State Medicaid Agencies and How to Apply: All 50 States and DC
Every state runs its own Medicaid program, and every state has its own way of accepting Long-Term Care Medicaid applications. Some use a single online benefits portal; some route applications through county offices; some send home care applicants first to an Aging and Disability Resource Center or Area Agency on Aging for screening. This page summarizes how applications start in each state and links to our full guide for that state, where you will find the 2026 figures, program names and application details.
Figures change periodically. Double-check current amounts before relying on them.
How to use this directory
- Find your state in the table below. The summary describes how applications for long-term care usually start, drawn from our state guide.
- Open the state guide for the full picture: the agency’s name, the programs that pay for nursing home and home care, the 2026 income and asset figures, rules for married couples, the home and estate recovery, and how to apply.
- Apply in the state where the person lives (or is moving to and intends to stay). See Applying in another state.
- Look for the official agency. Applications are filed with a state or county government agency. Private websites and businesses are not the Medicaid agency, even if they use similar names. Applying through the state is free.
Directory
| State | How applications start (summary from our state guide) |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Online: the Alabama Medicaid Elderly and Disabled application, used for nursing home care and home and community-based waivers / On paper: Form 204/205, from the Alabama Medicaid applicant forms page. The same page has a “Tips for Applying” sheet for nursing home Medicaid and the Form 262 trust packet. |
| Alaska | For Medicaid: apply with DPA. / For the ALI waiver: start with an Aging and Disability Resource Center, then work with a certified care coordinator, who submits the application to SDS’s Central Application Processing Unit. |
| Arizona | Online: Health-e-Arizona Plus. Choose “Long Term Care (ALTCS)” and begin the long-term care registration. / By mail or in person: using the AHCCCS request form for long-term care services, or at an ALTCS local office. |
| Arkansas | Online, by mail or in person: see the DHS Apply for Services page and the LTSS Medicaid page. / In person: at your local DHS county office. |
| California | Online: BenefitsCal, California’s benefits website / In person, by mail or by phone: at your county social services office. DHCS lists every county office on its website. |
| Colorado | Online: PEAK, Colorado’s benefits website |
| Connecticut | For nursing home Medicaid: apply through DSS. / For CHCPE: use the CT Home Care Program Application on the CHCPE apply page. |
| Delaware | Through DMMA’s Central Intake Unit: DMMA sends an application packet and sets up an interview with a financial eligibility social worker. / Medical eligibility: a DMMA Pre-Admission Screening nurse decides whether you need a skilled or intermediate level of care. |
| District of Columbia | For nursing home Medicaid: see our state guide for the application route / For the EPD Waiver: the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) helps coordinate the application and sends it to ESA. You will need a prescription order form from a DC Medicaid provider and a face-to-face assessment. |
| Florida | Nursing home care: apply for Medicaid with DCF online through the ACCESS Florida application. On the Benefit Information screen, check Nursing Home. You can also apply at a DCF service center or community partner. / Home and community care (SMMC LTC): first call your local ADRC for screening and wait-list placement. When you are released from the wait list, the ADRC sends Form 3008 for your doctor, CARES does an in-person assessment, and DCF decides financial eligibility (check HCBS/Waiver on the ACCESS application). If approved, AHCA mails a welcome packet to help you choose a plan. |
| Georgia | Online: Georgia Gateway, Georgia’s benefits website / In person or by mail: at your county DFCS office |
| Hawaii | For Med-QUEST: apply online, by mail or at a Med-QUEST office. / For long-term services: after you are enrolled, ask your QUEST Integration health plan about an assessment. |
| Idaho | Online: through idalink, Idaho’s benefits website, or at a local IDHW office. / For the A&D Waiver: after applying for Medicaid, complete the Level of Care Determination. |
| Illinois | Online: ABE (Application for Benefits Eligibility), Illinois’s benefits website / In person or by mail: at your local IDHS Family Community Resource Center |
| Indiana | Online: the FSSA Benefits Portal / In person or by mail: at your local Division of Family Resources office |
| Iowa | Online: through the Iowa HHS Benefits Portal. For waiver services, check the box for services to remain in your home and choose the Elderly Waiver. / By phone, by mail or in person: at a local Iowa HHS office, or on a paper application. |
| Kansas | For KanCare: apply for KanCare and mark that you want home and community-based services. / For the FE waiver: contact your Aging and Disability Resource Center for options counseling and a functional assessment. |
