I am sure that you are asking this becuase you know that Medicaid has strict income and resource limits, so an inheritance can make a Medicaid recipient ineligible for Medicaid. An inheritance will be counted as income in the month it is received. While there are ways to "spend down" the money, you will need to discuss your particular circumstances with a lawyer in your area. She may be able to give it to a spouse, a child with special needs, or the child's special needs trust. But the liklihood is that the nursing home will have to be paid with it that first month (at the Medicaid rate). She may also pre-pay an irrevocable funeral contract or buy burial items for a close relative. If properly spent down she will be eligible the next month for Medicaid.