Benefits Check-Up
Benefits Check-ups provide seniors with information about help that may be available to pay some bills. A Benefits Check-up will let you know if you can get help paying Medicare premiums, prescription costs, heating bills, phone bills and other expenses. You might also learn about nutrition and food stamp programs, property tax relief, home energy assistance programs and senior employment programs. Many government programs help adults 55 and older with these issues.
A Benefits Check-up is free and safe. You will have to provide some information about your income and background. In most cases, you do not have to provide identifying information, such as your Social Security number. If you complete a Benefits Check-up, you will receive a confidential report in the mail. The report lists the help you can get and how to apply for it.
You can ask for a Benefits Check-up at many places. Call 2-1-1 for a location close to you.
In Cuyahoga County, volunteers with the Department of Senior & Adult Services work with seniors in various communities. If you want to make an appointment, receive an application by mail, or complete a telephone screening, call the Intake Line at 216.420.6840.
In Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties, seniors can also ask for a Benefits Check-up by calling the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging (WRAAA's) ADRN line at 1.855.585.ADRN (2376).
In Ashtabula, seniors should call Area Agency on Aging at 1.800.686.7367.
Seniors who speak a language other than English can call Asian Services in Action, Inc. at 216.881.0330. Bilingual counselors can provide brochures in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and English.
Seniors can do a Benefits Check-up online. A trusted friend or relative, even someone who lives out of town, can help you do this. If you live in Cuyahoga County, use the online form at http://dsas.cuyahogacounty.us/ en-US/benefits-checkup.aspx. For anywhere in Ohio, use http://www.benefitscheckup.org.
If you want information on whether you qualify for help with property taxes, water and sewer bills, local phone services, prescription drugs, and other expenses, call one of the numbers listed above to ask for a Benefits Check-up.
This FAQ was a story in Volume 28, Issue 1 of "The Alert" - a newsletter for seniors published by Legal Aid. Click here to read the full issue.