Benefits for seniors in Ohio

Medicaid for people 65 and over

Ohio Medicaid covers people who are 65 or older, blind or disabled. If you get SSI, you get Medicaid. If you do not get SSI, you can still qualify under the same income and savings rules.

• Income: Your countable income must be at or below the SSI payment rate. For 2026 that is $994 a month for one person, or $1,491 for a couple when both qualify. Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over.
• Savings (resources): $2,000 for one person, $3,000 for a married couple.
• What it covers: Doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and more. If you also have Medicare, Medicaid fills many of Medicare's gaps.
• MyCare Ohio: If you are 21 or older and have both Medicare and Medicaid, Ohio Medicaid may enroll you in Next Generation MyCare, one plan that coordinates both. As of August 2026 it is in place in every Ohio county. Questions: Ohio Medicaid Consumer Hotline, 800-324-8680.

Long-term care. Ohio Medicaid can pay for nursing home care, and for care at home or in assisted living through waivers (see "Help staying at home").

• Income: Up to the special income level of $2,982 a month. If your income is higher, you may still qualify by setting up a qualified income trust.
• Your share: In a nursing home, you keep $75 a month for personal needs. Most of the rest of your income goes toward your care. Ohio calls this your patient liability.
• If your spouse stays at home: Your spouse can keep part of your joint savings, at least $32,532 and up to $162,660. Your spouse can also get part of your income so their own income reaches at least $2,705 a month, and up to $4,066.50 with high housing costs.

Estate recovery. After a Medicaid member dies, the Ohio Attorney General seeks repayment from the estate if the member was 55 or older or lived permanently in a nursing home. This includes property outside probate, such as joint, transfer-on-death and life estate interests. Nothing is collected while a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child is living. Medicare Premium Assistance paid since January 1, 2010, is not collected. Heirs can ask for a hardship waiver within 30 days of the claim notice. Questions: 1-614-779-0105.

Help paying Medicare costs

Ohio calls its Medicare Savings Programs Medicare Premium Assistance Programs. They use the federal income and savings limits:

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles, copays and coinsurance. Income up to $1,350 a month for one person, $1,824 for a couple. Coverage starts the month after you are approved.
• SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to $1,616 a month for one person, $2,184 for a couple.
• QI-1 (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to $1,816 a month for one person, $2,455 for a couple.
• Savings limit: $9,950 for one person, $14,910 for a couple.
• Back coverage: SLMB and QI-1 can cover up to three months before you apply, if you qualified then.

If you get any of these programs, you also get Extra Help with Medicare drug costs automatically.

Prescription drug help

Ohio does not have its own drug program that pays part of your Medicare drug costs. Start with Extra Help, the federal program that lowers Medicare Part D costs. Income can be up to 150% of the poverty level. Apply with Social Security. OSHIIP can help you apply and compare drug plans for free.

Extra state payment with SSI

Ohio does not add money to SSI for people who live in their own home. The federal payment is $994 a month for one person in 2026.

Ohio does have the Residential State Supplement (RSS). It is a monthly cash payment for adults 18 and over on Medicaid who live in certain licensed group homes or residential care facilities and need some help, but not nursing home care. RSS fills the gap between your income and $1,600 for the facility plus at least $200 for personal needs. Your county JFS office handles the money side. You cannot get RSS and a home care waiver or PACE at the same time.

Food help

Ohio calls food help Food Assistance (SNAP).

• Medical costs count: If you are 60 or older or disabled, medical costs over $35 a month can raise your benefit. Your housing cost deduction also has no cap.
• Fewer renewals: If everyone in your household is 60 or older or disabled and no one has job income, you may only need to renew every 36 months instead of 24.
• How to apply: Online at benefits.ohio.gov, or with the paper form "Request for Cash, Food, and Medical Assistance" (JFS 07200) at your county Department of Job and Family Services.
• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: If you are 60 or older with income under 185% of the poverty level, you can get $50 a season for fresh local produce and honey. You must apply each spring. In 2026, applications closed May 22 and benefits can be used until November 30. Watch aging.ohio.gov/SFMNP for next year.
• Meals: Call 1-866-243-5678 to reach your Area Agency on Aging and ask about senior meals.

Help staying at home

• PASSPORT: A Medicaid waiver for people 60 and over who need nursing home level care but want to stay at home. You must qualify for Medicaid and need at least one waiver service. The Ohio Department of Aging runs it with the Area Agencies on Aging.
• Assisted Living Program: A Medicaid waiver for adults 21 and over who need nursing home level care and live in a licensed residential care facility. You pay your own room and board.
• PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly): For people 55 and over who need nursing home level care. In 2026, PACE serves Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lorain, Mahoning, Summit and Trumbull counties, with Lucas and Montgomery counties planned to be added later in 2026. You cannot be in PACE and PASSPORT at the same time.
• Get started: Call 1-866-243-5678 to be connected to your Area Agency on Aging, or call the Ohio Department of Aging at 1-800-266-4346.

Property tax and housing help

The Homestead Exemption lowers property taxes on the home you own and live in.

• Who qualifies: You are 65 or older (or turn 65 that year), or totally and permanently disabled, or a surviving spouse who was at least 59 when your spouse died.
• Income limit: For tax year 2026, your total income (modified adjusted gross income) must be $41,000 or less. People who got the exemption in 2013 and disabled veterans do not have an income test.
• How much: For tax year 2026, it shields $29,700 of your home's market value from taxes. Disabled veterans get $59,400.
• How to apply: File form DTE 105A with your county auditor by December 31. Disabled veterans use form DTE 105I. You usually do not need to reapply unless you move.
• Owner-Occupancy Credit: A separate credit for any homeowner living in the home on January 1. Ask your county auditor.

Help with energy bills

Ohio's energy help is run by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). For 2026-2027, income must be at or below 175% of the poverty level: $27,930 a year for one person, $37,870 for two.

• HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program): A once-a-year payment toward your heating bill. Apply from July 1, 2026, to May 31, 2027. Households with someone 60 or older may get a different benefit amount.
• HEAP Winter Crisis: Help if your heat is about to be shut off, has been shut off, or you are low on bulk fuel. It runs November 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027.
• HEAP Summer Crisis: A once-a-year payment for cooling help in summer.
• PIPP: Helps you manage your energy bills all year.
• How to apply: Start online at energyhelp.ohio.gov, then finish with your local energy assistance provider, in person or remotely. Questions: ODJFS at 614-466-6282, or the Ohio Consumers' Counsel at 1-877-742-5622.

Free help and counseling

• OSHIIP (Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program): Ohio's free, unbiased Medicare counseling, run by the Ohio Department of Insurance. Call 800-686-1578.
• Area Agencies on Aging: Call 1-866-243-5678 to be connected to the agency that serves your community.
• Ohio Department of Aging: 1-800-266-4346, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. TTY users can dial 711, then 614-466-5500.
• Golden Buckeye card: A free discount card for Ohioans 60 and over, and adults 18 to 59 with a permanent and total disability. Get it online at aging.ohio.gov/getgbc or at most senior centers and libraries.
• Ohio Medicaid Consumer Hotline: 800-324-8680 for enrollment, coverage or estate recovery questions.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for