Benefits for seniors in Mississippi

Medicaid for people 65 and over

The Mississippi Division of Medicaid runs Medicaid in the state. Older adults usually qualify in one of these ways:

• If you get SSI: You get Medicaid automatically. You do not need a separate application.
• If you used to get SSI: Some people who lose SSI, such as certain widows and widowers, can keep Medicaid.
• Nursing home or home care waiver: If you live in a nursing home or are in a home care waiver, you can qualify if your income is no more than $2,982 a month in 2026 (before deductions). This is 300% of the SSI federal payment. If your income is higher, you may still qualify by setting up an Income Trust.
• Healthier Mississippi Waiver: For people 65 and over, or disabled, who are not eligible for Medicare. Income can be up to 135% of the federal poverty level: $1,846 a month for one person, or $2,485 for a couple. Your home, one car, and burial funds are not counted. Enrollment is capped at 6,000 people, so the program can close to new people.

Long-term care Medicaid. For nursing home care, your countable savings and other assets must be no more than $4,000. If you live in a nursing home, you keep $44 a month for personal needs ($90 if you are a veteran or surviving spouse with a VA pension). If your spouse still lives at home, they can keep up to $162,660 in countable assets and may get up to $4,066.50 a month of income. Your home is not counted unless your equity is over $752,000. Medicaid looks back five years at gifts and transfers.

Estate recovery. After death, Mississippi Medicaid may seek repayment from the estate of people 55 or older who were in a nursing home or waiver program, but not while a surviving spouse or a dependent or disabled child lives in the home, or when it would cause undue hardship.

Help paying Medicare costs

Mississippi calls these Medicare Cost-Sharing programs (also known as Medicare Savings Programs). You must have Medicare Part A. Mississippi's own income limits for 2026 are a little higher than the federal chart:

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Medicare premiums, deductibles and coinsurance. Income up to $1,380 a month for one person, or $1,854 for a couple. You also get a Medicaid card. Coverage starts the month after you are approved.
• SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to $1,646 a month for one person, or $2,214 for a couple. Coverage can go back up to three months before you apply.
• QI (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to $1,846 a month for one person, or $2,485 for a couple. It can also go back up to three months. QI money is limited each year.

No asset test: Mississippi does not count your savings or other assets for these three programs.

If you get any of these programs, you also get Extra Help with drug costs automatically. Social Security will add the Part B premium back to your check, which takes four to six weeks.

Prescription drug help

Mississippi does not have its own drug-cost program for seniors on the state pages we checked. The main help is the federal Extra Help program. It lowers your Part D premium and copays. You can get it if your income is below 150% of the federal poverty level, about $23,940 a year for one person in 2026. If you have Medicaid or a Medicare Cost-Sharing program, you get it without a separate application.

Extra state payment with SSI

Mississippi does not add its own payment to SSI for people living at home. You get only the federal payment, up to $994 a month for one person or $1,491 for a couple. Social Security handles SSI in Mississippi. If you get SSI, you also get Medicaid.

Food help

The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) runs SNAP. Benefits come each month on an EBT card.

• Rules for older adults: If someone in your home is 60 or older or disabled, you only need to pass the net income test (income after deductions). For one person that is $1,330 a month. You can deduct medical costs over $35 a month, and there is no cap on the housing cost deduction. Your home can have up to $4,750 in countable savings.
• Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP): MDHS offers this for Mississippians 65 and over. It makes it simpler to apply for and keep SNAP.
• Mississippi Combined Application Project (MSCAP): For people who get SSI. It makes applying easier.
• Most you can get: Up to $306 a month for one person, starting October 1, 2026.
• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce gives people 60 and over $40 a year for fresh fruits, vegetables and honey at approved farmers markets. Gross income must be no more than $2,461 a month for one person, or $3,337 for two. The 2026 slots are full. Check for 2027 sign-up starting in January 2027, or call 601-576-3667.
• Meals: Your Area Agency on Aging offers home-delivered meals and group meals at senior centers.
• How to apply for SNAP: Apply online at access.ms.gov, or call MDHS client services at 800-948-3050.

Help staying at home

• Elderly and Disabled Waiver: For people 21 and over who would otherwise need a nursing home. It pays for case management, personal care, adult day services, home-delivered meals, respite for caregivers, extra home health visits, minor home safety repairs, and help moving out of a nursing home. Income must be no more than $2,982 a month, or you can use an Income Trust.
• Assisted Living Waiver: For people 21 and over who need nursing home level care but live in a licensed personal care home that takes Medicaid for assisted living. Medicaid pays for care services. You pay for room and board.
• Area Agencies on Aging: Offer homemaker help, transportation, senior centers, meals and caregiver support, including respite.
• PACE: We did not find a PACE program listed on Mississippi Medicaid's pages. Ask the MAC Center what is available near you.
• Where to start: Call the MS Access to Care (MAC) Center at 844-822-4622, or Medicaid's Office of Long Term Care at 800-421-2408. They check if you qualify and help you choose services.

Property tax and housing help

Apply at your county Tax Assessor's office between January 1 and April 1.

• Homestead exemption for 65 and over, or disabled: If you are 65 or older, or totally disabled, by January 1, you pay no property tax on the first $7,500 of your home's assessed value. After the first year, the exemption can grow to cover most future increases in value.
• Regular homestead exemption: Homeowners under 65 can get a tax credit of up to $300.
• Turning 65: If you already have a homestead exemption and turn 65, you must reapply in the next filing period to get the larger exemption.
• Proof: Bring a driver's license or birth certificate for age. For disability, bring proof such as a Social Security disability award.

Help with energy bills

LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) is run by MDHS through local Community Action Agencies in all 82 counties. It helps with energy bills, energy emergencies, and fixing or replacing heaters and air conditioners.

• Who qualifies: Household income at or below 60% of the state median income. Under the guidelines MDHS posted in October 2025, that was $26,740 a year for one person or $34,968 for two. Check the current limit with your Community Action Agency. You must have an energy bill.
• Priority: Homes with an older adult, a person with a disability, or a child 5 or under get the highest priority. They get an appointment within 30 business days.
• Crisis help: The Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) helps in an energy emergency.
• Weatherization: A separate program adds insulation and other energy fixes, with a focus on older adults. Apply the same way.
• How to apply: Pre-apply at access.ms.gov and choose "Community Services." You will get an appointment with your local Community Action Agency. Call 800-421-0762 with questions. Funding is limited.

Free help and counseling

• SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program): Run by MDHS. Free, one-on-one help with Medicare choices, claims, appeals, Extra Help and the Medicare Cost-Sharing programs. Call 844-822-4622 or 601-709-0624, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• MS Access to Care (MAC) Network: The same number, 844-822-4622, connects you to local services and long-term care choices. Website: mississippiaccesstocare.org.
• Area Agencies on Aging: Find yours by county on the MDHS aging page, mdhs.ms.gov/aging.
• MDHS Division of Aging and Adult Services: 601-359-4500. To report abuse of a vulnerable adult, call 844-437-6282.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for