The Chronic Medicaid program pays the cost of nursing home care when an applicant meets income and asset requirements. In New York State, a recipient can have no more than $30,182 in liquid assets. Some assets are not counted, such as retirement accounts, prepaid burials, and life insurance with less than $1,500 in cash surrender value. The family home is exempt if a spouse or minor, disabled, or blind child is living there. All but $50 of the recipient's monthly income goes to the nursing home and Medicaid pays the balance. If married, the community spouse can keep up to $3,216 in monthly income as a spousal allowance. The well spouse can use part of the Medicaid recipient's income to reach this amount. Medicaid disallows transfers in the five years before applying for Medicaid. For approximately every $14,000 transferred Medicaid refuses to pay for one month of care. In some instances, a Medicaid applicant can transfer the house on the eve of entering a nursing home. A transfer to a spouse, blind or disabled child, caretaker child, and a sibling with an equity interest, does not violate the look back period.  A caretaker child is one who lived in the home for at least 2 years and provided care to the applicant that helped avoid a nursing home stay. The sibling must have lived in the home for the year preceding and have an equity interest in the home.