Updated September 5, 2026. Quick answer: New York sets no single dollar income ceiling for nursing-facility Medicaid. Once eligible under the state’s Medically Needy income standard, a resident enters “chronic care budgeting,” under which essentially all income above narrow deductions is applied to the cost of care as NAMI (Net Available Monthly Income), with no upper bound.
Financial eligibility, then a separate income rule
18 NYCRR 360-4.8 sets financial eligibility for institutional Medicaid by reference to the state’s Medically Needy income standards, not a flat percentage of the SSI federal benefit rate. Once admitted and eligible, a resident falls under 360-4.9’s chronic care budgeting rule for as long as the institutional stay continues.
All income goes to the facility, with no ceiling
New York’s own regulation states that under chronic care budgeting, all income must be applied toward the cost of care in the facility, including income that would otherwise be disregarded or considered unavailable for ordinary Medicaid eligibility purposes, confirmed on the state health department’s own NAMI overview page. There is no dollar amount above which a New York nursing-facility resident becomes ineligible on income alone.
| Citation | N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 18, §§ 360-4.8 & 360-4.9 |
| What it says | “For a person in permanent absence status in a medical facility, after MA eligibility is established the person is subject to chronic care budgeting. Under chronic care budgeting, all income must be applied toward the cost of care in the facility, including income disregarded or considered unavailable for the purpose of determining MA eligibility.” |
This page covers the income eligibility figure itself. How a state handles income above that figure (a Qualified Income Trust, a medically needy spend-down, or something else) is covered on New York’s excess income mechanism page.
Every citation on this page was read directly from the state’s own Medicaid agency, administrative code, or official eligibility manual this session. General information, not legal or financial advice; a figure this specific can change with a budget cycle or a rule amendment, and a county or state caseworker has the final say on any individual application.