Income and patient liability
TennCare lists a 2026 income cap of $2,982 per month and a $2,000 countable-resource limit for a one-person LTSS applicant. Where income is above the cap, a properly structured Qualified Income Trust may allow eligibility if all other requirements are met. TennCare LTSS Financial Rules Guide TennCare QIT policy
Eligibility does not mean the resident keeps all income. TennCare’s current post-eligibility policy says an institutional Medicaid recipient receiving LTSS generally contributes to cost of care through patient liability after allowed deductions. TennCare post-eligibility income policy
The current personal-needs allowance
TennCare’s post-eligibility policy dated July 1, 2026 directs staff to subtract a $70 monthly personal-needs allowance from the total income of an individual in a nursing facility or ICF/IID. The policy describes the allowance as covering personal needs and incidentals. TennCare post-eligibility income policy
The same policy allows a community-spouse income maintenance allowance in appropriate married cases and identifies other deductions such as certain health-insurance premiums and covered medical or remedial-care items. The amount left after correct deductions can become the resident’s required contribution. TennCare post-eligibility income policy
Tennessee nursing-facility PNA: $70 per month under TennCare’s current July 1, 2026 post-eligibility policy. Patient liability is individualized; do not estimate it from the PNA alone.
TennCare post-eligibility income policy
Practical admission questions
Before admission or a change in setting, ask whether the PAE and level-of-care determination are complete, whether the facility is appropriately enrolled, how the income budget will be calculated, and whether a QIT is needed. These questions affect timing and the family’s monthly cash-flow expectations. Tennessee LTC Partnership guidelines TennCare post-eligibility income policy
Families should also keep statements, insurance-premium records, trust documents, and proof of any spouse or dependent allowances. Those records support both the financial determination and the later patient-liability calculation. TennCare post-eligibility income policy TennCare QIT policy
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.
