Medicaid Nursing Home Income Limit in North Dakota ($1,197/Month)

Updated September 5, 2026. Quick answer: North Dakota’s medically needy income level is $1,197 a month for one person, effective April 1, 2026, and it is not tied to the SSI benefit rate at all. North Dakota is a Section 209(b) state, and its own policy manual sets the figure at 90% of the federal poverty level, updated each April rather than each January the way SSI-linked cap states update.

A 209(b) state runs on a different clock

North Dakota’s Department of Health and Human Services policy manual states the current medically needy income level directly: “Monthly Income Level: 1 person = $1,197,” effective April 1, 2026, with medically needy income levels set at 90% of the federal poverty level by household size. Because federal poverty guidelines are typically published in mid-January and states then phase in updates, North Dakota’s own April 1 effective date means its figure changes on a different schedule than the January 1 SSI-COLA cycle that 300%-cap states follow.

A separate, smaller number for a different purpose

The same manual also sets a $118-a-month “nursing care income level”/maintenance allowance for nursing-facility residents, a distinct figure from the $1,197 medically needy income level itself; the two serve different purposes in North Dakota’s eligibility process and should not be conflated.

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 North Dakota’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.