Ask a room of retirees which benefit programs they've checked their eligibility for, and most will name Social Security and Medicare — full stop. That's the problem. Below those two headline programs sits a layer of assistance that can cut prescription costs, pay Medicare premiums, cover groceries and heating bills, and trim property taxes, and enrollment in that layer is chronically low among the very people it was built for. Here are ten programs worth checking after 60, grouped by what they pay for, with the eligibility conditions attached — because every one of these is conditional on income, resources, or both.
Help With Medicare Costs
1. Extra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy). If you're on Medicare and prescriptions strain the budget, Extra Help lowers Part D premiums and deductibles and caps copays at a few dollars per prescription. Since 2024 the program pays full benefits to everyone who qualifies — the old "partial subsidy" tier is gone. For 2025, the limits were income below roughly $23,475 for an individual ($31,725 for a couple) and resources below $17,600 ($35,130 for couples); the figures index annually, so check the current numbers and apply at ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. Our Extra Help guide covers what counts as a resource — your home and car don't.
2. Medicare Savings Programs. These state-run programs pay your Part B premium — $185 a month in 2025, which is real money on a fixed income — and, in the case of the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) level, your Medicare deductibles and coinsurance too. There are three tiers (QMB, SLMB, and QI) with income cutoffs stepping from roughly 100% to 135% of the federal poverty level, plus asset limits in most states; a few states have dropped the asset test entirely. Apply through your state Medicaid office, and see medicare.gov's MSP page for the current dollar figures. Enrolling in QMB or SLMB also automatically qualifies you for Extra Help — one application, two programs. The details and tier-by-tier limits are in our Medicare Savings Programs guide.
Also worth knowing even if you don't qualify for either: Medicare Part D now caps annual out-of-pocket drug costs — $2,000 in 2025, indexed after that — and lets you spread that amount across the year in monthly installments. Several states additionally run their own pharmaceutical assistance programs that sit on top of Part D for residents above the Extra Help limits; medicare.gov keeps a directory of them, and they are worth thirty seconds of checking if your state is one of them.
Food and Utility Help
3. SNAP. Older adults are among the most under-enrolled groups in the food assistance program, partly because many assume a Social Security check disqualifies them. Often it doesn't: households with a member 60 or older face a more lenient asset limit, may skip the gross income test, and can deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses above $35 a month — a deduction that raises the benefit and that seniors chronically fail to claim. Many states also offer simplified applications and longer certification periods for senior households.
4. LIHEAP. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps pay heating and cooling bills and can intervene in a shutoff emergency. Eligibility typically reaches households at or below 150% of the federal poverty level or 60% of state median income, and funds are seasonal — apply when your state's window opens, not when the bill is already red. Find your state's program through acf.hhs.gov or your local Community Action Agency. Seniors also get priority in many states for free weatherization work that permanently lowers the bills.
Beyond SNAP, there are senior-specific food programs — commodity food boxes for people 60+, and farmers market coupon programs in many states — covered in our roundup of food assistance programs for seniors.
Housing and Property Taxes
5. Property tax relief. Nearly every state offers something — homestead exemptions that shave tens of thousands off assessed value, senior freezes that lock your bill at its current level, circuit-breaker credits tied to income, or deferral programs that postpone the tax until the home is sold. None of it is automatic; you apply through your county assessor, usually by a firm annual deadline. The mix varies so much by state that we built a separate property tax relief guide to sort it out. Two related moves while you're at the assessor's office: check whether your home's assessed value is simply wrong — assessment appeals are free, deadline-driven, and succeed more often than people assume — and ask whether your state's exemption requires re-filing each year or carries forward automatically. If you rent, several states run renter credits that serve the same function as the homeowner programs.
Cash and Care
6. SSI. Supplemental Security Income pays monthly cash to people 65 and older (or blind or disabled at any age) with limited income and resources — under $2,000 for an individual, $3,000 for a couple, not counting your home and car. The 2025 federal rate was $967 a month for an individual, adjusted each January, and many states add a supplement. SSI enrollment also opens the door to Medicaid in most states. Apply at ssa.gov or your local Social Security office.
7. PACE. The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly serves people 55 and older who need nursing-home-level care but want to stay in their homes. Where it operates, PACE wraps medical care, adult day services, therapy, prescriptions, meals, and transportation into one coordinated program — with no out-of-pocket cost for long-term care if you qualify for Medicaid. It's not available everywhere; check whether a PACE organization serves your county.
Veterans Benefits
8. VA Pension and Aid & Attendance. Wartime-era veterans (and surviving spouses) with limited income may qualify for a needs-based VA Pension, and those who need help with daily activities like bathing and dressing may qualify for the Aid & Attendance addition on top of it — a benefit that routinely goes unclaimed for years because families simply never heard of it. VA health care, burial benefits, and state veterans homes round out the list. If you or your spouse ever served, spend an afternoon with a county veterans service officer — their help is free, and they file the paperwork.
Everyday Costs
9. Lifeline phone and internet discounts. The FCC's Lifeline program discounts phone or internet service for households at or below 135% of the federal poverty level or enrolled in Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or certain other programs. The standard discount is modest — $9.25 a month — but participating carriers often build no-cost or low-cost plans around it. Note that the separate Affordable Connectivity Program ended in 2024, so ignore outdated articles promising its larger discount.
10. Transit discounts and paratransit. Most public transit systems offer half fares to riders above a set age, and communities served by an Area Agency on Aging typically run door-to-door rides for medical appointments — free or donation-based. It's unglamorous and it's worth hundreds a year to a regular rider.
How to Check All Ten at Once
Our advice: don't research these one at a time. Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 — a federally funded service that connects you to your Area Agency on Aging — and ask for a benefits check-up; the National Council on Aging also runs a free online screener that covers most of these programs in one questionnaire. Then start applications with the two that pay fastest for most Medicare households: Extra Help and a Medicare Savings Program. Every figure above adjusts annually, so verify current limits on the agency pages before deciding you're over the line — and remember that being close to a limit is a reason to apply, not to skip it, since deductions and disregards get applied by the agency, not by you.
