To apply for New Mexico Medicaid long-term care, start at the YesNM portal (yes.nm.gov) or call the phone application line at 1-800-283-4465. If your countable monthly income is over $2,982, you cannot qualify for institutional care on income alone. The pathway is an income diversion trust, New Mexico's own name for what most families call a Miller Trust.

In This Guide

How to Apply for New Mexico Medicaid: Which Application You Need

New Mexico Medicaid is administered by the New Mexico Health Care Authority, formerly the Human Services Department. Its Income Support Division (ISD) offices make eligibility determinations, including for the Institutional Care categories that cover long-term care for aged, blind, and disabled (ABD) residents. The state's Medicaid managed-care program is Turquoise Care, which began July 1, 2024; CMS lists the demonstration as "New Mexico Turquoise Care (formerly New Mexico Centennial Care 2.0)," so if a hospital or a relative told you about Centennial Care, Turquoise Care is the same program under its current name.

A senior applying for nursing-facility or home- and community-based services (HCBS) coverage usually applies on the aged, blind, and disabled track, which is decided on a non-MAGI basis, and federal rules let the agency use supplemental forms or a separate application for that track rather than the single streamlined form. Two extra gates sit in front of that decision:

Before You Apply: The Miller Trust Gate

New Mexico is an income-cap state. As of January 1, 2026 the maximum allowable countable income for Institutional Care is $2,982 a month. An applicant whose income exceeds that standard may still be eligible through the creation and funding of an income diversion trust, which is New Mexico's term (from Maxwell v. Heim) for a Qualified Income Trust and what most families know as a Miller Trust. Trusts executed on or after August 11, 1993 no longer have to be court ordered or approved.

A Miller Trust is authorized under federal law (Section 1917(d)(4)(B) of the Social Security Act), and the pathway is confined to income-cap states: it does not apply in a state that covers nursing-facility care through a medically needy pathway. New Mexico's own published $2,982 cap is the federal 300% income cap limit, three times the 2026 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Federal Benefit Rate of $994.,

One timing rule decides which standard your income is measured against. The higher $2,982 institutional maximum is used once the applicant has been institutionalized for 30 consecutive days. If the applicant leaves the facility before completing 30 consecutive days, the lower SSI federal benefit rate standard is used instead. If the applicant transfers to another institution or dies before completing the 30 days, the higher $2,982 maximum still applies.

Federal law fixes two of the trust's terms: it may hold only the person's pension, Social Security, and other income (plus income that builds up inside it), and the state receives whatever is left at death, up to the total Medicaid paid on the person's behalf. Arizona, which uses the same kind of trust, spells out the day-to-day rules: savings cannot be used to fund it, income deposited into it does not count toward the income limit but does count toward the share of cost, and money paid out of it may be used only for the person's benefit. Confirm how New Mexico applies those details with ISD or an elder law attorney. In New Mexico, the share of cost is calculated after approval as the Patient Pay Amount owed to the facility. Key points for New Mexico:

If your income is at or below $2,982, you can skip this step and apply directly.

How to Apply for New Mexico Medicaid

The Income Support Division takes applications through two main channels: online through YesNM or by phone.

Online Through YesNM

HCA says you can apply at any time, and the online route is the YesNM portal at yes.nm.gov.

1
Step 1

Gather your documents first

Use the checklist below.

2
Step 2

Apply at yes.nm.gov

Federal rules require the agency to accept electronic signatures, so applying online does not mean a separate trip to sign on paper.

3
Step 3

Expect long-term-care questions beyond the basic form,

since the agency may use supplemental forms or a separate application for non-MAGI applicants.

4
Step 4

Write down the date you filed

It sets how far back your coverage can reach (see the timing section below).

After you submit, answer any ISD request for documents right away. The federal 45-day limit on a decision can be exceeded when the applicant delays or fails to take a required action.

By Phone

Call 1-800-283-4465, the phone application number on the New Mexico Health Care Authority's apply-for-benefits page, to apply over the phone. The same number is the Consolidated Customer Service Center line for questions or to complete your interview, 7:00am to 6:30pm Monday through Friday. Federal rules require the agency to accept a telephonically recorded signature, so a phone application does not need a paper signature either.

