fair market value by the individual or spouse. DSS describes the result as a penalty period, or period of ineligibility, for certain Medicaid services rather than a tax imposed on a gift (DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05). Whether a particular payment, deed, transfer to a family member, trust contribution, or sale below value is treated as uncompensated requires the state policy exceptions and evidence of fair market value; it cannot safely be decided from the label used by the family.

How Connecticut calculates a penalty

DSS policy says the period is calculated by dividing the uncompensated value of transferred assets by the average monthly cost to a private patient for long-term-care-facility services in Connecticut (DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05). A 2026 DSS fair-hearing decision applied a $14,939 monthly average cost in the case before it and divided $129,627.20 by that figure to reach an 8.677-month result (DSS 2026 LTSS fair-hearing decision). That decision is evidence of the divisor used in that case, not a promise that the same divisor governs every future application.

Because the divisor is a moving private-pay-cost figure, this research does not present $14,939 as a statewide 2026 number for every case. Confirm the divisor DSS assigns to the actual application or review date before estimating any period of ineligibility (DSS 2026 LTSS fair-hearing decision). A calculation can involve partial months, timing rules, and the distinction between an applicant and a recipient, all addressed in the state transfer policy (DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05).

Transfers involving a home or a trust need special care

Connecticut’s policy applies the transfer framework to institutionalized people and their spouses, and the HUSKY C page says LTSS applicants who have not previously received DSS Medicaid may face a five-year income and asset review (DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05; Connecticut DSS HUSKY C overview). A transaction that is valid under property law can still be evaluated for Medicaid transfer purposes. Conversely, not every family payment is necessarily an uncompensated transfer; records are essential.

Keep closing statements, appraisals, checks, bank statements, trust instruments, promissory notes, and proof of services together. Ask for a current DSS determination before making a transfer or relying on an internet penalty example. A Connecticut elder-law attorney can assess the statutory exceptions, fair-market-value evidence, and the dates that control the state calculation.

Look-back: 60 months before the first date of both institutionalization and applying for or receiving Medicaid. Divisor: DSS uses the applicable average monthly private-pay LTCF cost; a 2026 decision used $14,939 in its case, so obtain the live figure (DSS Uniform Policy Manual 3029.05; DSS 2026 LTSS fair-hearing decision).

Not mutually exclusive. Most families combine two or three funding pillars — this one rarely stands alone. The Journey Assessment ranks all ten pillars against your specific situation and recommends the top three.

Unlock the Full Connecticut Breakdown

Enter your name and email to unlock the in-depth Connecticut-specific detail on this page. This tells us you're requesting Connecticut information specifically — other state pages ask again so we know exactly which state to follow up on.

Want to know how this fits your family's plan?

Twelve questions. About four minutes. A shortlist of funding strategies ranked for your situation — not a generic list.

Take the Journey Assessment Talk to Someone

Connecticut Medicaid Look-Back Period

Connecticut applies a 60-month transfer review

Unlock the Full Connecticut Breakdown

Want to know how this fits your family's plan?

Go deeper with The Dependency Series