On Valentine’s Day, I read an article written by Bernadette Baum for Rueters. It highlighted a program that has over $20 billion in benefits for seniors…and people aren’t asking for it! Here it is…in part.
NEW YORK (Reuters ) Feb 14 – Millions of seniors in the United States are missing out on more than $20 billion in aid that could help pay for food, medicine and heating, simply because they don’t know it’s there, according to a report released on Tuesday by organizations that advocate for seniors.
In response, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) have launched a campaign, “You Gave, Now Save,” to help bridge the gap between the available funding and those who need it the most. The two groups run Eldercare Locator http://www.eldercare.gov , a hotline that connects older Americans to services that can provide help.
The top reason people call the hotline is to find out if there is any financial support available to them. NCOA also runs a benefits screening site called BenefitsCheckup http://www.benefitscheckup.org which helps consumers find lists of government programs and see which ones they qualify for.
Of the 57 million Americans aged 60 and above, many struggle to pay for basic needs, such as food, healthcare, and heating. Nearly one in 10 seniors live below the federal poverty line of an annual income of $10,890, the report said, citing Census data for 2010 and 2011. About 8.4 million older adults and disabled younger adults live in poverty, and another 13.5 million in both groups are at risk of poverty, the report said.
In addition, some older Americans did not apply for some benefits because they believed the application process would be complex, they did not understand the eligibility rules, or thought there was a stigma to receiving entitlements.
WHAT ARE THEY MISSING OUT ON?
Eligible seniors living alone could benefit from an annual $1,428 in food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Others miss out on Supplemental Security Income payments of $6,000 a year.
Programs that are also overlooked include home heating and cooling assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, as well as free or discounted services from state and local governments and the private sector that provide tax breaks, transportation, respite care, legal assistance, and in-home assistance.
If you have a senior who may qualify for some extra financial help, check out the above links…and read the entire article at http://www.ncoa.org/assets/files/pdf/center-for-benefits/You-Gave-Now-Save-data-brief.pdf
Mike