Benefits for Older Adults

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An up close shot of a senior woman smiling at the camera with her hands resting on her cane.

Most older adults don’t have enough put aside for retirement. If you’re one of them, here are some benefit programs that can help you save money.

Jul 12, 2022

Your Guide to Money-Saving Benefits in Retirement Read Article

Jul 11, 2022

Diabetes and Insulin: A Guide to Paying with Medicare Read Article

May 27, 2022

How Older Adults Can Get Help Paying for Housing Read Article

May 25, 2022

Did You Receive a Letter from the Social Security Administration? Here’s What You Need to Know Read Article

If you or an older adult you care for has concerns about applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, there are resources available to help.

May 23, 2022

Lifting Barriers to SNAP: Real Stories from Older Adults Read Article

Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs) help Medicare-eligible, low-income older adults and younger adults with disabilities find and enroll in all the benefits programs for which they qualify.

May 19, 2022

How Do Benefits Enrollment Centers Help Older Adults? Read Article

BenefitsCheckUp®

A senior couple is working together to figure out what Medicare benefits they are eligible for via BenefitsCheckup.org.

See if you're eligible.

Are you living on a fixed income? There are 2,500+ programs that can help pay for food, medicine, and more. Find out what's available.

As America recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity among low-income seniors remains high. Learn about some resources that can help.

Apr 18, 2022

Help to Gain Access to Healthy Food: Resources for Older Adults Read Article

Apr 15, 2022

Get the Facts on Food Insecurity and Older Adults Read Article

Apr 7, 2022

How Do I File a SNAP Complaint? A Guide for Recipients and Caregivers Read Article

Apr 6, 2022

How Much Have Food Prices Gone Up, and How Can I Save? Read Article

Money-Saving Benefits for Seniors

Millions of older adults may be missing out on programs to help pay for food, housing, healthcare, and more. Get a snapshot of available programs and how to apply with this guide from NCOA.

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Partners and Programs

Learn more about the work we do. Search by city or ZIP code to locate an NCOA partner or programs that are nearest to you.

Find help where it's needed

NCOA has partners and programs that can help older adults. Use the map to search and locate an NCOA partner or program that's nearest to you.

Health Care Benefits
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Food Assistance
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Housing & Utilities
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Disaster Assistance
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Veterans Benefits
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Caregiver Support
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More on Benefits for:

More Stories

If trips to the grocery store are a challenge, many retailers and stores allow you to use your SNAP EBT card for grocery delivery and pickup. Find out which ones.

Apr 6, 2022

What Stores Accept EBT for Online Grocery Delivery and Pickup?

The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food benefits to people who have been financially impacted by a disaster. Learn how it works and find out if you qualify.

Apr 1, 2022

What Is the SNAP Emergency Application?

Age and disability status can limit employment and lead to income-related hardships, yet many veterans aren’t aware they qualify for food stamps.

Mar 22, 2022

SNAP Assistance: Are Veterans Entitled to Benefits?

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Mar 21, 2022

How Long Do SNAP Benefits Last?

A closeup shot of a Social Security Administration sign on field office building.

Mar 16, 2022

SSI vs. SSDI: the Differences, Benefits, and How to Apply

If you’re an older adult that's hungry, the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) can help—whether you receive SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) or not.

Mar 15, 2022

The Emergency Food Assistance Program: A Guide for Older Adults

Which stores accept EBT? They range from small convenience stores to major grocery chains and superstores like Walmart.

Mar 11, 2022

Where Can I Use SNAP Benefits?

The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program helps older adults obtain fresh food from local farms, roadside stands, and CSAs at no cost.

Mar 10, 2022

The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program: Key Facts for Older Adults

A farmers market stand loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables (Pike Place in downtown Seattle).

Mar 10, 2022

Do Farmers Markets Accept SNAP?

Your EBT card can be used to purchase eligible food items at Walmart, grocery stores, and other retailers that accept SNAP.

Mar 9, 2022

How Does an EBT Card Work? A Guide for Older Adults

If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you’re subject to a periodic review of your eligibility status. This is called SSI redetermination.

Mar 7, 2022

SSI Redetermination: What It Is and How It Can Affect Your Benefits

An empty grocery cart is in the middle of an aisle waiting to be filled. Use SNAP to reduce your net income through qualified deductions.

Mar 7, 2022

Eating Better on a Fixed Income: What You Can Buy for $20 in SNAP Benefits

A corgi sits in front its food bowl, ready to eat. SNAP benefits only cover food for human household members and cannot be used to purchase pet food.

Mar 6, 2022

Can You Buy Pet Food with SNAP?

A Black senior woman and her granddaughter are sitting outside at a picnic table enjoying a salad together and laughing.

Mar 4, 2022

How to Boost Your Budget: A Guide for Older Adults

A senior Black woman is outside in her garden planting vegetables for food. If you have the time, space, and ability to start a small garden, you may be happy to learn that you can use your SNAP benefits to do it. Under program guidelines, you can purchase seeds and plant starts that, over time, can prove to be more economical than buying produce in the store.

Feb 28, 2022

What Can You Buy With SNAP?

