Benefits for seniors in Florida

Medicaid for people 65 and over

Florida Medicaid is run by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), and DCF decides who qualifies. The main full-coverage group for older adults is MEDS-AD (Medicaid for Aged and Disabled).

• Who qualifies: You are 65 or older, or disabled, and have low income and few assets.
• Income: Up to $1,171 a month for one person, or $1,588 for a couple. This is 88% of the federal poverty level.
• Assets: Up to $5,000 for one person, or $6,000 for a couple.
• What it covers: Doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and more. With Medicare, it helps with costs Medicare does not pay.

Medically Needy. If your income is too high for MEDS-AD but you have big medical bills, you may qualify for Medically Needy. It works month to month. You must first have medical bills that equal your "share of cost." The asset limit is $5,000 for one person or $6,000 for a couple.

Nursing home care. The Institutional Care Program (ICP) helps pay for a nursing home. For one person, the income limit is $2,982 a month and the asset limit is $2,000. DCF looks back at gifts and transfers made in the last 60 months. In a nursing home you keep a personal needs allowance of $160 a month. A spouse at home can keep up to $162,660 in assets. Your home may not count if your equity is under $752,000.

Estate recovery: After you die, Florida can claim money from your estate for Medicaid paid after age 55. It does not do this while a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child survives you. Heirs can ask for a hardship waiver.

Help paying Medicare costs

DCF runs three Medicare Savings Programs. You must have Medicare Part A.

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles and coinsurance. Income below 100% of the poverty level, about $1,350 a month for one person or $1,824 for a couple.
• SLMB (Special Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Income below 120% of the poverty level, about $1,616 a month for one person or $2,184 for a couple.
• QI-1 (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Income below 135% of the poverty level, about $1,816 a month for one person or $2,455 for a couple. Funding is limited.

Florida's income limits follow the federal poverty-level rules. There is also an asset test. The federal asset limit is about $9,950 for one person or $14,910 for a couple; check the current Florida limit with DCF. Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over.

If you get QMB, SLMB or QI-1, you get Extra Help with Part D drug costs automatically. You still need to join a Medicare drug plan.

Prescription drug help

Florida's state agencies do not list a state drug payment program for seniors. Use federal Extra Help, which lowers Part D premiums, deductibles and copays.

Extra state payment with SSI

Florida does not add money to the SSI check of people who live in their own home. If you live alone, your SSI payment is the federal amount, up to $994 a month.

Florida does have Optional State Supplementation (OSS). This DCF cash payment (not Medicaid) goes to low-income people living in an assisted living facility, an adult family-care home or a mental health residential treatment facility. Check the current amount with DCF at 1-866-762-2237.

Food help

Florida's food program is SNAP, run by DCF. You apply through ACCESS Florida.

• Assets: An asset limit applies only in some cases, such as when a household member is disqualified. Then the limit is higher if someone in the home is elderly or disabled: $4,500.
• Medical costs: Medical expenses can be subtracted from your income when DCF figures your benefit. Keep your receipts.
• SUNCAP: If you get SSI, you may get food help through SUNCAP without a separate application or interview.

Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. If you are 60 or older with income at or below 185% of the poverty level, you may get a bundle of fresh local produce worth $40. It runs from early April through November 30, or until funds run out. It is offered in 17 counties, so ask the Elder Helpline if yours is one.

The Elder Helpline can also find group meal sites and home-delivered meals near you.

Help staying at home

Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (SMMC LTC). This Medicaid program pays for care at home, in assisted living or in a nursing home, such as personal care, homemaker help, adult day care, meals and caregiver respite.

• Who qualifies: You are 65 or older (or 18 or older with a disability), qualify for Medicaid, and CARES finds you need nursing home level of care.
• How to start: Call your local Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), or the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337.
• Wait list: The phone screening gives you a priority score. Higher scores go on the wait list. You can ask to be rescreened yearly, or sooner if things change.
• Who skips the wait list: Some current Medicaid members, such as people who have lived in a Florida nursing home for at least 60 days in a row and want to move home.

PACE. If you are 55 or older, need nursing home level of care, and live in a PACE service area, PACE can provide all your care through one team. Ask the Elder Helpline if PACE serves your area.

State-funded programs (not Medicaid):

• Community Care for the Elderly (CCE): For people 60 and over who need help with daily tasks. It can pay for case management, personal care, homemaker help, adult day care, respite and home-delivered meals.
• Home Care for the Elderly (HCE): For people 60 and over at risk of a nursing home who live with a caregiver. The caregiver gets a basic subsidy of $160 a month, plus special payments for some supplies and services.

For both, contact your ADRC.

Property tax and housing help

Apply for all of these at your county property appraiser's office.

• Homestead exemption: If you own your home and it is your permanent residence, the exemption can lower its taxable value by as much as $50,000. It also limits how fast your assessed value can rise each year (Save Our Homes).
• Extra exemption for people 65 and over: Your county or city may give an added exemption of up to $50,000. Your household income must be at or below $38,686 for 2026. This limit changes each year.
• Long-term resident exemption: If you are 65 or older, meet the income limit, have lived in your home 25 years or more, and its just value was under $250,000 when you first qualify, your county or city may exempt its full assessed value.
• Local choice: The two senior exemptions apply only where your county or city has passed an ordinance. They do not cut school taxes. Ask your property appraiser what applies to you.

On the ballot: In November 2026, Florida voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the homestead exemption. If it passes, the change would start January 1, 2027. Check with your property appraiser after the election.

Help with energy bills

• LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program): Run by FloridaCommerce through local community agencies. It helps pay heating and cooling bills, and gives crisis help if your power is shut off or about to be. You can apply online at floridaliheap.com, or apply with the local LIHEAP provider in your county.
• EHEAP (Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly): For low-income households with at least one person 60 or older who have a home energy emergency. Call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337, or email [email protected].
• Other help: Dial 2-1-1.

Free help and counseling

• SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders): Florida's free Medicare counseling program, run by the Department of Elder Affairs. It gives free health insurance counseling to people with Medicare, their families and caregivers. Call 1-800-963-5337 (TTY 1-800-955-8770) or visit floridashine.org.
• Elder Helpline: 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). It connects you to your local ADRC.
• Aging and Disability Resource Centers: Florida has 11 ADRCs, run by the Area Agencies on Aging. They give information on benefits and screen you for long-term care programs.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for