Benefits for seniors in Wyoming

Medicaid for people 65 and over

The Wyoming Department of Health runs Medicaid.

• If you get SSI: You qualify for Medicaid automatically. Federal SSI pays up to $994 a month for one person, with an asset limit of $2,000.
• What it covers: Doctor and hospital care, medicine, and costs Medicare does not pay.

Long-term care Medicaid. Medicaid can pay for nursing home care, swing bed care, hospice and some hospital care for people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled. A public health nurse checks that you need this level of care.

• Income: Up to 300% of the SSI payment for one person. In 2026 that is $2,982 a month. If your income is higher, you may still qualify by setting up an income trust.
• Assets: $2,000 for one person. Federal rules set a home equity limit of at least $752,000.
• If you are married: The spouse at home keeps a share of the couple's assets and can get a monthly income allowance. Under federal rules for 2026, the asset share is at least $32,532 and no more than $162,660.
• Your share: You pay most of your income toward your care, but you keep $50 a month for personal needs.
• Questions: Long-Term Care Eligibility Unit, 1-855-203-2936.

Estate recovery. After death, Wyoming can claim against your estate for what Medicaid paid, including nursing home, home care, hospital and drug costs. Nothing is taken while your spouse is alive, and recovery is delayed while you have a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child. People who only had a Medicare Savings Program are not affected. Questions: Program Integrity Unit, (307) 777-7531.

Help paying Medicare costs

Wyoming has 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 $1,350 a month for one person, or $1,824 for a couple.
• SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Wyoming runs SLMB in two levels that cover incomes up to 135% of the federal poverty level. That is up to $1,616 a month for SLMB 1, and up to $1,816 for SLMB 2 (called QI in most states) for one person.
• Asset test: Yes. Under the federal limit, savings and other assets must be under $9,950 for one person, or $14,910 for a couple. Check the current Wyoming limit when you apply.

Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over. If you get any of these programs, you also get Extra Help with drug costs automatically.

Prescription drug help

Wyoming does not have its own drug payment program for seniors. 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. For free help comparing drug plans, call WSHIIP at 1-800-856-4398.

Extra state payment with SSI

Wyoming pays a small state supplement of $20 a month to Wyoming residents whose only income is SSI. The state runs it, not Social Security. You do not need to apply. The state finds you through Social Security records and pays the money into the same account as your SSI, or by check.

Food help

SNAP food benefits in Wyoming are run by the Department of Family Services (DFS).

• Simpler rules if someone is 60 or older or disabled: You need to meet the net income limit, $1,330 a month for one person from October 1, 2026. Your household can have up to $4,750 in assets. Medical costs over $35 a month count as a deduction. Wyoming gives a standard medical deduction of $175. There is no cap on your housing cost deduction.
• How to apply: Turn in a paper application at a local DFS office, by mail, by fax, or by email to [email protected]. Put your full name and date of birth in the subject line.
• Interview: Call 307-777-8550 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or interview at a local office. General questions: 307-473-3948.
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP): A free monthly food box for people 60 and older with low income in Albany, Goshen, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Platte and Sheridan counties. Call (307) 777-5878.
• Meals: Senior centers offer group and home-delivered meals for people 60 and older.

Help staying at home

• Community Choices Waiver (CCW): Medicaid help for people 65 and over, or 19 to 64 with a disability, so they can get care outside a nursing home. You must meet the same income and asset rules as nursing home Medicaid and need nursing-home-level care. Call the Home and Community-Based Services Section at (800) 510-0280. For financial questions, call 1-855-203-2936.
• Wyoming Home Services: A state program for people 60 and older, and adults 18 and older with a disability, who are at risk of going into a nursing home. It can pay for homemaking, personal care, respite, chores, adult day care and emergency alert buttons. You pay on a sliding scale. Contact your county's Wyoming Home Services provider, or call the Aging Division at (800) 442-2766.
• PACE: Wyoming has no PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly). The state's only PACE program, in Cheyenne, closed after 2020 budget cuts.
• Family caregivers: The National Family Caregiver Support Program offers respite, training and support.

Property tax and housing help

• Long-term homeowner exemption: If you or your spouse is 65 or older, you have paid Wyoming property tax on a home for 25 years or more, and you live in your home at least 8 months a year, 50% of your home's value is exempt (on up to $3,000,000 of value). Apply with your county assessor between October 1 and March 1. A 2026 law made this exemption permanent.
• Homeowner exemption: Owner-occupied single-family homes get 25% of assessed value exempt. You must tell the state once that you live in the home, at ptd.wyo.gov/OWNEROCC. You cannot get both this and the long-term homeowner exemption.
• Cap on increases: The taxable value of most single-family homes cannot rise more than 4% a year. This is automatic.
• Property Tax Refund Program: The Department of Revenue refunds up to 75% of property tax on your main home if you have lived in Wyoming at least 5 years and your income and assets are under set limits. Apply online at wptrs.wyo.gov when the application is open. Refunds are sent between July 1 and September 30.

Help with energy bills

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP), run by DFS, helps with winter heating bills and heating emergencies.

• Who qualifies: Wyoming homeowners and renters with household income at or below 60% of the state median income.
• When: For 2026-27, apply from October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. You must apply again every heating season.
• How to apply: Online at mylieapwyo.org, or call (800) 246-4221 for help applying by phone. Email: [email protected].
• Crisis help: For shutoff notices, a broken furnace or running out of fuel. You must show at least one utility payment in the past 60 days.
• Weatherization: Free home energy improvements, such as insulation. Applications are taken all year.

Free help and counseling

• WSHIIP (Wyoming State Health Insurance Information Program): Wyoming's SHIP. Free, unbiased Medicare counseling. Call 1-800-856-4398 or (307) 856-6880, or visit wyomingseniors.com.
• Wyoming Department of Health, Aging Division: The state agency on aging. It runs senior centers and meals, Wyoming Home Services, family caregiver support and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Call (307) 777-7995 or (800) 442-2766.
• Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116 or eldercare.acl.gov to find local aging services.
• 2-1-1: Dial 2-1-1 or 888-425-7138 for help finding local services.

How to apply

Check what you may qualify for