The Senior Money Checklist: 9 Benefits for People Over 60 You May Qualify For

Checking on a parent this fall (updated October 2026)

Three things land before winter, and each is a reason to sit down with a parent: their Medicare plan, their Social Security COLA notice, and their heating bill. Benefit Bull is a free private company, not Medicare or Social Security, and we do not sell or recommend Medicare plans.

• Medicare plan review by December 7. Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, and plan changes start January 1 (Medicare.gov). For free, personalized counseling, call 1-800-MEDICARE or your parent’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which Medicare says is not connected to any insurance company or health plan. See Medicare open enrollment.
• The 2027 COLA notice. Social Security says benefits “will increase 3.6 percent in 2027.” SSI payments rise starting December 31, 2026, and Social Security payments in January 2027. Notices go online in late November in the my Social Security Message Center for accounts created by November 18, 2026 (SSA).
• Help with Medicare costs. If money is tight, Extra Help may lower drug costs, and a Medicare Savings Program may pay the Part B premium.
• Heating help. LIHEAP and state programs may help with heating bills. Start with USA.gov, then see LIHEAP income limits and help paying electric and gas bills. State guides: Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Indiana.
• SNAP at 60 and older. SNAP uses different income rules when a household member is 60 or older. See SNAP for seniors.
• Watch for scams. Social Security says “our services are free of charge” (SSA). Benefit Bull is free, always. No SSN required by Benefit Bull.

2 Extra Help: lower costs for prescriptions

Extra Help is the federal subsidy for Medicare drug coverage, and Social Security says it is estimated to be worth about $5,700 per year (SSA). It can lower or remove your Part D premium and deductible, and in 2027 it limits what you pay at a participating pharmacy to no more than $5.80 for each generic drug and $14.40 for each brand-name drug (official Medicare.gov figures) (Medicare.gov).

The official 2026 limits: income up to $23,940 for a single person or $32,460 for a married couple, with resources up to $18,090 and $36,100 (Medicare.gov). SSA says you may still be able to get some help above those lines if you work, support family members who live with you, or live in Alaska or Hawaii (SSA). If a Medicare Savings Program approves you in step one, you may not need this form. Medicare says people who get full Medicaid, help from their state paying Part B premiums through a Medicare Savings Program, or SSI get Extra Help automatically, and they get a notice in the mail (Medicare.gov).

3 SSI at 65: no disability required

Most people file SSI under “disability” in their heads and never look at it again. But SSI has a second door: age 65, limited income and resources, no disability finding needed (SSA). The official federal maximum in 2026 is $994 a month for an individual and $1,491 for a couple, rising to $1,029 and $1,544 in 2027 with the 3.6 percent COLA (SSA). The actual payment is the maximum minus countable income, and some states add a supplement (SSA). Social Security benefits count as income, so SSI may be paid alongside a small Social Security check (SSA).

The catch is the resource test, and it is strict: $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple (official SSA limits). SSA does not count the value of all of your resources (SSA).

4 SNAP changes its math the day you turn 60

Two rules change at 60. First, the gross income test does not apply: a household with an elderly member only has to pass the net income test, which is what remains after deductions (USDA). Second, the household may deduct the older member’s out-of-pocket medical costs above $35 a month, such as health insurance premiums, prescriptions, dentures, and certain transportation costs (USDA). For a retiree with high health costs, that deduction may make a real difference in whether the household may qualify and how much it may get.

So someone who did not qualify for SNAP before 60 may qualify after, with the same income. One state note: federal SNAP rules use age 60, but Indiana’s current SNAP policy manual lists 65 for some senior rules, so in Indiana ask DFR (800-403-0864) which age applies (Indiana DFR). See SNAP for seniors for how those age-60 rules work.

5 CSFP: a monthly USDA food package for people 60 and older

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) supplements the diets of people with low income who are at least 60 with USDA Foods. Packages include foods such as milk, cheese, juice, oats, cereal, rice, pasta, peanut butter, dry beans, canned meat, poultry, or fish, and canned fruits and vegetables (USDA). USDA says CSFP participants may also be eligible for SNAP (USDA).

Each state sets its CSFP income limit at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines (USDA). In 2026, 150 percent is $1,995 a month for one person in the lower 48, the official USDA figure (USDA). Local agencies decide who is eligible and hand out the food, and CSFP runs in parts of all 50 states, so there is no single national place to apply (USDA).

6 LIHEAP: heating and cooling help that names seniors as a priority group

LIHEAP helps with heating and cooling bills. States must offer crisis energy assistance, and they may also offer weatherization or low-cost repairs or replacement of home energy equipment (HHS). It is not a fringe program: 5 million households got heating assistance in fiscal 2024, and 2.5 million of the households served included an older adult. HHS says LIHEAP benefits target low-income households with a high energy burden or with members who are elderly, disabled, or a young child (HHS).

