Many older Americans who qualify for aid with groceries, health care, and income support still aren't enrolled — in 2023 alone, 9.1 million eligible people age 65 and older didn't receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Data from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) estimates that $58 billion in benefits go unclaimed, with the largest gap evident in food assistance, according to Moneywise.
Here's what to know
The National Council on Aging examined participation in three major assistance programs for older adults — SNAP, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicare Savings Programs — and found that enrollment lagged far behind eligibility in 2023.
Just 38% of eligible people age 65 and older participated in SNAP, while 40% took part in SSI and 49% enrolled in Medicare Savings Programs.
Those participation gaps add up to millions of missed claims.
The NCOA estimated that, in addition to the 9.1 million eligible adults who didn't receive SNAP, 3.6 million didn't receive SSI, and 6.6 million weren't enrolled in Medicare Savings Programs.
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The average value of missed assistance varied across the three programs.
Adults 65 and older who qualified for SSI missed an average of $552.29 a month, or $6,627.48 annually.
Medicare Savings Programs can offset Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance. The 2023 standard Part B premium of $164.90 a month totaled $1,978.80 a year unclaimed per person.
Based on 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 covers three different forms of household support.
Each program addresses a different household need: SNAP helps cover food, SSI provides direct monthly income, and Medicare Savings Programs lower out-of-pocket Medicare costs.
Using amounts cited by NCOA, an older adult who qualified for all three programs could be missing roughly $905.19 a month in combined assistance, or $10,862.28 annually.
Among the three, SNAP had the biggest enrollment shortfall. With only 38% participation among eligible adults 65 and older, nearly two-thirds of older people who could have received grocery assistance did not get it.
SSI, meanwhile, had the highest average monthly value at $552.29. Medicare Savings Programs had the highest participation rate of the three at 49%, though 6.6 million eligible people remained unenrolled.
NCOA said confusion about eligibility and limited awareness of the programs may be keeping many older adults from applying.
What can be done?
Moneywise, citing the Washington Post, noted that Fabric Health CEO Courtney Bragg described the application process as a confusing "alphabet soup."
Difficulty navigating what Accessia Health CEO Tiara Green called a "fragmented system" is, in their view, a large part of why benefits go unclaimed.
The NCOA offers a free tool for seniors to check their eligibility for assistance, with a helpline 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 an alarming scam call and was warned that Social Security does not phone applicants.
• In Los Angeles, a Meals on Wheels list neared 100 as seniors juggle rent, food, and medicine.
• A widow turning 70 learned that the SSA would not switch her to a higher survivor check.
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