Medicaid and Supplemental Security income (SSI) are two different “needs based” federal programs, said Catherine Romania, an estate planning attorney with Witman Stadtmauer in Florham Park. Needs based means that there are both income and asset caps that you cannot exceed in order to qualify. Medicaid covers health insurance and SSI provides monthly payments to individuals with disabilities or who are 65 or older. “Absent special circumstances, benefits stop if at the end of the month an individual’s income or assets exceed the limitation,” she said. “Therefore, if money is received by gift or inheritance, it must be spent down immediately so that by the end of the month the income and asset tests are once again met.” Keep reading for additional details and exceptions.
https://njmoneyhelp.com/2026/06/will-my-beneficiarys-inheritance-be-taken-by-medicaid/