The State of Maine has a 5 year look-back window for gifts when considering your eligibility for MaineCare. If you make gifts to your family within 5 years of needing MaineCare to pay for nursing care, you will be assessed a penalty for the amount of the gifts. The penalty is not monetary – it is a period of time during which you are ineligible to receive MaineCare benefits, even once you’ve reached the income exhaustion threshold.