States set their own income limits, up to the greater of 150 percent of poverty ($1,995 a month for one person in 2026, the official figure from the federal guidelines) or 60 percent of state median income, and no lower than 110 percent of poverty (HHS). Each state sets its own application dates, so check yours early.

7 Property tax relief for older homeowners and renters

Some states offer property tax relief for older residents, and these programs generally require a form. In Massachusetts, for example, the Senior Circuit Breaker credit is claimed on Schedule CB with your state income tax return (Mass.gov).

The Massachusetts Senior Circuit Breaker is a refundable credit for people 65 or older who own or rent their home there. The official maximum credit for tax year 2025 is $2,820, and the actual credit depends on your property taxes or rent and your income (Mass.gov). Other states run their own programs, so ask your county or city assessor.

8 SCSEP: get paid while you train for your next job

If you are 55 or older, unemployed, and your family income is no more than 125 percent of poverty ($19,950 a year for one person in 2026, the official figure from the federal guidelines), the Senior Community Service Employment Program may place you in a paid, part-time community service assignment, an average of 20 hours a week at the highest of federal, state, or local minimum wage, as a bridge to unsubsidized work (Department of Labor).

Honest caveat: the FY 2026 President’s Budget proposed eliminating this program (DOL Budget in Brief). It is still operating, and DOL has issued Program Year 2026 allotments to grantees (TEGL 13-25), so if this fits your situation, it is worth checking with a grantee.

9 VA Pension at 65: a needs-based benefit for wartime veterans

This is not disability compensation, and you do not need a service-connected injury. VA Pension is a needs-based benefit for wartime veterans, and being at least 65 meets the age-or-disability requirement (VA). VA pays the difference between your income for VA purposes and a yearly limit Congress sets, the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (VA). The official rates from December 1, 2025: $17,441 a year for a veteran with no dependents and $22,839 with one dependent, and Aid and Attendance raises those limits to $29,093 and $34,488 (VA). Your income is subtracted from the limit, so the payment may be much less than these amounts.

The official net worth limit from December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026, is $163,699, and your primary home and car do not count toward it (VA). Service requirement in plain terms: for those who started active duty before September 8, 1980, at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a recognized wartime period, including the Vietnam era and the Gulf War period, which runs from August 2, 1990, with no end date yet (VA). Surviving spouses may be eligible for Survivors Pension (VA).

VA pension net worth limit and Aid and Attendance rates 2026

From December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026, the VA pension net worth limit is $163,699 (official), and the Aid and Attendance yearly limit is $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents or $34,488 with one dependent (official). VA subtracts your income for VA purposes from that limit, so the payment may be much less (estimated) (VA). If a parent needs another person to help with bathing, feeding, or dressing, or is in a nursing home because of a disability, Aid and Attendance may add to the monthly pension (VA). For help with the claim, VA says "the services an accredited VSO representative provides on your VA benefit claims are always free" (VA, Get help from a VA accredited representative or VSO, accessed November 3, 2026). You choose the representative and you file the claim. These figures run through November 30, 2026, and VA adjusts them each year for cost of living, so check va.gov for current rates after that date.

The checklist, on one page

Medicare Savings Programs through your state Medicaid office, which Medicare says brings Extra Help automatically. SSI at 65 if countable resources are $2,000 or less. SNAP with the age-60 medical deduction. The CSFP food package from your local agency or food bank. LIHEAP before the season peaks. One call to the county assessor about senior property tax relief. SCSEP if you want paid part-time work. VA Pension if you served during wartime. Nine items, each worth a look.

The pattern across all nine is the same: you usually have to ask. Each one starts with an application, so the only way to know is to check.

Checking nine agencies one at a time is exactly the chore this site removes. One five minute check matches you against 119 federal and state programs across 12 categories, several of the nine above included, with estimated dollar ranges and next steps for each. Run yours here, for yourself or for a parent. Benefit Bull is free, always. You choose how to apply.

VA pension questions

What is the VA pension net worth limit for 2026?

It is $163,699 (official) for December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026. Your primary home, your car, and basic home items like appliances are not counted as assets. Check va.gov for current rates after November 30, 2026.

What are the Aid and Attendance rates for 2026?

The yearly limit with Aid and Attendance is $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents and $34,488 with one dependent (official, December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026). VA pays the difference between that limit and your income for VA purposes, so the payment may be less (estimated).

Source: VA, Current Veterans Pension Rates (accessed November 3, 2026).