How to Apply for Minnesota Medicaid 2026: Online & Paper

To apply for Minnesota Medicaid (Medical Assistance), use the MNsure online application at MNsure.org or send a paper application to your county or tribal servicing agency. The paper forms are the DHS-6696 and, for people who are 65 or older, have Medicare, or need certain waiver services, the DHS-3876. Minnesota does not require a Miller Trust the way income-cap states do; it uses a medically needy spend-down instead, and nursing-facility residents keep a $132 monthly Personal Needs Allowance.1 This guide covers every application channel, what happened to ApplyMN, the documents to gather, timelines, and how to appeal a denial.

In This Guide

• How to Apply for Minnesota Medicaid
• What Happened to ApplyMN?
• Minnesota's Spend-Down: No Miller Trust Required
• Documents to Gather Before You Apply
• Can Someone Else Apply on Your Behalf?
• What Happens After You Apply
• What Happens If You're Denied
• Where to Get Free Help
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

How to Apply for Minnesota Medicaid

Minnesota takes Medical Assistance applications online through MNsure or on paper through your county or tribal servicing agency, with a dedicated paper form for people who are 65 or older, have Medicare, or need certain waiver services. Pick the channel that fits your situation and follow the steps below.1

If neither channel works for you, you still have a right to apply. Federal rules require every state Medicaid agency to accept an application online, by telephone, by mail, in person, and through other commonly available electronic means.5 So if you cannot use a computer and do not have a paper form in hand, ask your county or tribal servicing agency to take your application by phone or in person rather than giving up on it.

What Happened to ApplyMN?

ApplyMN was the state's earlier online application, and older guides and bookmarks may still point to it. It is no longer the way in: DHS's current application-forms manual and its health-care application pages list the MNsure online application and the paper forms (DHS-6696 and DHS-3876) as the ways to apply, ApplyMN no longer appears among them, and the ApplyMN web address no longer resolves.1

If a link or a printed guide sends you to ApplyMN, use the current channels instead: apply online at MNsure.org, or submit a paper application (DHS-6696, or DHS-3876 if you are 65 or older, have Medicare, or need certain waiver services) to your county or tribal servicing agency.1

Minnesota's Spend-Down: No Miller Trust Required

Minnesota is a section 209(b) state that uses a medically needy spend-down rather than a Miller Trust (Qualified Income Trust). This differs from many other states and shapes how your application is evaluated.1

How it works. For Medical Assistance for people who are aged, blind, or disabled (MA-ABD), the income standard is 100% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, about $1,330 a month for one person in 2026. If your income is higher and you have medical expenses, you do not automatically fail. You "spend down" the excess by incurring medical and long-term-care costs, and once those costs bring your countable income to the standard, you qualify for that period.1

For institutional and waiver long-term care. Applicants for nursing-facility or home- and community-based waiver coverage are measured against a higher Special Income Standard of $2,982 a month in 2026, set at 300 percent of the federal benefit rate. In a nursing facility, most of your income then goes toward your cost of care each month, after the state allows certain deductions, including the $132 Personal Needs Allowance and health insurance premiums.1

No trust to set up. For higher-income applicants Minnesota uses the spend-down pathway, which is the problem that income-cap states such as Texas and Florida address with a Qualified Income Trust. There is no separate trust document in the Minnesota route.

For a full breakdown of how Minnesota's income rules interact with eligibility, see our guide to Minnesota Medicaid eligibility and income limits.

Documents to Gather Before You Apply

Missing paperwork is the most common reason applications stall. Have these ready before you submit.

Identity and citizenship:

• Social Security card or SSA benefit award letter
• U.S. birth certificate, passport, or Certificate of Naturalization
• State-issued ID or driver's license
• If you already have Medicare, that card serves as proof of citizenship

Income:

• Social Security award letter or the most recent SSA-1099
• Pension and retirement income statements
• Any rental income documentation
• Last 30 days of pay stubs if still working

Assets and financial accounts:

• Bank statements for all checking and savings accounts (current month, plus three months back)
• Statements for CDs, stocks, bonds, and retirement accounts
• For nursing-facility or waiver coverage, up to 60 months of financial account statements, because the look-back review covers the full five years3

Property and insurance:

• Deed or property tax statement for any real estate
• Life insurance policy documents (face value and cash surrender value)
• Vehicle title or registration
• Pre-paid burial or funeral contract

Medical expenses (for spend-down calculations):

• Recent medical and hospital bills
• Prescription drug receipts
• Health insurance premium statements

Can Someone Else Apply on Your Behalf?

