Medicaid; can they take my social security money plus my pension money?

No. Your SS and pension are yours. They shouldn't be considered. The joint assets you have with your wife are considered. The house and one car are exempt. Also assets, for example in a bank account, are also exempt up to a certain amount to support the spouse. That doesn't have to be spent down. In some states it's not much. In other states it's much more. You can petition in court to have that exemption level raised. In high cost of living states, sometimes it gets raised to hundreds of thousands of dollars. More money than the vast majority of Americans have period.

It's wise to at least consult a medicaid lawyer. Some posters say that's a waste of money and to let medicaid walk someone through the process. Those posters are wrong. Medicaid employees are there to represent medicaid, not you. You need someone looking out for what's best for you. I've heard social workers tell people that they don't qualify for medicaid for some various reasons. Most of those reasons could be dealt with easily, yet the social workers don't bring up the solutions.

Here's a little read on these issues.

https://www.elderlawanswers.com/medicaid-protections-for-the-healthy-spouse-12019

Our family had a similar situation where Medicaid asked for more money after the determination had been made. We found the Medicaid case worker to be helpful. She also referred us to a local non profit organization that helps people deal with Medicaid and helped the community spouse to file an appeal. It seems that many states are being crushed by the demand for Medicaid in chronic care situations. Some are trying to demand more money even though the state laws allow the community spouse to retain assets. I suppose they have decided to see if just sending letters demanding more money from elderly community spouses will work.

Start with your wife's Medicaid caseworker. Ask for a referral to someone who can help you file an appeal. Good luck.

The business manager of the nursing home my mother was in was very helpful in getting our family through the Medicaid process and there was no cost to us for her help. My father kept his entire social security and pension, one car, and his home. He had to sell a second car. His checking and savings accounts remained with him, but he’s not a wealthy person so those weren’t large accounts. The nursing home received my mother’s social security.

Although Medicaid rules/details vary from state to state, Medicaid does not leave the spouse impoverished, although they may require certain assets to be split, like saving or retirement accounts. Your monthly SS and pension income should remain yours. Your house and car are exempt assets. Your wife's SS and her half of your savings will probably be taken for her care.

A consultation with an elder care attorney would probably be worth your while. Most give an initial consultation for free and only start charging if you engage them to help with the Medicaid application process.