Benefits for seniors in Montana

Medicaid for people 65 and over

Montana Medicaid covers people who are aged (65 or older), blind or disabled. DPHHS decides who qualifies through your county Office of Public Assistance.

• Income: Your countable income must be at or below $994 a month for one person, or $1,491 for a couple. This is the same as the federal SSI payment. If you get SSI, you usually qualify for Medicaid.
• Assets: Up to $2,000 for one person, or $3,000 for a couple. Your home and some other things do not count.
• 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, you may still qualify if you have large medical bills. This is called a "spend down." You pay medical costs above the medically needy income level of $525 a month, and then Medicaid helps. When the spend down is figured, DPHHS also takes an extra $391 a month off your countable income. The asset limit is the same: $2,000 for one person or $3,000 for a couple.

Nursing home care. Medicaid can pay for nursing home care if you need that level of care and meet the income and asset rules. The asset limit for a person in a nursing home is $2,000. If you are married, your spouse at home can keep some of your joint assets, up to $162,660. Your spouse may also keep part of your income, up to $4,067 a month in total. Gifts or transfers of assets for less than they are worth can delay coverage.

Estate recovery: After you die, Montana Medicaid can seek repayment from your estate for care it paid for after you turned 55, or while you lived in a nursing home. It does not collect while you have a surviving spouse, a child under 21, or a child who is blind or disabled. If you live in a nursing home and are not expected to go home, the state may place a lien on your real property. Heirs can ask for a hardship waiver.

Help paying Medicare costs

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

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part A premium (if you have one), your Part B premium, and Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. Income at or below 100% of the poverty level, about $1,350 a month for one person or $1,824 for a couple. Coverage starts the month after you apply.
• SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to 120% of the poverty level, about $1,616 a month for one person or $2,184 for a couple. It can pay for up to three months before you apply.
• QI (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to 135% of the poverty level, about $1,816 a month for one person or $2,455 for a couple. It can also pay for up to three months before you apply.

Montana uses the federal income 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

Montana'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. SHIP counselors can help you compare Part D plans each fall.

Extra state payment with SSI

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

Montana does pay a small state supplement to SSI recipients who live in certain state-certified settings. Social Security pays it along with your SSI check.

• Personal care or assisted living, and community group homes: $94 a month extra for one person.
• Adult foster care: about $53 a month extra for one person.

Questions: Social Security, 1-800-772-1213.

Food help

Montana's food program is SNAP. Benefits come on a Montana Access Card, which works like a debit card.

• Assets: If someone in your home is 60 or older or disabled, the asset limit is $4,500. Your home and vehicles do not count. Households where everyone gets SSI have no asset limit, and some other households do not face one either.
• Medical costs: If you are 60 or older or disabled, you can deduct medical costs you pay above $35 a month. Keep your receipts.
• How to apply: Online at apply.mt.gov, by phone at the Public Assistance Helpline, 1-888-706-1535, or at your local Office of Public Assistance.

Senior meals. If you are 60 or older, you (and your spouse of any age) can eat at more than 160 senior meal sites, mostly senior centers. If you cannot get out, you may get home-delivered meals. Meals are paid for in part by donations. Call your Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-551-3191.

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. If you are 60 or older with income up to 185% of the federal poverty level, you can get summer coupons for fresh fruits, vegetables and raw honey from Montana growers. Coupons work at participating farmers markets from June 1 through October 31. Applications open in early June; local agencies are listed at farmconnectmontana.org.

Help staying at home

Big Sky Waiver. This Medicaid program helps people who would otherwise need a nursing home live at home or in the community. It can pay for case management, personal care, homemaker help, respite, adult day health, home changes, emergency response devices, transportation and assisted living.

• Who qualifies: You qualify for Medicaid and need nursing home level of care.
• Wait list: There is a waiting list.
• How to start: Call Mountain Pacific at 1-800-219-7035 or 406-443-4020 for a referral.

Community First Choice and Personal Care Services. If you have Medicaid and need help with bathing, dressing or medicines, you may get in-home help through an agency or by directing your own care. Call 406-444-4564.

PACE. Montana ended its PACE program in 2011, so there is no PACE option through Montana Medicaid. For other help at home, call the Senior and Long Term Care Division at 406-444-4077.

Property tax and housing help

Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit. This is a refundable credit on your Montana income tax. You can get it even if you do not have to file a tax return.

• Who qualifies: You are 62 or older by December 31, lived in Montana at least nine months of the year, rented or owned a Montana home for at least six months, and your total household income is under $45,000.
• Amount: Up to $1,150, based on your income, rent and property tax.
• How to claim: File free in the TransAction Portal, or file Form 2 with Schedule 2EC. Claim it when your income tax return is due. If you do not have to file, you have until April 15 of the next year. You can file a late claim up to three years after the deadline.
• Questions: Call the Department of Revenue at 406-444-6900.

Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP). If you own your home, live in it at least seven months a year, and have limited income, PTAP lowers the tax rate on your home. There is no age limit.

• Income: For tax year 2027 (based on your 2025 federal adjusted gross income), up to $29,943 if single, or $40,131 if married or head of household.
• Amount: Your tax rate is cut by 30% to 80%, depending on income. The lowest incomes get the biggest cut.
• How to apply: Send the PTAP application to your local Department of Revenue field office by April 15. Call 406-444-6900.

Homestead reduced rate. Montana now taxes homes at a lower rate if you own the home and live in it as your main home at least seven months of the year. If your home got the 2025 property tax rebate and nothing has changed, it qualifies for 2026 automatically. Otherwise, apply at homestead.mt.gov or call 406-444-6900.

Help with energy bills

• LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program): DPHHS runs it. It helps pay heating bills, gives emergency help and offers free weatherization. Apply from October 1 to April 30 for energy help. Weatherization is open all year.
• How to apply: Online at apply.mt.gov, or send a paper application to the local office for your county (usually your Human Resource Development Council, or HRDC). If you live on a reservation, contact your Tribal LIHEAP office.
• Help with the form: If you are over 60 or have a disability, call 1-800-551-3191 for help filling it out.

Free help and counseling

• Montana SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program): Free, unbiased Medicare counseling. SHIP does not sell insurance. Counselors help with Medicare, Part D plan choices, Medigap, fraud and long-term care options. Some can visit you at home if you cannot get out. Call 1-800-551-3191.
• Area Agencies on Aging and ADRCs: Montana's Area Agencies on Aging run Aging and Disability Resource Centers. They help people 60 and over find services and choose care. Call 1-800-551-3191 to reach the one for your county, or see the list of local offices at dphhs.mt.gov/sltc/aging/adrc.
• Senior and Long Term Care Division (DPHHS): 406-444-4077.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for