Applying on Behalf of Someone Else

If the applicant has dementia or cannot manage the process, an authorized representative can act for them. Federal rules require the agency to let an applicant designate a representative, and to treat authority granted under state law, such as a power of attorney or a court order establishing guardianship, as that designation. A representative can be authorized to sign the application, receive copies of the agency's notices, and act for the applicant in all other matters with the agency.

The Documents You Will Need

This is a preparation checklist rather than ISD's official list, so follow any document request ISD sends you.

Identity and residency:

  • Social Security card
  • U.S. passport, birth certificate, or Certificate of Naturalization
  • New Mexico driver's license or state ID
  • Proof of New Mexico residency (utility bill, lease, or similar)

Income:

  • Social Security award letter or SSA-1099
  • Pension and annuity statements
  • Any other monthly income documentation

Assets and financial accounts:

  • Bank statements for all checking and savings accounts. For nursing-facility or HCBS-waiver applications, New Mexico's look-back covers transfers made in the 60 months (five years) before the application date, so keep account history for that period.
  • Statements for retirement accounts, CDs, and investment accounts
  • Life insurance policies (cash surrender value, if any)
  • Vehicle title or registration

Property:

  • Property deed and recent property tax bill for any real estate. The home is not a countable resource while the applicant or their spouse uses it as a principal place of residence. If its equity value exceeds the limit New Mexico sets under 8.200.510 NMAC, the entire value of the home becomes countable and the applicant is placed on restricted coverage for as long as they own it.

For Miller Trust applicants:

  • A copy of the executed trust document

Medical:

  • Medicare card (if applicable)
  • Health insurance cards
  • Medical bills if you are documenting care need or unreimbursed expenses

Spousal Protections

When one spouse is institutionalized for a continuous period of at least 30 consecutive days while the other remains at home, New Mexico applies its spousal impoverishment rules (8.281.500.15 and 8.281.500.22 NMAC), which rest on the federal provisions at 42 USC 1396r-5.

  • Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA): the 2026 federal resource standards are a minimum of $32,532 and a maximum of $162,660, and each state elects its standard within that range. Those standards bound the ordinary calculation, not the allowance itself: an amount set at a fair hearing or by a court order can be higher. New Mexico's own eligibility pamphlet states that up to $162,660 of the couple's resources can be protected for the non-institutionalized spouse when one member of the couple begins institutionalization for a continuous period of at least 30 days on or after January 1, 2026, and the state's rule lets an HCA administrative hearing or a district court order set a larger amount.
  • Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA): the standard is $2,705.00 a month (effective July 1, 2026), and the maximum allowance is $4,066.50 a month (effective January 1, 2026). A fair hearing can allow more when exceptional circumstances cause the at-home spouse significant financial duress. If the at-home spouse's own income falls short of the MMMNA, part of the institutionalized spouse's income can be redirected to make up the difference.
  • Personal Needs Allowance: after approval, the nursing-facility resident's income goes to the facility as a Patient Pay Amount, except that a portion of it may be kept for a personal needs allowance of $100 a month, plus non-covered and remedial medical expenses, Medicare premiums, and other monthly health-insurance premiums. There may also be an allowance for a spouse and any minor children at home, so the $100 is what the resident keeps after those deductions, not the whole of what a married couple keeps. Federal law sets the floor for that allowance at $30 a month for an aged, blind, or disabled resident.

The 60-Month Look-Back

New Mexico applies a 60-month (five-year) look-back to transfers of assets for less than fair market value, counted back from the date of application, and it reaches transfers by the applicant or their spouse when the person needs long-term care in a facility or through a home and community-based waiver. A disqualifying transfer stops Medicaid from paying for long-term care for a time, but the rest of your Medicaid coverage is not withdrawn.

