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New Web Site Assists Seniors in Collecting Benefits
Geriatric Times September/October 2001 Vol. II Issue 5
According to the National Council on the Aging (NCOA), an estimated 5 million older Americans are not receiving all the benefits to which they are entitled. For the past two years, the NCOA has been working with federal and state benefits authorities to collect programs, eligibility criteria and other information necessary for older Americans to successfully obtain facts on these perks, including government health benefits, supplemental income insurance counseling and tax breaks.
On June 5th the NCOA launched the Web site www.benefitscheckup.org to help seniors receive all the benefits they deserve. Individuals and/or family members and friends can work through the simple process of answering questions regarding age, income and ZIP code. No information that could be used to identify the person--name, address or social security number--is needed. The result is an overview of programs many older Americans qualify for, such as Medicaid, state drug benefits, Meals on Wheels and food stamps. The site also screens for volunteer programs to join, discounts on passes for national parks, utility bill relief and home repair services.
BenefitsCheckUp provides the user with contact information for each benefits program listed. The materials needed for each agency are also listed (i.e., proof of age, proof of citizenship). Each organization must be contacted to discuss individual situations and to obtain applications.
Eligibility for benefits and available options may change over time. For this reason, the service, which is free, can be accessed more than once, using different income and asset levels.
The new service was designed primarily for low-income seniors; however, many programs do not have income requirements. The tool is expected to prove especially useful to more than a quarter of the adult population in the United States, according to the National Family Caregivers Association, who are helping to care for older relatives and friends--AV
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