Part D Extra Help (LIS)

$5,700 (per year)

This is the Social Security Administration’s estimated value as of January 2026.

SSA

Medicare Savings Program (MSP)

$2,434.80 (per year or $202.90 per month)

The $202.90 value represents the Part B monthly premium in 2026.

CMS

SNAP (Food Stamps)

$2,256 (per year or $188 per month)

The $188 monthly value is the average SNAP benefit for households with "elderly individuals" during FY2023, excluding emergency allotments. See page 14 of the FY23 report.

Note: This source does not provide values by state, but state-specific values are calculated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities here: https://www.cbpp.org/research/a-closer-look-at-who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheets

USDA FNS

Medicaid

$26,484 (per year)

The $26,484 value is the average Medicaid expenditure per full-benefit enrollee for those age 65 and older in FY23. See Exhibit 22 on page 57 of the February 2026 edition of MACStats.

Note: This source also provides values by state.

Medicaid

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP)

$662 (per year)

The FY22 LIHEAP Report to Congress provides average benefit values for each LIHEAP benefit type, but no overall value. Heating assistance is by far the most common type of LIHEAP benefit (85% of households), so the $662 average value for heating assistance was chosen (see page 42 of the FY22 report to Congress).

Note: This source also provides values by state.

HHS ACF

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

$8,574.36 (per year or  $714.53 per month)

The $714.53 value is the average monthly benefit for all beneficiaries as of December 2025.

SSA

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

$17,906.16 (per year or  $1,492.18 per month)

The $1,395.33 value is the average monthly benefit for disability insurance as of January 2024.

SSA

Prescription Drug Benefits other than Part D (e.g. SPAP)

none

n/a

Tax Benefits (e.g. Property Tax Relief, EITC, CTC)

none

NCOA decided no value for BEC purposes due to the variety of programs and uncertainty in values.

n/a

Veteran's Benefits (Aid & Attendance, VA Disability Compensation, VA Pension, etc.)

$14,790 (per year)

U.S. Census Bureau

Housing Subsidies (e.g. Public Housing, Section 8, Rent Subsidies)

$12,804 (per year or $1,067 per month)

Across all subsidized housing programs, HUD spending averaged $1,067 per unit per month in 2024.

Note: This source also provides values by state.

US HUD

Lifeline

$111 (per year or $9.25 per month)

Currently, the Lifeline phone/internet benefit provides up to a $9.25 monthly discount on service for eligible low-income subscribers and up to $34.25 per month for eligible subscribers on Tribal lands. The $9.25 value was used to provide a conservative national estimate.

FCC

Public Assistance (TANF, TTANF, BIA General Assistance)

For TANF, the average monthly cash assistance benefit for families with no adult recipients was $566 in FY2023. Most Medicare beneficiaries served by NCOA BECs are adults age 65 and older, and when an older adult seeks TANF for a household it is likely a “child-only” household (e.g. a child recipient is staying with a grandparent, not a parent). See Table 38 of the FY23 report.

Note: This source also provides values by state.

Unemployment Insurance

$7,306.45 (per average duration of 15.51 weeks at $471.08 per week)

For the U.S., the 12-month average weekly benefit amount for the month ending 12/31/25 was $471.08. The 12-month average of the duration in weeks from the same month was 15.51. These values were accessed from the “Monthly Program and Financial Data” report on the U.S. Department of Labor’s website on February 10, 2026. Values on the website could change due to updates in state reporting.

Note: This source also provides values by state.

DOL ETA

Subsidized Transit Benefits

none

NCOA decided no value for BEC purposes. These benefits vary greatly depending on the municipality, region, or transit provider, and the values beneficiaries receive depend on the type of transit and frequency of use.

n/a

Home Internet (e.g., Access from AT&T)

none

NCOA decided no value for BECs due to the variety of programs. The Affordable Connectivity Program stopped receiving applications in early February 2024.

n/a

Other Home Benefits (e.g., Weatherization, Section 504 Home Repair, FEMA)

none

n/a

Other Food Benefits (e.g., WIC, TEFAP, Free School Lunch, FDPIR)

none

n/a

General Other Benefits

none

 n/a