How New Mexico applies the penalty depends on where care is delivered:

  • Waiver (HCBS) applicants and recipients. In New Mexico, the penalty for a transfer below fair market value is ineligibility for long-term-care Medicaid services under the waiver programs. If the transfer is discovered after HCBS approval, that ineligibility starts on the first day of the month the resources were transferred. Once the 60-month window holds no such transfers, the applicant can be reconsidered for HCBS, provided all other criteria are met.
  • Entering a nursing facility. If the applicant or recipient enters a nursing facility, a penalty period is calculated under 8.281.500.14 NMAC, and it runs whether or not the person stays in the facility. Federal law builds that period by dividing the total uncompensated value transferred by the state's average monthly private-pay nursing-facility cost. New Mexico's waiver rule page prints neither the divisor nor the formula, so confirm the current figure with HCA or an elder-law attorney.

Some transfers do not trigger a penalty. The federal exceptions include transfers between spouses and a transfer of the home to a son or daughter who lived in the home for at least two years immediately before the parent was institutionalized and who, as determined by the state, provided care that let the parent stay at home (the caregiver-child exception under 42 USC 1396p(c)(2)(A)(iv))., Any asset transferred to a blind or disabled child, or to a trust set up solely for that child, is also exempt under 42 USC 1396p(c)(2), as is a transfer to a trust set up solely for a disabled person under 65., A transfer of the home is also excepted when title went to a child under 21 or a blind or disabled child, or to a sibling who has an equity interest in the home and lived there for at least one year immediately before the applicant was institutionalized.

No penalty applies either when the state accepts a satisfactory showing that the person intended to dispose of the assets at fair market value or for other valuable consideration, that the assets were transferred only for a purpose other than qualifying for Medicaid, or that everything transferred has been returned. The state can also waive a penalty where denying eligibility would work an undue hardship. Paying a relative for care from the applicant's money may have to meet that showing, so put it in a written personal care agreement before care begins.

If you made any transfers in the past five years, consult an elder law attorney before applying.

How Long It Takes, and Why the Date You Apply Matters

Under 42 CFR 435.912, ISD may not take more than 45 days to decide an application, or more than 90 days when the application is based on disability, except in unusual circumstances such as a delay by the applicant or an examining physician.

The date you apply also sets a coverage window. Federal law requires retroactive eligibility: once you are approved, coverage reaches back to covered services furnished in or after the third month before the month you applied, as long as you would have been eligible then. That three-month window is the federal default, and a state demonstration can shorten it, so confirm New Mexico's current window with ISD.

One forward change is worth knowing. Under Public Law 119-21, for applications filed on or after January 1, 2027, the retroactive window shrinks to two months before the application month for most enrollees (and one month for the Medicaid expansion adult group).

If Your Application Is Denied

If ISD denies your application, you can ask for a fair hearing. Federal law caps that request window at 90 days from the date the notice of action is mailed, but 90 days is the most a state may allow, not a floor you are guaranteed: a state may set a shorter deadline so long as it stays reasonable, and that shorter deadline is enforceable against you. Go by the deadline printed on your own denial notice rather than assuming you have the full 90 days. In New Mexico, hearings are run by HCA's Office of Fair Hearings, which says most appeals must be requested no later than 90 days from the date of the action. Request one by email at HCA-FairHearings@hca.nm.gov, by phone at (505) 476-6213 or 1-800-283-4465, by fax at (505) 476-6215, by mail to Office of Fair Hearings, P.O. Box 2348, Santa Fe, NM 87504, or with HCA's Fair Hearing Request Form.

Some reasons an application can be denied, and what to do:

  • Income over the cap without a Miller Trust. Establish the trust with an elder law attorney, then reapply.
  • Assets over the $2,000 limit. Review which assets are countable versus exempt (New Mexico excludes the home you live in unless its equity is over the state limit, one vehicle used for transportation, and household goods and personal effects not held as an investment). Consult an elder law attorney about planning options before reapplying.
  • Missing documents. Gather the requested items and file for a hearing or reapply.
  • Transfer penalty. The hearing is the place to contest whether a transfer qualified as a valid exception.