| Kentucky | Online: kynect, Kentucky’s benefits website / In person or by mail: at your local DCBS office |
| Louisiana | For nursing home Medicaid: apply through LDH. / For the Community Choices Waiver: ask OAAS to put your name on the CCW Request for Services Registry. You, a legally responsible person or a representative you choose can make the request. |
| Maine | Online: through MyMaineConnection, or see OFI’s page for other options. / For home care: apply for MaineCare with the Long-Term Care application, then complete a functional assessment with Maine’s Assessing Services Agency. Your local Aging and Disability Resource Center or DHHS district office can help. |
| Maryland | For nursing home Medicaid: apply through your local Department of Social Services, online through myMDTHINK or on paper. / For the Community Options Waiver: contact Maryland Access Point (MAP) to join the Services Registry. |
| Massachusetts | For long-term care: use the MassHealth application for seniors and people needing long-term care services, available from MassHealth. It can be mailed or taken to a MassHealth Enrollment Center. / For home care programs: contact your local Aging Services Access Point (ASAP). It does the clinical assessment for the Frail Elder Waiver and can help with the MassHealth application. |
| Michigan | Online: MI Bridges, Michigan’s benefits website |
| Minnesota | Online: MNbenefits, Minnesota’s benefits website / On paper: the DHS application for people 65 and older, blind or disabled, returned to your county or Tribal Nation |
| Mississippi | At a regional Medicaid office: applications can be filed in person, by mail, by fax, online or by telephone, according to DOM’s eligibility manual. |
| Missouri | Online: through myDSS, Missouri’s benefits portal. The DSS Apply for MO HealthNet page lists all the ways to apply. / By phone or mail: as listed on the DSS apply page. Nursing facility residents also complete a supplemental form. |
| Montana | For Medicaid: apply online through the state’s benefits website, or get help from your county Office of Public Assistance. / For the Big Sky Waiver: ask for a level of care referral from the state’s level-of-care contractor. |
| Nebraska | Online: through iServe Nebraska. You can apply for Medicaid and the AD Waiver together. |
| Nevada | For Medicaid eligibility: apply with DWSS. / For the Frail Elderly Waiver: contact your local ADSD office. |
| New Hampshire | Online: through NH EASY, or print the Application for Assistance (Form 800) and mail it to your local District Office. / For CFI: you can also get help applying from your local Aging and Disability Resource Center (formerly ServiceLink). |
| New Jersey | For long-term care (nursing home or MLTSS): apply through your County Welfare Agency. The DMAHS website lists each county’s office and the forms to use. / Online: NJ FamilyCare. Ask your County Welfare Agency whether an online application is right for long-term care in your situation. |
| New Mexico | Online: through YesNM, New Mexico’s benefits website. / If you already have Turquoise Care: ask your care coordinator for a needs assessment. |
| New York | Outside New York City: apply at your county Department of Social Services office. Find it through the Department of Health’s local office list. / In New York City: apply through HRA, online, by phone or at a Medicaid office. |
| North Carolina | Online: ePASS, North Carolina’s benefits website |
| North Dakota | For Medicaid: use the Health Care Application for the Elderly and Disabled, online or through your local Human Service Zone office. / For home care: contact the Aging and Disability Resource-LINK. |
| Ohio | Online: through Ohio’s benefits website / In person or by mail at your county Job and Family Services office |
| Oklahoma | For ADvantage: use the online application for in-home assistance on the OKDHS ADvantage page. Before you start, OKDHS asks you to choose home care and case management providers for your county using its provider search tool. / In person: at your local OKDHS county office. |
| Oregon | Online: the ONE portal, Oregon’s benefits website / In person: at your local APD or AAA office. |
| Pennsylvania | Online: COMPASS, Pennsylvania’s benefits website / By phone: the DHS Consumer Service Center for Health Care Coverage, which has taken long-term care applications by phone since June 16, 2025 |
| Rhode Island | Online: through the HealthSource RI customer portal, using the DHS Application for Assistance and the supplemental LTSS forms. / By mail: download the packet and mail it to DHS (the address is on the DHS application page). |
| South Carolina | Online: through SCDHHS’s online application / On paper: SCDHHS Form 3401, Application for Nursing Home, Residential or In-Home Care |
| South Dakota | For Medicaid: apply with DSS. / For the HOPE Waiver: contact Dakota at Home, which leads to an assessment and a support plan. |
| Tennessee | Online: TennCare Connect, Tennessee’s benefits portal / By phone: through TennCare Connect (the number is on the official How Do I Apply for TennCare? page) |
| Texas | Paper form: Form H1200, Application for Assistance – Your Texas Benefits, by mail, fax or at a local HHS office |