An elderly caucasian woman is sitting in a motorized wheelchair picking out produce at the grocery store. If you're wondering if you qualify for SNAP while on disability, the answer is yes. It’s possible to qualify for and receive SNAP benefits while you also collect Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

Feb 8, 2022

Can I Get SNAP if I’m on Disability?

A beautiful artistic shot of a large group of multicolored fresh vegetables in a wooden crate. Fresh food can be purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the largest domestic hunger safety net program, helping low-income older adults achieve food security.

Feb 2, 2022

What Is SNAP and How Do I Apply?

A senior woman is talking to her daughter and granddaughter at the island in her kitchen, smiling. More than 25% of SNAP-eligible households include adults over 60. Income guidelines change each year—we’ll help you see if you qualify for this helpful benefit.

Jan 28, 2022

What Is the Income Limit for SNAP?

A senior Black woman is picking out carrots in the produce section.

Jan 24, 2022

7 Important Health Benefits of SNAP

Older/senior hands are placed on top of a stack of one dollar bills.

Jan 19, 2022

How to Get Help Paying for Food, Housing, and Healthcare

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Jan 3, 2022

Medicare Parts A and B Costs

Three donuts stacked on a plate on top of money.

Dec 22, 2021

How to Avoid the Medicare Part D Donut Hole

A senior Hispanic woman is getting her pneumonia vaccine.

Nov 23, 2021

Does Medicare Cover the Pneumonia Vaccine?

A retired Veteran is looking intensely at his laptop computer at his kitchen table.

Nov 9, 2021

How Veterans Can Avoid the Benefits Buyout Scam

A close up shot of a prescription bottle and pills scattered atop a one-hundred dollar bill.

Nov 1, 2021

What Medicare Part D Costs in 2022

A close up shot of "Medicare" and "Medicaid" stamped on cardboard, along with a smattering of prescription pills.

Oct 18, 2021

How to Move from Expansion Medicaid to Medicare

A senior Asian woman is looking at produce in the grocery store.

Aug 20, 2021

Your SNAP Benefits Are Increasing

A senior Caucasian woman is listening to her healthcare options from a Black female doctor.

Jul 16, 2021

Choice Error: How Choosing A Medicare Plan Could Impact Your Finances and Health

A back shot of a happy senior couple looking on from their house to the street.

Jun 17, 2021

What Is Medicaid Estate Recovery? And How Does It Work?

A senior Hispanic woman wearing a mask is shopping at a farmer's market picking out fresh produce.

Jun 2, 2021

How to Maximize Your Food Benefits

Senior Asian man is paying at the grocery register with his two granddaughters, while all are wearing their masks during the pandemic.

Apr 9, 2021

How Seniors Can Get Help Paying for Food with SNAP

Two people, whose faces can't be seen, are sitting at a table discussing finances together with their computers.

Mar 18, 2021

What Is a SHIP and How Can It Help Me?

A senior woman is in the parking hugging her granddaughters as they kiss her on the cheeks.

Mar 16, 2021

American Rescue Plan Improves Senior Health and Financial Security

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Mar 2, 2021

Energy Assistance Benefits

A close up shot of a prescription bottle, money, pills, demonstrating the high-cost of prescriptions.

Dec 1, 2020

Prescription Help from States and Drug Manufacturers

Icons for transportation, medicine, heating, food, and housing with piggybank

Jul 16, 2020

You’ve Earned This: Benefits Can Boost Your Budget®

A young pharmacist behind the counter is giving prescription instructions to her senior female client.

Apr 28, 2020

What Is a Part D Indication-Based Formulary?

Close up shot of a person holding a cell phone, looking at their calendar trying to make a decision.

Nov 23, 2019

About the Medicare General Enrollment Period

A senior man is looking up, where many question marks surround him - indicating that he's trying to make a decision.

Oct 31, 2019

How to Choose a Medicare Plan During Open Enrollment

A masked postal worker in New York City holds a canvas bag full of mail and is loading it into his vehicle before heading out for the day.

May 12, 2019

Medicare for Federal and State Employees and Retirees

A closeup shot of the pages of a calendar turning, indicating time passing.

Nov 1, 2018

Understanding the Medicare Enrollment Periods

A senior woman in bed is turning off her lamp, indicating that she's going to sleep.

Aug 30, 2018

Keeping the Lights On: Housing & Utility Benefits

An older female caregiver has her arms around her senior female loved one as they both stare happily outside.

Jun 21, 2018

What Is a Representative Payee and Who Can Become One?

An older Asian woman is holding a red thought bubble sign in her hand that has a yellow question mark inside of it.

Mar 30, 2018

Questions to Ask Before Joining a Medicare Advantage Plan

A large question mark is in the center of the screen on a digital tablet that a senior person is holding.

Mar 30, 2018

Questions to Ask Before Purchasing a Medigap Policy

Two elder Vietnam veterans are embracing each other by the shore.

Jul 13, 2017

18 Benefits for Veterans: Helping Our Nation’s Heroes

An older hispanic woman unpacks groceries with her daughter and granddaughter in the kitchen.

May 7, 2015

Food Assistance Benefits

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