Benefits for seniors in New Hampshire

Medicaid for people 65 and over

DHHS decides who qualifies for NH Medicaid. Older adults usually qualify in one of these ways.

• Old Age Assistance (OAA): For people 65 or older. OAA is New Hampshire's state supplement program. If you qualify for OAA, you also qualify for Medicaid.
• Income: Your net income must be at or below the limit for your living arrangement. For 2026, the state's standard for one person living on their own is $1,008 a month, or $1,492 for a couple. It is $1,188 if you live in a residential care home. Some expenses are subtracted from your income, so apply even if you are a little over.
• Assets: Countable resources must be $1,500 or less. Your home, your vehicles and a burial plot for yourself do not count. Cash, bank accounts, stocks, bonds and some life insurance do.
• What it covers: Doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and more. If you also have Medicare, Medicaid helps with costs Medicare does not pay.

In and Out Medical Assistance. If your income is too high but you have large medical bills, you may get a "spenddown." It works like a deductible. Once your medical bills reach that amount, Medicaid helps pay the rest. Ask DHHS for the current In and Out income and asset limits.

If you still work and have a disability: Medicaid for Employed Older Adults with Disabilities (MOAD) has higher income and asset limits.

Nursing home care and long-term care Medicaid

Medicaid can pay for a nursing home, or for care at home through Choices for Independence (see below), if you need that level of care.

• Income: Gross income up to $2,982 a month in 2026. If your income is higher, you may still qualify for nursing home care if your net income is below the nursing home's monthly Medicaid rate.
• Assets: If you meet the income limit, DHHS ignores part of your savings, so the limit is about $7,500.
• If you are married: Your spouse at home can keep part of your joint savings and may get part of your income. Federal rules for 2026 let the spouse keep between $32,532 and $162,660 in savings, and set the most monthly income the spouse can be brought up to at $4,066.50. DHHS works out your exact amounts.
• Home equity: If the equity in your home is very high (at least $752,000 in 2026), long-term care may not be covered unless your spouse or certain relatives live there.
• Transfers: Giving away money or property to qualify can cause a waiting period. Talk to DHHS before you do this.

Estate recovery: After death, DHHS can seek repayment from your estate for Medicaid paid from age 55 on, and for all OAA cash. This usually applies when there is no surviving spouse and no minor or disabled child. Jointly owned property and living trusts can count. Families can ask for a hardship waiver.

Help paying Medicare costs

DHHS 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 up to 100% of the poverty level, about $1,350 a month for one person or $1,824 for a couple.
• 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.
• SLMB135: New Hampshire's name for the QI program. 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.

New Hampshire uses the federal rules for these programs. There is an asset test: $9,950 for one person or $14,910 for a couple in 2026. Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over.

If you get QMB, SLMB or SLMB135, you get Extra Help with Part D drug costs automatically. You still need a Medicare drug plan.

Prescription drug help

New Hampshire's state sites do not list a state drug payment program for seniors. Use federal Extra Help, which lowers Part D premiums, deductibles and copays. In 2026 you can qualify with income up to about $23,940 a year for one person. ServiceLink can help you apply.

Extra state payment with SSI

New Hampshire runs its own state supplement through DHHS, not Social Security. For people 65 and over it is called Old Age Assistance (OAA). There are matching programs for people who are blind (Aid to the Needy Blind) or disabled (Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled).

The state compares your income to its standard for your living arrangement. For one person living on their own, that standard is $1,008 a month in 2026. The federal SSI payment is $994. So if you live at home and SSI is your only income, the state payment is small. It is larger if you live in a residential care home, a community residence or enhanced family care. You apply with DHHS, and you must report changes within 10 days.

Food help

• SNAP: Run by DHHS. If someone in your home is 60 or older or disabled, only the net income test applies: about $1,330 a month for one person or $1,804 for two, after deductions. Your household can have up to $4,750 in countable resources. Apply online through NH EASY or call DHHS at 1-844-275-3447.
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP): If you are 60 or older with low income, you can get a free box of food each month. It is available statewide through community agencies. Call the state CSFP office at 1-800-942-4321.
• Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program: DHHS also funds coupons for fresh produce from local farms for low-income adults 60 and older, through the same local agencies. Ask the CSFP office or ServiceLink.
• Meals: ServiceLink can tell you about meal sites and home-delivered meals near you.

Help staying at home

Choices for Independence (CFI). This Medicaid waiver, run by the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS), helps you stay in your home or community instead of a nursing home.

• Who qualifies: You are 18 or older, need nursing home level of care, and qualify for Medicaid under the long-term care rules above.
• What it can pay for: Help with eating, bathing, dressing and other personal care; household tasks and meals; adult day services; medical equipment and supplies; home changes; and respite for caregivers.
• How to start: Call ServiceLink at 1-866-634-9412. An Options Counselor screens you and gives you the Medicaid application. You then have an interview with DHHS, and a nurse does a care assessment, usually at your home. If nobody contacts you within 10 business days of your Medicaid interview, call ServiceLink. Once approved, you pick a case manager who helps plan your care.

BEAS services: BEAS also offers social and long-term supports to adults 60 and older.

PACE: New Hampshire's state sites do not list a PACE program. Ask ServiceLink whether one serves your area.

Property tax and housing help

• Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief: A yearly state refund of part of the Statewide Education Property Tax on your home. Adjusted gross income must be $37,000 or less if single, or $47,000 or less if married or head of household. You must own and live in the home on April 1. Apply between May 1 and June 30 to the Department of Revenue Administration, online through Granite Tax Connect or on Form DP-8. Call 603-230-5920. Forms line: 603-230-5001.
• Elderly exemption: Many towns and cities lower the taxable value of a home owned by someone 65 or older. Your town sets the amounts, but the exemption cannot be less than $5,000. Town income limits can be no lower than $13,400 for one person or $20,400 for a married couple, and asset limits (not counting your home) no lower than $35,000. You must have lived in New Hampshire for at least 3 years in a row before April 1.
• Tax deferral: If you are 65 or older, or get Social Security disability, and property tax is a hardship, your town may let you put off some or all of it. You must have owned the home for 5 years (1 year if disabled). Interest is 5% a year, and the total cannot exceed 85% of your equity. It is repaid after death or sale. Apply by March 1 after the tax bill.

Ask your town or city assessing office about the elderly exemption, deferral and other local credits.

Help with energy bills

• Fuel Assistance Program (FAP): New Hampshire's version of LIHEAP. It helps pay heating costs. The Department of Energy runs it, and local Community Action Agencies take applications. Household income must be at or below 60% of the state median income. Your benefit depends on your income, energy costs, where you live and your type of home. Call 2-1-1 to find your agency and set up an appointment.
• Electric Assistance Program: Gives income-eligible customers of Eversource, Unitil, Liberty and NHEC a discount on their monthly electric bill. The income rule is the same as for Fuel Assistance. Apply through your Community Action Agency.

Free help and counseling

• ServiceLink Resource Center: New Hampshire's free Medicare counseling program (SHIP) and its network of Aging and Disability Resource Centers. Call 1-866-634-9412 (NH Relay 7-1-1). Calls from a New Hampshire phone usually go to your local office. There are 13 main offices plus satellite sites.
• Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS): The state office for aging services, part of DHHS. Mail: 105 Pleasant Street, Main Building, Concord, NH 03301.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for