Programs we check

The current catalog

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• HICAP, free Medicare counselling California Department of Aging

  Free, unbiased, one to one counselling about Medicare from trained counsellors who are not paid on commission and do not sell insurance. They help compare plans, appeal a denial, sort out billing, and apply for the programmes that reduce Medicare costs. This is the single most useful phone call available to most Medicare households, and almost nobody knows it exists.

  Official page · 1-800-434-0222 · Checked 2026-07-29

• Medicare Savings Programs Your state Medicaid office

  Can pay the Medicare Part B premium, which is $202.90 a month in 2026, and in one case deductibles and coinsurance too. The 2026 QMB limit is $1,350 a month for one person. States do not count certain income and resources, so being over the headline number is not the same as being ruled out.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-28

• Social Security Disability (SSDI) Social Security Administration

  A monthly payment for people who have a disability or blindness and enough work history behind them. The payment amount is based on work history before the disability began, and it can include Medicare.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Social Security Administration

  A monthly payment for people who have little or no income and few resources, and who are either aged 65 or older, or blind, or disabled at any age. The age route and the disability route are separate: being under 65 does not put someone outside it. Social Security states that SSI is generally for people who do not earn more than 2,073 dollars from work, and there are exceptions to both the income and resource limits.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

• VA Aid and Attendance U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  An amount added to a VA pension for a veteran, or a surviving spouse, who needs help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding and dressing. Surviving spouses are eligible, which is the part families most often miss.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-28

• VA Survivors Pension U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  A monthly payment for the surviving spouse or child of a deceased wartime veteran with limited income. The VA states the service conditions in terms of when the veteran entered active duty and whether they served during a covered wartime period. This is one of the most commonly missed benefits in the country, because families assume the entitlement died with the veteran. It did not.

  Official page · 800-827-1000 · Checked 2026-07-29

• VA burial allowance U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  Payments towards burial and funeral costs, and towards the plot or interment, for the person paying those costs where they will not be reimbursed by anyone else. The VA lists circumstances that are excluded, including death on active duty, which is covered differently rather than not covered.

  Official page · 800-827-1000 · Checked 2026-07-29

• VA disability compensation U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  A monthly tax free payment to veterans who became ill or were injured during service, and to veterans whose service made an existing condition worse. Some conditions are presumptive, meaning the connection to service does not have to be proven individually.

  Official page · 800-827-1000 · Checked 2026-07-29

Caregiver payment

• California Paid Family Leave Employment Development Department

  Up to 8 weeks in a 12 month period while you take time off to care for a seriously ill family member, and a parent counts. The maximum is $1,765 per week in 2026. A licensed health care provider has to certify their condition.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-28

• In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Your county IHSS office

  California pays a provider to help someone stay in their own home, and the state says plainly that the provider can be a family member. The person receiving care hires them. They must be eligible for Medi-Cal and be assessed by the county as needing the help: being related to them is not by itself enough.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-28

• VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  Support for a family member caring for an eligible veteran, which can include a monthly stipend, training, counselling and respite. The veteran and the caregiver must both meet the programme requirements.

  Official page · 855-260-3274 · Checked 2026-07-29

Food

• CalFresh (SNAP food benefits) Your county social services office

  Monthly money for food, on a card that works like a debit card at most supermarkets. Two rules matter for older households and are widely missed: a household that includes someone aged 60 or older, or someone disabled, only has to meet the NET income limit rather than the gross income test, and its countable resource limit is 4,500 dollars instead of 3,000. Being over the headline income number is not the same as being ruled out, because deductions come off first.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

Health costs

• Extra Help with Medicare drug costs (Part D Low Income Subsidy) Social Security Administration

  Pays Medicare drug coverage premiums, deductibles and coinsurance, and removes the Part D late enrolment penalty. Medicare.gov states the 2026 limits as 23,940 dollars a year in income and 18,090 dollars in resources for one person, and 32,460 dollars and 36,100 dollars for a married couple living together. Some people qualify automatically. Not available in Puerto Rico or the U.S. territories.

