Millions of older adults in America are struggling to afford basic needs like food, housing, health care, and utilities. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, the poverty rate* for adults age 65+ rose to 15% in 2024—higher than the national average of 12.9%.¹

For the 9.2 million older adults¹ facing poverty and economic insecurity, every day can feel like an uphill battle. The costs of living keep rising, but their incomes do not. These people may have trouble affording groceries, utilities, and other basic expenses. They may lack access to transportation, which makes it hard to hold down a job or keep health care appointments. Older women are especially likely to face financial challenges due to the long-term effects of workplace gender disparities and other factors.²

Living on an extremely tight budget can also cause major stress and anxiety for low-income older Americans. And a single setback—like a serious injury, critical illness, or job loss—can mean utter financial devastation.

Financial assistance is available—but $58 billion goes unclaimed each year

There are a variety of public and private benefits programs that provide financial and other types of assistance to older Americans. These programs can help people pay for food, prescriptions, utilities, health care, and more. That may sound like good news, but unfortunately, a large portion of this aid goes unclaimed every year. In fact, people who qualify for assistance programs but are not enrolled leave $58 billion in benefits on the table annually.

To what extent are these programs being underutilized?

To calculate how much money is left untapped in public benefits, NCOA takes the estimated number of low-income older adults who are eligible but not enrolled in three core programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). We then multiply this figure by the estimated annual value of each benefit.

In partnership with the Urban Institute, we’ve updated our interactive Benefits Participation Map to reflect the most recent findings for these core programs, which are also outlined below. These findings reflect 2023 data.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Older adults with food insecurity can't reliably get enough food to lead a healthy, active life. Roughly 7.4 million seniors (age 60+) and 5.2 million older adults (age 50-59) experienced food insecurity as of 2023.³

As the largest hunger safety net program in the nation, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was created to help alleviate food insecurity among low-income Americans. The average monthly benefit for an older adult living alone is $188/month, or $2,256 annually.⁴ But NCOA found that only 38% of eligible adults age 65 and older participated in SNAP in 2023.⁸ That's an estimated 9.1 million people missing out on assistance that can help them put more healthy food on their table.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Supplemental Security Income provides monthly cash payments to older adults and people with blindness or a disability. Applicants must have very limited income and resources to qualify.

SSI offers a lifeline for covering basic needs like housing, food, clothing, and utilities. In most states, participation in SSI can automatically qualify recipients for Medicaid and streamline access to SNAP benefits. It also automatically qualifies older adults for the Part D Low Income Subsidy (Extra Help), which lowers out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.

As of April 2026, there were more than 2.5 million SSI recipients over the age of 65, representing 34% of all people receiving SSI.⁵ Yet NCOA estimates that only 40% of eligible older adults were enrolled in this critical program in 2023 (3.6 million people).⁸

Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs)

For Medicare beneficiaries, especially those with chronic conditions, out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance) can add up quickly. That explains why 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older cuts corners with food, utilities, clothing, and/or medication to compensate for rising health care costs.⁶

The four Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) can help alleviate out-of-pocket costs for older adults in need. At a minimum, the MSPs pay for a person’s monthly Part B premium ($202.90/month in 2026, or $2,434.80 annually). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that roughly 1.25 million people receiving Extra Help also qualify to receive, but are not enrolled in, an MSP.⁷

For 2023, NCOA estimates the participation rate in MSPs at 49%, which translates into 6.6 million eligible older adults forfeiting these important benefits.⁸

What are the barriers to claiming benefits?

Many people who qualify for the benefits mentioned above could also receive hundreds of dollars more through programs that help them save on utilities, home internet/phone service, taxes, and other expenses. With this kind of financial assistance available, why are so many older adults missing out

According to NCOA’s research, there are four major barriers to benefits program participation:

• Lack of awareness of programs
• Assumption that application processes are complicated
• Not knowing how or where to apply
• Believing other people need more help than they do

The key to overcoming these obstacles is working collectively to provide proactive, targeted outreach to older populations. This outreach can happen within the community—from health care providers, area agencies on aging, religious organizations, and others. The internet and social media platforms like Facebook have also been found to be effective channels for communicating information on lesser-known benefits programs.

Explore benefits programs with NCOA's BenefitsCheckUp®

NCOA is committed to helping all older adults afford nutritious food, health care, and more.

One way to do this is through BenefitsCheckUp. With this free, easy-to-use tool, older adults and caregivers can browse public and private benefits programs available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They can also find out how to apply for benefits—and even get help with the application process.

Limited financial resources can have serious consequences for health and longevity in America. Research from NCOA and the LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston found that older adults earning $20,000 a year or less live an average of nine years fewer than those earning $120,000 a year or more.
That’s why being proactive about benefits outreach is key.

“By telling our patients, families, clients, and community members that help is out there, we can connect more deserving older adults with the benefits they need to worry less and age better,” said Josh Hodges, NCOA's Chief Customer Officer. 

*Poverty figures are based on the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). This measure more accurately reflects modern economic conditions by including non-cash benefits like food assistance, housing subsidies, and out-of-pocket health care costs.

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty in the United States: 2024. Found on the internet at https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2025/demo/p60-287.html

2. Justice in Aging. Older Women and Poverty. Found on the internet at https://justiceinaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Older-Women-and-Poverty.pdf

3. Feeding America. Map the Meal Gap 2025: A Report on Local Food Insecurity and Food Costs in the United States in 2023. May 2025. Found on the internet at https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Map%20the%20Meal%20Gap%202025%20Report.pdf

4. USDA. Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2023. April 2025. Found on the internet at https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-FY23-Characteristics-Report.pdf

5. Social Security Administration. Monthly Statistical Snapshot. April 2026. Found on the internet at https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/

6. Nicole Willcoxon. Older Adults Sacrificing Basic Needs Due to Healthcare Costs. Gallup. June 15, 2022. Found on the internet at https://news.gallup.com/poll/393494/older-adults-sacrificing-basic-needs-due-%20healthcare-costs.aspx

7. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Percentage of individuals enrolled in the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy Program (LIS). June 2021. Found on the internet at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/lisenrollmentjune2021.pdf

8. National Council on Aging. Estimation of National, State, and Substate Program Participation Rates for Adults 65 and Older. March 2026. Found on the internet at https://assets.ncoa.org/ffacfe7d-10b6-0083-2632-604077fd4eca/3462824a-d7e9-4ddb-a936-7c2172599005/Estimated_Program_Participation_Rates_for_Adults_65_and_Older_2023.pdf