Benefits for seniors in Alabama

Medicaid for people 65 and over

The Alabama Medicaid Agency runs Medicaid for the Elderly and Disabled. It is for people 65 and over, and people who are blind or disabled, who live in Alabama and are U.S. citizens or qualified non-citizens.

• If you get SSI: You get Medicaid through your SSI. Apply for SSI with Social Security.
• Income (SSI-related Medicaid): Under $1,014 a month for one person, or $1,511 for a couple. These state figures already include the first $20 of income that is not counted.
• Savings and other assets: $2,000 for one person, or $3,000 for a couple. One car, household goods and burial funds up to a set amount are not counted.
• What it covers: Hospital stays, most prescriptions, home health care, hospice, eye exams and glasses every two years, and rides to medical visits if you have no other way to get there. Adults get 14 doctor visits a year. Dental care and hearing aids are generally not covered for adults.

Long-term care Medicaid. Nursing home Medicaid and the home care waivers use a higher income limit: $2,982 a month. The asset limit is $2,000, checked on the first day of each month. For nursing home care, you must have been in an approved facility for at least 30 days in a row (people on SSI are exempt). If your income is over the limit, a Qualifying Income Trust (Form 262) may let you qualify. Special rules protect a spouse who stays at home; ask your Medicaid district office.

Estate recovery. After your death (and after your spouse's death), Alabama may seek repayment from your estate for Medicaid costs paid after age 55 or while you lived permanently in a nursing home; it waits while there is a child under 21 or a blind or disabled child, and hardship waivers are possible.

Help paying Medicare costs

Alabama has three Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). You must have Medicare Part A. Alabama uses the federal income limits.

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium and Medicare deductibles, and sometimes the Part A premium. Doctors who take Medicaid cannot bill you the 20% coinsurance. You get a Medicaid card. Income up to $1,350 a month for one person, or $1,824 for a couple.
• SLMB (Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Can start up to three months before you apply. Income up to $1,616 a month for one person, or $2,184 for a couple.
• QI-1 (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Can start up to three months back. Funding is limited each year. Income up to $1,816 a month for one person, or $2,455 for a couple.

Asset test: None. Alabama does not count your savings for these programs.

Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over. Use Form 211, the Application for Medicare Savings Program, and send it to a Medicaid district office.

If you get any MSP, you also get Extra Help with drug costs automatically.

Prescription drug help

• Extra Help: The main help with drug costs is the federal Extra Help program. It lowers your Part D premium and copays. Income must be below 150% of the federal poverty level, about $23,940 a year for one person in 2026.
• SenioRx: The Alabama Department of Senior Services helps you apply to drug company programs for free or low-cost medicine. It is for people 55 and over with a chronic condition and little or no drug coverage who meet income limits, and for people of any age with a disability. You can get a three-month supply, with refills while you stay eligible. Call 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463).

Extra state payment with SSI

Alabama does not add a state payment to SSI for most people living in their own home. A state supplement goes only to some people in special living arrangements, such as those who need paid in-home care recommended by a doctor. County Departments of Human Resources run it. Most people living at home get the federal amount, up to $994 a month for one person.

Food help

SNAP is called the Food Assistance Program in Alabama. The Department of Human Resources (DHR) runs it.

• Alabama Elderly Simplified Application Project (AESAP): If everyone in your home is 65 or older and no one has job earnings, you can use a short two-page application (Form DHR-FSD-2198). You are approved for three years. There is no face-to-face interview unless you ask for one. Income and asset limits are the same as regular SNAP.
• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: Low-income people over 60 can get a $50 card for fresh fruits, vegetables, honey and herbs from certified farmers. Apply online at agi.alabama.gov/farmersmarket each year; funding is first come, first served. Questions: 1-877-774-9519.
• Meals: Your Area Agency on Aging can tell you about meal programs. Call 1-800-AGE-LINE.

Help staying at home

• Elderly and Disabled Waiver: For older adults and people with disabilities who would otherwise need nursing home care. Services can include personal care, homemaker help, respite for caregivers, adult day health, companion services and home-delivered frozen meals. The Department of Senior Services runs it. You must meet the long-term care income and asset limits and the medical need rules.
• Alabama Community Transition (ACT): Helps people in a nursing home move back to a home in the community.
• PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly): For people 55 and over who need nursing home level care but can live at home with support. In Alabama it is offered only in Mobile and Baldwin counties.
• Where to start: Call your Area Agency on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463).

Property tax and housing help

Apply for homestead exemptions at your county tax office. You must own and live in a single-family home on the first day of the tax year. The land can be up to 160 acres.

• State tax exemption (65 and over): You do not pay the state part of property tax on your home. There is no income limit. County taxes may still be due.
• County exemption: People 65 and over with higher incomes also get the regular county exemption of $2,000 of assessed value.
• Lower income (H-2): If you are 65 or over and your income is under $12,000 on your latest Alabama return, you are exempt from all state property tax and $5,000 of assessed value for county taxes, including school taxes.
• Full exemption (H-3): If you are 65 or over and your combined net taxable income on your federal return is $12,000 or less, you are exempt from all property taxes on your home. People who are permanently and totally disabled can get this with no income limit (a doctor fills out Form PT-PA-1).

The state's own tables differ a little on the income rules, so check with your county office.

Help with energy bills

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps with heating and cooling bills. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) funds local Community Action Agencies to run it.

• Who qualifies: Household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. Older adults are one of the groups the program aims to reach.
• How to apply: Contact the Community Action Agency for your county. ADECA does not take applications itself. Bring proof of income for everyone in your home for last month, Social Security cards, a photo ID and a recent energy bill. ADECA's website lists every local agency and phone number. ADECA: 1-800-392-8098.

Free help and counseling

• SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program): Alabama's free Medicare counseling, run by the Alabama Department of Senior Services. Counselors do not sell insurance. They help with Medicare, Medigap, MSPs, Medicaid, drug plans and billing. Call 1-800-243-5463 or 334-242-5743.
• Area Agencies on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Centers: Call 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463) to reach the one for your area, or visit alabamaageline.gov.
• Alabama Department of Senior Services: 334-242-5743, [email protected].

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for