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Many seniors live on fixed incomes, limiting the amount of money available for food, shelter and other necessities. In some cases, seniors try to conserve funds by skipping meals, delaying needed medical care and living in unsafe conditions, putting them at risk for serious illnesses and injuries. To reduce the risk of seniors experiencing hunger, isolation and homelessness due to a lack of financial security, programs are available at the federal and state level to provide seniors with financial assistance.
This guide gives an overview of the many state and federal programs that offer public benefits to help older adults stay safe and healthy. Included resources provide cash, medical, housing, legal and nutrition assistance to seniors.
Government-Funded Financial Assistance Programs
Cash Assistance
At the federal level, older adults have access to two main cash assistance programs: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. Seniors may qualify for both programs and can apply to them at the same time using a single application.
Social Security benefit programs are entitlement programs paid for by Social Security taxes. Social Security pays monthly retirement benefits to eligible retirees, with benefit amounts based on how much they earned when they were working. In addition to retirees, Social Security also plays benefits to eligible survivors, disabled workers, and beneficiaries.
Unlike Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based program funded by general taxes and benefit amounts are not determined by prior work history. SSI payments are made to seniors who are at least 65 years old and people with disabilities, as long as these individuals also have limited financial resources and meet other eligibility criteria. Recipients can use their cash payments to pay for food, housing and other basic living expenses.
Several states also have general assistance programs that provide cash payments to residents who meet certain eligibility requirements. In 14 states, such payments are available only to residents deemed “unemployable.” They are Washington, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Michigan, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Hawaii and the District of Columbia. Most recipients are unemployable due to an incapacitating physical or mental disability, but seven states allow residents to receive cash benefits if they’re unemployable due to learning disabilities, low levels of literacy or older age (55+). In Alaska, California, Nevada, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Maine, New York and New Jersey, limited cash benefits are available to residents who are employable and ineligible for other forms of cash assistance as well as to unemployable residents.
Food and Nutrition Assistance
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service operates several programs of interest to older adults. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, provides nutrition benefits to help low-income individuals afford healthy food. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) helps seniors with limited finances access locally grown herbs, vegetables, honey and fruits if they reside in participating states. In addition to these, the USDA also has a Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) that provides monthly food packages for low-income seniors that are distributed by public and nonprofit agencies in participating states and tribal regions.
Many states also have their own government-funded food and nutrition programs for seniors. For example, some states finance home-delivered meals, commonly called Meals on Wheels, or cover the cost of meals provided in senior centers and other community settings. These programs are often managed by state agencies tasked with providing social services or helping older adults maintain their health and independence. Eligibility guidelines for such programs are specific to each state, but typically include being over 60 years old and qualifying as homebound.
Housing Assistance
At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development operates the housing choice voucher program, which is designed to help seniors, low-income families and disabled individuals obtain safe, sanitary housing. Participants aren’t required to live in subsidized housing projects; instead, they can use their vouchers to live in any type of housing that meets the program requirements.
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly is another federal option. Under this program, HUD gives interest-free capital advances to nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives. Recipients use the funds to provide supportive housing for elderly individuals. To occupy Section 202 housing, residents must have a qualifying household income and at least one individual who is 62 or older on the date of initial occupancy.
Although federal programs are helpful, the stringent requirements make it difficult for some seniors to qualify for assistance. To fill in the gaps, many states operate their own housing programs. As of October 2023, there were approximately 88 state-funded rental assistance programs in the United States, some of which were developed specifically for seniors. Available benefits include tax rebates, rental credits and help paying security deposits or back rent payments.
Legal Assistance
Legal Services for Older Americans is a federal program that provides funds to states and community-based programs to assist older adults with a wide range of legal issues. Attorneys and other trained professionals help eligible seniors draft advance directives and power of attorney documents, access public benefits, fight evictions and foreclosures, maintain their financial security, and resolve issues related to physical, financial and psychological abuse.
Many states have legal aid societies or free law clinics to help seniors with civil issues, including Medicare fraud, difficulty qualifying for Medicaid, telemarketing fraud and landlord/tenant disputes. Some states also have helplines designed to give seniors access to legal information and referrals to reputable attorneys.
Medical Assistance
Original Medicare uses federal and state funds to give beneficiaries access to preventive screenings and care for acute and chronic illnesses. The program is designed for older adults (65+) and some younger adults with qualifying diseases or disabilities. Beneficiaries pay a monthly Medicare premium and have some out-of-pocket costs, such as coinsurance and deductibles, but Medicare coverage is typically much more affordable than private health insurance.
Medicaid also uses federal and state funds to give enrollees access to medical care and is designed for individuals with limited income and assets. Some states also offer Medicaid to medically needy individuals whose incomes are too high to qualify for other types of Medicaid coverage.
Many seniors who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid choose to receive benefits for both through the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). This program provides medical care and social services to frail elderly individuals so that they can remain at home instead of relocating to an institutional setting. Enrollment in PACE is optional and available to adults who are at least 55 years old, require a nursing home level of care and live in an area served by a PACE provider.
At the state level, government agencies may pay for skilled nursing care, personal care and other services to help seniors remain in their homes for as long as possible. Each state also has a long-term care ombudsman to ensure older adults have access to all the medical and social services they’re entitled to receive.
Property Tax Assistance
Many states offer property tax rebates and other forms of tax relief for seniors. Some of these programs are available only to seniors with incomes below a certain threshold while others are available to all seniors of a certain age regardless of their income. For example, California allows older adults (62+) to postpone payment of their property taxes if they earn $51,762 or less per year and have at least 40% equity in their homes. In Arizona, seniors (65+) who meet certain income requirements and have lived in their homes as their primary residence for at least two years can apply to have their limited property valuations frozen, which determines their property tax liability. Delaware, on the other hand, gives tax credits against school property taxes assessed on the primary residence of any senior who is at least 65 and has resided in the state for 10 years. There are no set income or asset limits to qualify for this Arizona program.
Utility Assistance
The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides funding to help eligible families pay their energy bills, make energy-related home repairs and reduce their energy costs. Local agencies are responsible for distributing LIHEAP funds, so seniors and their loved ones may want to use the LIHEAP Map State and Territory Contact tool to help them access program benefits at their location.
Because LIHEAP is an income-based program, not all seniors qualify for this type of assistance. For these individuals, some states have their own utility assistance programs. Conveniently, state-funded programs are listed for each state in its State Snapshot provided on the LIHEAP website. When looking at a State Snapshot, information about these programs can be found below federal LIHEAP program information.