A separate rule helps current beneficiaries facing a termination or reduction: when the agency sends the required advance notice and you request a hearing before the action's effective date, federal "aid paid pending" rules bar it from cutting services until the hearing decision, unless the hearing finds the sole issue is one of federal or state law or policy and the agency promptly tells you in writing that services will stop. Ask for continued benefits when you request the hearing. If you miss that date, the agency may still reinstate services when the hearing is requested no more than 10 days after the date of action. It must reinstate them when the action came without the required advance notice, you request a hearing within 10 days of receiving the notice (receipt is presumed 5 days after the notice date), and the agency determines the action did not result from applying federal or state law or policy. Where the rules let the agency give notice on the date of action, such as an admission to an institution, don't count on that mandatory route. And if the agency's action is later upheld, it may recoup the cost of the services furnished solely by reason of that continuation. In New Mexico, an Administrative Law Judge who was not involved in the action hears the case, usually by phone, and you call the number on your Schedule Notice (the office does not call you). After most hearings the judge sends a recommendation to the Division Director, who issues the Final Decision, and you have 30 days from that decision to appeal to the New Mexico District Court.

Where to Get Free Help

ISD answers case questions directly, and New Mexico's aging department offers free counseling, including on whether a person qualifies for Medicaid.

New Mexico Income Support Division (ISD) Determines Medicaid eligibility. Call the Consolidated Customer Service Center to apply by phone, ask case questions, or complete your interview. 1-800-283-4465 hca.nm.gov
New Mexico Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Run by the Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD), which lets you book a Medicare or Medicaid counseling appointment online. 1-800-432-2080 aging.nm.gov
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) SHIP counselors inside the ADRC give free, unbiased help to New Mexico residents with Medicare, including whether a person qualifies for Medicaid, and they do not sell or endorse any insurance. 1-800-432-2080 SHIP through ALTSD

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for New Mexico Medicaid if my income is above $2,982 per month?

Yes. New Mexico is an income-cap state, so an applicant over $2,982 may be eligible through the creation and funding of an income diversion trust, New Mexico's term for a Qualified Income Trust or Miller Trust. A Miller Trust is authorized under Section 1917(d)(4)(B) of the Social Security Act, and federal law limits what goes into it to your own pension, Social Security, and other income. An elder law attorney can prepare the trust document.

How long does it take to get a decision on a New Mexico Medicaid application?

Under 42 CFR 435.912, ISD may not take more than 45 days to decide, or more than 90 days when the application is based on disability, outside unusual circumstances such as a delay by the applicant, so respond immediately to any request from ISD.

Does New Mexico's Medicaid look at my past bank accounts?

Yes. For nursing-facility and HCBS-waiver Medicaid, New Mexico applies a 60-month (five-year) look-back, counted back from your application date, to transfers made for less than fair market value. Have five years of bank statements ready in case ISD asks for them.

Does the date I apply affect my coverage?

Yes. Once you are approved, coverage can reach back to covered services furnished in or after the third month before the month you applied, if you would have been eligible then. That is the federal default, and a state demonstration can shorten it, so confirm New Mexico's window with ISD. For applications filed on or after January 1, 2027, the window shrinks to two months for most enrollees under Public Law 119-21.

Can someone apply for New Mexico Medicaid on a parent's behalf?

Yes. Federal rules require the agency to let an applicant designate an authorized representative, and authority under state law, such as a power of attorney or a guardianship order, counts as that designation. A representative can be authorized to sign the application and receive the agency's notices.

Learn More

MedicaidHow to Apply for Medicaid by State: Steps, Documents, and Where to ApplyHow to apply for Medicaid: the ways you can apply, the documents to gather, how long a decision takes, and the application guide for your state. MedicaidNew Mexico Medicaid Eligibility and Income LimitsNew Mexico Medicaid income limits 2026: $2,982/month for long-term care, about $1,835 under MAGI for adults under 65, plus asset rules and how to apply. MedicaidNew Mexico Medicaid Spousal Impoverishment RulesNew Mexico Medicaid spousal impoverishment in 2026: CSRA standards of $32,532–$162,660, an MMMNA floor of $2,705.00, and the Income Diversion Trust. MedicaidNew Mexico Medicaid Nursing Home CoverageHow New Mexico Medicaid nursing home coverage works in 2026: Turquoise Care eligibility, the asset limit, the income cap and Miller Trust, and estate recovery. MedicaidNew Mexico Medicaid Estate RecoveryHow New Mexico Medicaid estate recovery works in 2026: probate-only scope, who is protected, the undue hardship waiver, and how to respond to an HCA claim.

Find personalized help applying for New Mexico Medicaid 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.

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