Published: October 2, 2009

Many older people need help paying for prescription drugs, healthcare, utilities and other basic needs. Ironically, millions of older Americans — especially those with limited incomes — are eligible for but not receiving benefits from existing federal, state and local programs. Ranging from heating and energy assistance to prescription savings programs to income supplements, there are many public programs available to seniors in need if they only knew about them and how to apply for them.

Developed and maintained by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), BenefitsCheckUp is the nation's most comprehensive Web-based service to screen for benefits programs for seniors with limited income and resources.

BenefitsCheckUp includes more than 1,750 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia such as:

• Prescription drugs
• Nutrition (including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP)/Food Stamps)
• Energy assistance
• Financial
• Legal
• Healthcare
• Social Security
• Housing
• In-home services
• Tax relief
• Transportation
• Educational assistance
• Employment
• Volunteer services

Since 2001, millions of people have used BenefitsCheckUp to find benefits programs that help them pay for prescription drugs, healthcare, rent, utilities, and other needs.

BenefitsCheckUp quickly finds federal, state and private benefit programs available to help you save money on prescription drugs, health care, meals, utilities, taxes, and more. Click below to give us some basic information and view a personal report on the benefits you may qualify for.

We've found that having the necessary information at your fingertips makes completing the questions easier. You'll need the following information about yourself or about the person you are helping:

• ZIP code
• Date of birth for self and spouse
• Type of residence (house, apartment, or mobile home)
• Length of time in current residence
• Veteran status for self and spouse
• Employment history (specifically, whether or not the person ever worked for the state, local, county, or federal government or the railroads) for self and spouse
• Names of prescription medications (we recommend having the prescription bottles or information available about the person's medications from their health professional)
• Current income and assets from all sources for self, spouse and others in the household
• Estimates of current expenses (such as mortgage/rent, utilities, out-of-pocket medical bills, expenses for caring for someone at home while the person works or goes to school, etc.)

Users of the service -- often family caregivers, senior center or nursing home providers, as well as the individuals themselves -- answer a series of questions to determine eligibility for more than 1,500 federal, state and local benefits programs nationwide. The resulting report tells what programs to apply for and gives instructions on next steps.

Since its creation in 2001, NCOA's BenefitsCheckUp has screened more than two million seniors for benefits programs valued at more than $6 billion.

For more information on BenefitsCheckUp, visit www.BenefitsCheckUp.org.