Benefits for seniors in Idaho

Medicaid for people 65 and over

Idaho Medicaid covers people who are 65 or older, blind or disabled through AABD Medicaid. DHW decides who qualifies. Idaho's adult Medicaid expansion is for younger adults, so most people 65 and over use AABD rules.

• Income: Up to $1,047 a month for one person, or $1,511 for a couple. Social Security, SSI, pensions, interest and wages all count.
• Assets: Up to $2,000 for one person, or $3,000 for a couple. Cash, savings, CDs, stocks, bonds, a second car and other real estate count.
• Not counted: Your home (if your spouse lives there or you plan to return), one car, household goods, burial plots, up to $1,500 set aside for each spouse's burial, and small life insurance policies.
• What it covers: Doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and more. If you have Medicare too, Medicaid helps with costs Medicare does not pay.

If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, DHW will ask you to choose between two ways of getting your care. Ask DHW to explain your choices.

Nursing home care. Medicaid can pay for nursing home care if you need that level of care. The income limit is $3,002 a month for one person, and the asset limit is $2,000. After you are found eligible, DHW does an assessment of your care needs. Your home is usually not counted unless your equity in it is very high. Under federal rules for 2026, the limit can be no lower than $752,000. Ask DHW for Idaho's exact limit.

If your spouse stays at home. Federal rules protect some assets and income for the spouse who stays at home. For 2026, states must let that spouse keep at least $32,532 in assets and may allow up to $162,660. The spouse can also keep enough of your income to bring their own income to at least $2,705 a month, and up to $4,066.50 in some cases. Ask DHW how Idaho figures your amounts. Part of your income is set aside for your personal needs; ask DHW for the current amount.

Estate recovery: Idaho may seek repayment from your estate after you die if you were 55 or older when Medicaid paid for your care. It does not recover while your spouse is alive. Call the Estate Recovery Office at 866-849-3843 with questions.

Help paying Medicare costs

Idaho has three Medicare Savings Programs. You must have Medicare Part A (or be able to get it).

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium, your Part A premium if you have one, and Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. Income up to 100% of the poverty level: $1,350 a month for one person or $1,824 for a couple.
• SLMB (Idaho calls it SLMB I): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to 120% of the poverty level: $1,616 a month for one person or $2,184 for a couple.
• QI (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to 135% of the poverty level: $1,816 a month for one person or $2,455 for a couple.

Idaho uses the federal limits. There is an asset test: $9,950 for one person or $14,910 for a couple. Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over.

If you get QMB, SLMB or QI, you get Extra Help with Part D drug costs automatically.

Prescription drug help

Idaho'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. SHIBA counselors can help you apply and compare Part D plans each fall.

Extra state payment with SSI

Idaho has its own cash program, AABD cash assistance, for people who are 65 or older, blind or disabled and get SSI. It is a small monthly payment from DHW, not from Social Security. The amount depends on where you live (on your own, or in a group or residential care home), your income and your costs. The income limit is $1,047 a month for one person, a little more than the federal SSI amount of $994. The asset limits are the same as for AABD Medicaid above.

To ask about the current payment amount or to apply, call DHW at 877-456-1233.

Food help

Idaho's food program is SNAP (it used to be called food stamps). Benefits come on an EBT card, which works like a debit card.

• Income: From October 2026 to September 2027, gross income must be at or below about $1,729 a month for one person or $2,345 for two.
• Rules for seniors: If someone in your home is 60 or older or disabled, federal rules say you only have to meet the net income limit: $1,330 a month for one person or $1,804 for two. Net income is what is left after allowed costs are taken off. Medical costs over $35 a month for a member who is 60 or older or disabled can be taken off, along with high housing costs.
• Assets: For most households, resources must be under $5,000.
• Benefit: Up to $306 a month for one person.
• Changes in 2026: Since February 15, 2026, Idaho SNAP cannot be used to buy candy or soda.
• Farmers markets: At some markets, Double Up Food Bucks matches what you spend with your EBT card on fruits and vegetables.
• How to apply: Call 877-456-1233, visit a DHW field office, or send a paper application by email ([email protected]), fax (1-866-434-8278) or mail to Self-Reliance Programs, PO Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0026. You will need an interview. The idalink website lets you view your SNAP benefits and report changes, but DHW does not list it as a way to apply for SNAP.

Your Area Agency on Aging can tell you about senior meal sites and home-delivered meals near you.

Help staying at home

Idaho Medicaid can pay for nursing-home-level care in your own home or in the community instead of a nursing home. It can also pay for care in assisted living and adult foster homes. Services can include:

• Chore help and respite for family caregivers
• Adult day health and skilled nursing
• Home-delivered meals and personal emergency response systems
• Changes to your home so you can stay safely

The income limit for these home and community services is $3,002 a month for one person, with an asset limit of $2,000. DHW will schedule an assessment of your care needs.

DHW's pages do not list a PACE program for Idaho. If you live in a nursing home now and want to move back to the community, ask DHW about Idaho Home Choice. Idaho also has Certified Family Homes, where an adult lives with a caregiver in a family setting.

Your local Area Agency on Aging also offers help for older adults and caregivers, even if you are not on Medicaid.

Property tax and housing help

Property Tax Reduction (sometimes called the circuit breaker) lowers property taxes on your home and up to one acre of land by $250 to $1,500.

• Who qualifies: Idaho homeowners who are 65 or older, blind, widowed, disabled or a former POW, among others. The home must be your main home and have a homeowner's exemption. Mobile homes count.
• Income: For 2027 taxes, your 2026 income after medical expenses must be $40,030 or less.
• When to apply: Every year, between January 1 and April 15. For 2027 taxes, apply between January 1 and April 15, 2027.
• How to apply: Online through the Tax Commission's TAP system, or on a paper form you give to your county assessor. For help, call your county assessor or the Tax Commission at (208) 334-7736.

Idaho also has a property tax deferral program and a benefit for disabled veterans. Ask your county assessor.

Help with energy bills

Idaho's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps pay heating bills. Community Action Agencies run it in every county.

• Seasonal help: One payment toward your heating bill. Money is limited and given first come, first served.
• Crisis help: A payment to stop a shutoff or restore service, available all year.
• Seniors apply early: Households with someone elderly or disabled can apply starting in October. Others start in November.

To apply, contact your local Community Action Agency. You can also call 211 for help finding it. Ask about the Weatherization Assistance Program too.

Free help and counseling

• SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors): Idaho's free Medicare counseling program, run by the Idaho Department of Insurance. Counselors help in person, by phone or by email. Call 1-800-247-4422.
• Idaho Commission on Aging: Call 1-877-471-2777 or (208) 334-3833.
• Area Agencies on Aging: Idaho has six. Call the one for your county:
  • Area 1, North Idaho: 1-800-786-5536
  • Area 2, North Central Idaho: 1-800-877-3206
  • Area 3, Southwest Idaho (including Ada and Canyon counties): 1-844-850-2883
  • Area 4, South Central Idaho: (800) 574-8656
  • Area 5, Southeast Idaho: 1-800-526-8129
  • Area 6, Eastern Idaho: 1-800-632-4813
• Idaho 211 CareLine: Dial 2-1-1 or call 800-926-2588 to find local help.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for