  Official page · 1-800-633-4227 · Checked 2026-07-29

• Medi-Cal California Department of Health Care Services

  California's Medicaid programme. Covers doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and, for those who qualify, long term care and in-home support. Medi-Cal can be held alongside Medicare, and people who have both usually pay very little out of pocket. We hold no verified income rule for Medi-Cal, so we will not tell anyone they are outside it.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

Housing

• Property Tax Postponement California State Controller

  Lets a homeowner who is a senior, blind, or has a disability defer current year property taxes on their principal residence. The State Controller states the criteria include at least 40 percent equity in the home and an annual household income of 55,181 dollars or less. The deferred tax is secured by a lien on the property and has to be repaid eventually, so it postpones a bill rather than cancelling it.

  Official page · (800) 952-5661 · Checked 2026-07-29

In home support

• Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) California Department of Aging, through a local MSSP site

  Care management and services that let somebody stay at home instead of moving into a skilled nursing facility. The Department of Aging states the criteria as persons 60 years of age or older who are eligible for Medi-Cal under a qualifying primary aid code and who are certified or certifiable for placement in a skilled nursing facility. Services can include respite, transportation, meals, supervision and counselling. Places are limited, because the total cost of care has to come in below the cost of the nursing facility it replaces.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

Legal

• Long-Term Care Ombudsman California Department of Aging, through a local Ombudsman office

  Free, independent advocates for people living in nursing homes and residential care facilities. They take complaints about day to day care, health, safety and personal preference, and they work for the resident rather than for the facility. Most families do not know this exists until after they have tried to raise something with the facility itself and got nowhere.

  Official page · 1-800-231-4024 · Checked 2026-07-29

Mobility

• Medicare cover for wheelchairs, walkers and other equipment Medicare, Part B

  Walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, hospital beds and similar equipment are covered under Medicare Part B as durable medical equipment. Medicare.gov states that Part B covers medically necessary equipment when a doctor or other provider orders it for use in the home, that power wheelchairs and scooters are covered only when medically necessary, and that after the Part B deductible the patient pays 20 percent of the Medicare approved amount where the supplier accepts assignment. Families frequently buy this equipment outright without ever asking whether it was already covered.

  Official page · 1-800-633-4227 · Checked 2026-07-29

Respite

• California Caregiver Resource Centers California Department of Aging, through a regional Caregiver Resource Center

  Support for the person doing the caring, rather than for the person being cared for, which is the help families least expect to exist. The Department of Aging lists respite care as financial assistance for temporary in-home support, adult day care, short-term or weekend care and transportation. Centres also provide specialised information and referral, counselling, and caregiver training, at low or no cost.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

• National Family Caregiver Support Program U.S. Administration for Community Living, through your Area Agency on Aging

  The federal programme behind a lot of local caregiver help. ACL lists five service types: information about available services, assistance gaining access to them, individual counselling and support groups and caregiver training, respite care, and limited supplemental services. Eligible participants include adult family members and other informal caregivers, and the 2020 reauthorisation of the Older Americans Act widened who counts.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

Safety

• Adult Protective Services Your county Adult Protective Services agency

  County agencies investigate reports of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of elders and dependent adults living in private homes, apartments, hotels and hospitals, and of those experiencing or about to experience homelessness. Anyone can report, and you do not need proof before calling. They also provide information and referral to other agencies.

  Official page · 1-833-401-0832 · Checked 2026-07-29

Transport

• Eldercare Locator U.S. Administration for Community Living

  A national referral line that connects a household to the local agency handling transport, meals, in-home help and caregiver support in their area. It is a locator and not a service: it does not provide the ride, it tells you who does. Local transport for older adults is run county by county and sometimes city by city, which is exactly the kind of coverage no national database holds accurately, so the honest answer here is a phone number to the people who do know.

  Official page · 1-800-677-1116 · Checked 2026-07-29

Utility assistance

• CARE and FERA utility bill discounts California Public Utilities Commission and your utility

  An ongoing discount on the energy bill for income qualified households, not a one off payment. The CPUC states that CARE customers receive an electricity bill discount of approximately 18 dollars a month and a reduced base services charge. FERA is a smaller discount for households that are slightly above the CARE income level, so being turned down for one does not mean being turned down for both.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-29

• LIHEAP energy bill help Your local LIHEAP provider

  Helps pay energy bills and also pays for weatherization work on the home. California received $236 million for federal fiscal year 2026. Funding is limited and providers prioritise the households in greatest need, so being eligible and receiving it are two different things.

  Official page · Checked 2026-07-28