Yes. A family member, close friend, or authorized representative can submit the application for someone who cannot do so themselves.

An authorized representative can sign the application, provide documents, check status, and respond to county requests. The applicant (or their legal guardian) must sign a statement designating the representative, and county offices can provide the form.

If the applicant lacks legal capacity, a person holding power of attorney or court-appointed guardianship can act as representative with documentation of that authority. This is a common path for an adult child applying on behalf of a parent with dementia.

What Happens After You Apply

Once the county receives your application, a worker reviews it and may schedule a phone or in-person interview. Federal Medicaid rules cap how long the county may take to decide: the determination may not exceed 45 days for most applicants, or 90 days for applicants who apply for Medicaid on the basis of disability, measured from the date you apply, except in unusual circumstances such as a delay you or an examining physician causes.4 Which cap applies turns on the basis you applied under, not on whether a disability determination happens to arise while the county works your file. An older adult applying on the basis of age is on the 45-day cap even in a long-term-care case with a level-of-care assessment, so a county quoting 90 days there is describing its workload, not the federal standard. And these are ceilings on the county, not a decision you are promised on the last day. In practice, complex long-term-care cases and missing documents push toward the longer end of that window, so submit a complete file and respond quickly to any request.

If the county needs additional documents, respond promptly. A missed document deadline can trigger a denial even when the person would otherwise qualify.

To check your status, contact your county or tribal servicing agency, the office that processes your application.

If approved, your Medical Assistance card and enrollment information arrive by mail. Coverage can also reach back in time: once you are found eligible, federal law requires Minnesota to cover qualifying services furnished as far back as the third month before the month you applied, if you would have been eligible when you received them.6 For applications filed on or after January 1, 2027, that retroactive window shortens to two months before the application month for most enrollees, and one month for the Medicaid adult expansion group.6

What Happens If You're Denied

If your application is denied, you have the right to a fair hearing through the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Go by the deadline printed on your denial notice, not by the federal number. Under 42 CFR 431.221(d) a state must allow a reasonable time to request a hearing, and that time may not exceed 90 days from the date the notice is mailed. Ninety days is the ceiling on what Minnesota may allow, never a minimum you are owed, and a shorter state deadline is fully enforceable against you.7 This guide states no Minnesota figure for an eligibility denial because it has no Minnesota source it can quote for one, and a number nobody can source is worse than no number. Read the notice the day it arrives, request the hearing at once rather than pacing yourself against 90 days, and if the deadline is missing or unclear, call your county or tribal servicing agency and ask before the date passes.

Request a state fair hearing on the Appeal to State Agency form (DHS-0033), which the DHS Appeals Division accepts online, by mail, or by fax; your county or tribal servicing agency can also point you to it.8 A different and fully sourced clock applies when a managed care health plan, rather than the county, denies or cuts a service: 60 days from the plan's notice to file the plan's internal appeal, then 120 days from the plan's appeal decision to request a state fair hearing, and only 10 days from the plan's notice, or from its appeal decision, if you want the disputed service to keep running meanwhile.8 At the hearing, you can present documents, explain your situation, and challenge any incorrect findings. A hearing officer issues a written decision, and if you disagree you can appeal it further. For free help with a denial, contact your county office or a local legal aid organization.

Where to Get Free Help

You do not have to figure this out alone. Paper Medical Assistance applications go to your county or tribal servicing agency, so that office is the natural first stop for questions about your application, and the statewide services below help older adults sort through eligibility and next steps.1

Learn More

Find personalized help applying for Minnesota Medical Assistance at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.