Older adults are leaving billions in grocery, Medicare, and other aid unclaimed

Adults age 65 and older who were eligible for SSI were missing an average of $552.29 each month.

Many older Americans who qualify for help with food, health care, and income support still are not signed up. In 2023, 9.1 million eligible people age 65 and older did not receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

According to data from the National Council on Aging (NCOA), an estimated $58 billion in benefits goes unclaimed, with food assistance representing the largest share of the gap, Moneywise reported.

What to know

The National Council on Aging reviewed participation in three major programs for older adults — SNAP, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicare Savings Programs — and found that enrollment in 2023 trailed far behind eligibility.

Among eligible people age 65 and older, just 38% took part in SNAP, 40% received SSI, and 49% were enrolled in Medicare Savings Programs.

Those gaps translate into millions of missed enrollments.

NCOA estimated that, beyond the 9.1 million eligible adults who did not receive SNAP, another 3.6 million did not receive SSI and 6.6 million were not enrolled in Medicare Savings Programs.

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The value of the missed assistance differed across the three programs.

Adults 65 and older who qualified for SSI missed an average of $552.29 per month, or $6,627.48 a year.

Medicare Savings Programs can help pay Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance. Based on the 2023 standard Part B premium of $164.90 a month, that came to $1,978.80 a year in unclaimed savings per person.

Using 2023 averages cited by NCOA, eligible households with an adult age 60 or older missed about $188 a month in SNAP benefits, or $2,256 a year.

More background

The $58 billion estimate reflects three separate forms of household support.

Each program serves a different need: SNAP helps with groceries, SSI provides direct monthly income, and Medicare Savings Programs reduce out-of-pocket Medicare costs.

Using NCOA's figures, an older adult eligible for all three programs could be missing about $905.19 a month in combined aid, or $10,862.28 a year.

Of the three, SNAP showed the biggest enrollment gap. With only 38% of eligible adults age 65 and older participating, nearly two-thirds of older people who could have received grocery assistance did not get it.

SSI had the highest average monthly value at $552.29. Medicare Savings Programs had the highest participation rate at 49%, though 6.6 million eligible people still were not enrolled.

NCOA said confusion over eligibility and limited awareness of the programs may be preventing many older adults from applying.

What can be done?

Moneywise, citing The Washington Post, reported that Fabric Health CEO Courtney Bragg described the application process as a confusing "alphabet soup."

Difficulty getting through what Accessia Health CEO Tiara Green called a "fragmented system" is, in their view, a major reason so many benefits go unclaimed.

The NCOA offers a free tool that seniors can use to check whether they qualify for assistance, and a helpline is available at 1-800-794-6559.

Where can I learn more?

Older adults can also miss out on other Medicare, Social Security, and food assistance savings and support.

• A Humana beneficiary received a worrying scam call and was reminded that Social Security does not call applicants.

• In Los Angeles, a Meals on Wheels waiting list approached 100 as seniors struggled with rent, food, and medicine.

• A widow turning 70 learned that the SSA would not move her to a higher survivor benefit check.