Posted on September 3rd, 2020 Armando
Trull Media Relations Manager 202-709-2474 armando.trull@ncoa.org
Grant will
support online and one-on-one efforts to enroll millions of eligible
individuals into benefits
Arlington,
VA (September 3, 2020) – The National Council on Aging (NCOA), a trusted
national leader working to ensure that every person can age well, has been
awarded a 5-year, $57.5 million grant from the U.S. Administration for Community
Living (ACL) to continue its decades-long leadership in
connecting Medicare beneficiaries to programs that help them pay for daily
expenses.
“NCOA
is humbled to continue this critical work, which is more important than ever as
people with Medicare struggle to stay financially secure during the pandemic,”
said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA
President and CEO. “We are committed to working with ACL and our local partners
across the country to ensure that all people with Medicare receive the benefits
they’ve earned, so they can live with health and dignity.”
Under
the grant, NCOA will maintain and enhance its online benefits screening
tool BenefitsCheckUp® (www.BenefitsCheckUp.org)
and support up to 90 Benefits Enrollment Centers across
the country that provide one-on-one benefits counseling in their communities
either in person, by telephone, or by video conferencing. The grant is funded
under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 and
subsequent legislation.
Over
the course of the grant, NCOA and its partners will help older adults submit
over 4 million applications for benefits programs. These programs include the
Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy, which reduces the cost of prescription
drugs; the Medicare Savings Programs, which help pay Medicare Part B costs; and
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps),
which helps pay for food.
“Estimates
suggest that over a third of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ who are eligible
for these programs are not enrolled,” said Josh Hodges, NCOA Chief Customer Officer.
“Often it’s because they simply don’t know these programs exist or how to
apply. This work addresses both challenges.”
Over
the last decade, NCOA has helped more than 5 million people access over $6
billion in benefits online through BenefitsCheckUp and in-person through its
support of local grantees, State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, Area
Agencies on Aging, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, and Tribal
organizations.
“We
are so proud of our local partners, who work hard every day to find and enroll
hard-to-reach populations that are in desperate need of these benefits,”
said Leslie Fried, Senior
Director of the NCOA Center for Benefits Access. “A quarter of the nation’s
Medicare beneficiaries live on less than $17,000 a year, including millions of
Black, Hispanic/Latinx, rural, Tribal, and LGBTQ+ individuals. These benefits
help them afford health care, food, utilities, and more. We’re working to make
sure everyone who is eligible is enrolled.”
For
more information about NCOA’s benefits access work, please visit www.ncoa.org/centerforbenefits. For a free,
confidential benefits screening, please visit www.BenefitsCheckUp.org.
About NCOA
The
National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a trusted national leader working to ensure
that every person can age well. Since 1950, our mission has not changed:
Improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are
struggling. NCOA empowers people with the best solutions to improve their own
health and economic security—and we strengthen government programs that we all
depend on as we age. Every year, millions of people use our signature programs
BenefitsCheckUp®, My Medicare Matters®, and the Aging Mastery Program® to age
well. By offering online tools and collaborating with a nationwide network of
partners, NCOA is working to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by
2030. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.
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