Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts
You worked hard for your home and your savings. A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is a legal tool that helps keep them safe, so a future nursing home bill doesn’t take what you meant to leave your family. We’ll tell you honestly whether it’s the right fit—and set it up the right way if it is.
Common Questions
It's a special trust that holds your assets—like your home or savings—so they no longer count against you when you apply for Medicaid. (A "trust" is a legal setup where someone you choose manages property for your family's benefit.) Because the trust owns these things instead of you, they can be protected from long-term care costs.
Once your assets are in the trust, Medicaid no longer counts them as "yours." That means they can pass to your children or loved ones instead of going toward a nursing home bill. The trust is irrevocable, which means it can't be freely changed or undone once it's set up. That firmness is exactly what makes the protection strong.
The sooner the better—ideally at least five years before you might need care. Remember Kentucky's five-year look-back: assets placed in the trust are fully protected once those 60 months have passed. Setting one up early gives you the most protection. Waiting doesn't rule it out, but your choices narrow.
Not in the ways most people fear. You can keep living in your home, and you choose a trusted person (called a trustee) to manage the trust for your family. You won't be able to freely pull assets back out—that's the trade-off that makes the protection work—so we walk you through exactly what changes and what stays the same before you decide anything.
QUICK FACTS
TIMING:
Setup 5+ years before care is needed.
MOST COMMON TRUST TYPE:
Irrevocable Trust (Firm, but strongest protections)
YOU CAN:
Stay in your home and name who manages the trust.
OUR FEE:
Flat – Quoted up front
WHAT WE'LL DO TOGETHER
- Tell you honestly whether a trust is the right fit
- Set up the trust correctly under Kentucky law
- Move your assets in the right way, at the right time
- Fit the trust together with the rest of your plan
FREE GUIDE
A short plain-language PDF you can download and share with your family and loved ones.
You May Also Need
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