A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) in Louisiana is one of the most effective tools for long-term care planning. This type of trust protects your home and life savings from being spent down on nursing home costs while helping you qualify for Medicaid when care is needed. Many families use a Louisiana MAPT to secure assets for their spouse or children long before long-term care becomes a concern.
Morrison Law Group practices only proactive pre-planning—not crisis Medicaid planning. That means we help families put a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in place early, before care is needed, so the MAPT can work as intended under Louisiana Medicaid rules.
What Is a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in Louisiana?
A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in Louisiana (often called a “Louisiana MAPT”) is a specific type of irrevocable trust designed to protect your home and other assets from Medicaid spend-down and estate recovery. After your assets have been in a MAPT for more than five years, Medicaid generally treats those assets as non-countable for eligibility purposes.
This allows you to:
- Protect your home from Medicaid estate recovery
- Preserve savings for a spouse or children
- Reduce financial stress on your family during long-term care
- Qualify for Medicaid long-term care after the five-year look-back period
To understand terms such as “trustee,” “grantor,” or “beneficiary,” see our Louisiana Estate Planning Glossary.
Why Use a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in Louisiana?
Nursing home care in Louisiana can cost more than $80,000 per year. Medicare does not cover long-term custodial care, so Medicaid becomes the primary funding source. A Louisiana Medicaid Asset Protection Trust helps families keep their assets instead of losing them to long-term care costs.
- Protect your family home
- Avoid liquidation of property to pay for care
- Minimize financial burden on your spouse or children
- Preserve assets for future generations
More information about allowed assets and Medicaid eligibility can be found at Medicaid.gov.
How a Louisiana MAPT Works
When you create a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in Louisiana, you transfer certain assets—often your home and savings—into the trust. You cannot serve as trustee, but you may choose a trusted family member.
- You keep the right to live in your home for life.
- You cannot access principal inside the Louisiana MAPT, which ensures Medicaid does not treat it as yours.
- Your spouse may still receive certain protections if structured correctly.
- After your death, assets in the MAPT are typically protected from Medicaid estate recovery if the trust has been funded for more than five years.
How Medicaid Treats Your Home in Louisiana
Your primary residence is often considered a “non-countable asset” during your lifetime. However, after your death, Medicaid can attempt estate recovery against the home to reimburse benefits paid during long-term care.
By transferring the home into a Louisiana Medicaid Asset Protection Trust more than five years before applying for Medicaid, the property is usually protected from estate recovery and preserved for your beneficiaries.
The Five-Year Look-Back for Louisiana Medicaid
Louisiana Medicaid has a 60-month (five-year) look-back period for transfers. Any transfer into a Louisiana MAPT during that time may create a Medicaid penalty period.
This is why Morrison Law Group offers only pre-planning MAPT services. Creating a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust early ensures the look-back period is satisfied and your assets are fully protected.
What Assets Can Go Into a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust?
Common assets placed into a Louisiana MAPT include:
- Your primary residence
- Vacation or rental property
- Investment accounts
- Savings accounts
- Life insurance with cash value
Retirement accounts like IRAs cannot be transferred directly into a MAPT, but we help you coordinate how they fit into your estate planning strategy.
Real-Life Example: A Louisiana MAPT Protecting a Home
A couple in Covington owns a $280,000 home and $45,000 in savings. One spouse is developing early dementia. They want to protect their home from future nursing home costs.
By creating a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in Louisiana and transferring the home into the MAPT:
- The five-year look-back begins
- The couple keeps the right to live in the home
- The home is typically protected from Medicaid estate recovery after the look-back period.
- The children inherit the home instead of Medicaid placing a lien on it
Who Should Consider a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in Louisiana?
A Louisiana MAPT may be a good fit if you:
- Are concerned about long-term care costs
- Want to protect your home and savings for your spouse or children
- Prefer proactive planning—not crisis planning
- Are between the ages of 55–80 and in reasonably good health
- Have $100,000 or more in assets you want to protect
Morrison Law Group does not offer crisis Medicaid planning. MAPTs must be created early to work properly under Louisiana Medicaid rules.
Is a Louisiana Medicaid Asset Protection Trust Right for You?
A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust in Louisiana can preserve your home, protect your savings, and safeguard your family’s future—if created early and structured correctly. Our attorneys help you evaluate whether a MAPT fits your goals and how to coordinate it with your estate plan.
Serving Metairie, Covington, and families across South Louisiana.
Call us at (504) 831-2348 to discuss proactive Medicaid planning and whether a MAPT is the right long-term care strategy for your family.