| Utah | For nursing home Medicaid: see our state guide for the application route / For the Aging Waiver: contact your local Area Agency on Aging. |
| Vermont | For Choices for Care (High/Highest): use the Choices for Care long-term care application. / For Moderate Needs: use the Moderate Needs application, as described on DAIL’s Moderate Needs page. |
| Virginia | Online: CommonHelp, Virginia’s benefits website / By phone: through Cover Virginia (the number is on the official Cover Virginia website) |
| Washington | Online: Washington Connection if you are 65 or older, blind, disabled or on Medicare / By mail: using the Apple Health application for aged, blind, disabled and long-term care coverage (HCA 18-005) |
| West Virginia | For Medicaid eligibility: apply with BFA. / For the ADW: a physician, physician assistant or nurse submits a Medical Necessity Evaluation Request. Financial eligibility is decided first, then medical eligibility. |
| Wisconsin | Start with your ADRC. Your local Aging and Disability Resource Center explains the options, does the functional screen and helps you apply. DHS lists ADRCs by county. / Online: ACCESS Wisconsin, the state’s benefits website |
| Wyoming | For Medicaid: apply with WDH. / For the CCW: complete the CCW application, choose a case management agency and send it to WDH’s HCBS Section. A public health nurse then schedules the LT-101 assessment. |
What the agencies have in common
Although names and procedures vary, every state Medicaid agency:
- accepts applications from the person, a spouse, an agent under a power of attorney, a guardian or an authorized representative;
- must help applicants who need assistance, including with interpreters and disability accommodations;
- must decide most applications within 45 days (90 days when a disability decision is required);
- verifies income and assets, including through an electronic Asset Verification System;
- reviews transfers made during the look-back period, 60 months in most states;
- sends written notices with the reason for each decision and the right to a fair hearing;
- renews eligibility at least once a year.
See How to apply, step by step and How Medicaid verifies income and assets.
Nursing home and home care often start in different places
In many states, nursing home Medicaid begins with a financial application to the Medicaid agency or county office, while home and community-based waivers begin with a screening or assessment by another organization: an Aging and Disability Resource Center, an Area Agency on Aging, a case management agency or a managed care plan. Some waivers have waiting lists, and the place to get on the list may not be the Medicaid office. The summaries above note this where our state guides describe it. See Applying for a waiver.
Before you reach out
- Gather identity, income and asset records. See the Application documents checklist.
- Know which program you are applying for: nursing home care, a home and community-based waiver, or another program.
- If you are applying for someone else, have your authority ready: a power of attorney, guardianship order or the state’s authorized representative form.
- If the person is married, gather both spouses’ records.
- Write down your questions.
Other public agencies in every state
Alongside the Medicaid agency, every state has:
- Area Agencies on Aging and, in most states, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, which explain local long-term care options and often handle waiver screening;
- a long-term care ombudsman program, which advocates for residents of nursing homes and assisted living;
- Adult Protective Services, which investigates abuse, neglect and financial exploitation;
- a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), the free Medicare counseling program;
- a state insurance department, which regulates insurance and annuity sales;
- legal aid organizations serving people with low income, and senior legal services for people 60 and older;
- county or state veterans service officers, who help with VA claims at no cost.
See Free public help for what each one does.
Watch for look-alike websites
Some private websites look like government sites and offer to “help you apply” for a fee, or collect personal information and sell it. Signs that a site is not the official agency include charging to submit an application, asking for payment by gift card or wire, or promising approval. Official state websites generally end in “.gov”. Our state guides describe the official route in each state.
Getting experienced help
The agency can explain forms and process, but it does not give planning advice. When there is a spouse at home, a home, gifts in the past five years, a trust or income over the state’s cap, a Certified Medicaid Planner who knows your state’s rules can help before you apply. As a rough guide, published fees for help with an application range from about $500 to $6,000, full planning from about $2,500 to $15,000 or more, and hourly help from about $150 to $600.
Related guides
Last updated for 2026. General information only, not legal or financial advice. Medicaid Answers is a free educational resource published by Medicaid Answers Foundation.