Benefits for seniors in Alabama

Medicaid for people 65 and over

The Alabama Medicaid Agency runs Medicaid for the Elderly and Disabled: people 65 and over, or blind or disabled, who live in Alabama and are U.S. citizens or qualified non-citizens.

• If you get SSI: You get Medicaid through your SSI. Apply for SSI with Social Security.
• Income (SSI-related Medicaid): Under $1,014 a month for one person, or $1,511 for a couple. These state figures already include the first $20 of income that is not counted.
• Savings and other assets: $2,000 for one person, or $3,000 for a couple. One car, household goods and burial funds up to a set amount are not counted.
• What it covers: Hospital stays, most prescriptions, home health care, hospice, eye exams and glasses every two years, and rides to medical visits if you have no other way. Adults get 14 doctor visits a year. Dental care and hearing aids are generally not covered for adults.

Long-term care Medicaid. Nursing home Medicaid and the home care waivers use a higher income limit: $2,982 a month. The asset limit is $2,000, checked on the first day of each month. For nursing home care, you must have been in an approved facility for at least 30 days in a row (people on SSI are exempt). If your income is over the limit, a Qualifying Income Trust (Form 262) may let you qualify.

If your spouse stays at home. Alabama lets your spouse keep half of your combined countable savings, but not less than $32,532 or more than $162,660 in 2026. Part of your income can also go to your spouse each month if their own income is low. Ask your Medicaid district office.

Estate recovery. After you and your spouse have died, Alabama may seek repayment from your estate for Medicaid paid after age 55 or during a permanent nursing home stay. It waits while there is a child under 21 or a blind or disabled child, and hardship waivers are possible.

Help paying Medicare costs

Alabama has three Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). You must have Medicare Part A. Alabama uses the federal income limits.

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium and Medicare deductibles, and sometimes the Part A premium. Doctors who take Medicaid cannot bill you the 20% 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. Can start up to three months before you apply. Income up to $1,616 a month for one person, or $2,184 for a couple.
• QI-1 (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Can start up to three months back. Funding is limited each year. Income up to $1,816 a month for one person, or $2,455 for a couple.

Asset test: None. Alabama does not count your savings for these programs.

Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over (Form 211). If you get any MSP, you also get Extra Help with drug costs automatically.

Prescription drug help

• Extra Help: The federal Extra Help program lowers your Part D premium and copays. Income must be below 150% of the federal poverty level, about $23,940 a year for one person in 2026.
• SenioRx: The Alabama Department of Senior Services helps you apply to drug company programs for free or low-cost medicine. It is for people 55 and over with a chronic condition and little or no drug coverage who meet income limits, and for people of any age with a disability. Call 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463).

Extra state payment with SSI

Alabama does not add a state payment to SSI for most people living in their own home. The state itself (not Social Security) pays a small supplement only to some SSI recipients who are certified as needing care in a private home or an approved foster home, and to a few others in special settings. Ask your county Department of Human Resources. Most people living at home get the federal amount, up to $994 a month for one person.

Food help

SNAP is called the Food Assistance Program in Alabama. The Department of Human Resources (DHR) runs it.

• Alabama Elderly Simplified Application Project (AESAP): If everyone in your home is 65 or older with no job earnings, you can use a short two-page form (DHR-FSD-2198), get approved for three years, and skip the interview unless you ask for one. Income and asset limits are the same as regular SNAP.
• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: If you are 60 or older and your gross household income is up to $2,461 a month for one person or $3,337 for two, you can get a $50 card for fresh fruits and vegetables from certified farmers. Apply online each year at agi-app.alabama.gov/fma/seniorNutrition/. Funding is first come, first served. Questions: (800) 642-7761.
• Meals: Call 1-800-AGE-LINE to find meal programs near you.

Help staying at home

• Elderly and Disabled Waiver: For older adults and people with disabilities who would otherwise need nursing home care. Services include personal care, homemaker help, respite, adult day health, companion services and home-delivered meals. You must meet the long-term care income, asset and medical need rules.
• Alabama Community Transition (ACT) waiver, also called Gateway to Community Living: Helps people living in a nursing home or other institution move back to a home in the community.
• PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly): For people 55 and over who need nursing home level care but can live at home with support. In Alabama it is offered only in Mobile and Baldwin counties.
• Where to start: Call 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463).

Property tax and housing help

Apply for homestead exemptions at your county tax office. You must own and live in a single-family home on the first day of the tax year. The land can be up to 160 acres.

• State tax exemption (65 and over): You do not pay the state part of property tax on your home. There is no income limit. County taxes may still be due.
• County exemption: People 65 and over with higher incomes also get the regular county exemption of $2,000 of assessed value.
• Lower income (H-2): If you are 65 or over and your income is under $12,000 on your latest Alabama return, you are exempt from all state property tax and $5,000 of assessed value for county taxes, including school taxes.
• Full exemption (H-3): If you are 65 or over and your combined net taxable income on your federal return is $12,000 or less, you are exempt from all property taxes on your home. People who are permanently and totally disabled can get this with no income limit (Form PT-PA-1). The state's tables differ a little on these income rules, so check with your county office.
• 7% cap: For homes and other Class III property, the taxable assessed value cannot rise more than 7% a year. It is automatic and runs through the tax year that begins October 1, 2027. It ends if the home is sold (except to family for little or nothing) or you add a major improvement.

Help with energy bills

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps with heating and cooling bills. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) funds local Community Action Agencies to run it.

• Who qualifies: Household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. For the year starting October 2026, that is $1,995 a month for one person.
• What it pays: Heating help of $280 to $580, cooling help, and crisis help.
• Older adults first: Households with someone 60 or older can apply during early sign-up periods before others, and some agencies book appointments at senior centers.
• How to apply: Contact the Community Action Agency for your county; ADECA does not take applications itself. Bring proof of last month's income, Social Security cards, a photo ID and an energy bill. ADECA: 1-800-392-8098.

Free help and counseling

• SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program): Free Medicare counseling from the Alabama Department of Senior Services. Counselors do not sell insurance. They help with Medicare, Medigap, MSPs, Medicaid, drug plans and billing. Call 1-800-243-5463 or 334-242-5743.
• Area Agencies on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Centers: Call 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463) or visit alabamaageline.gov.
• Alabama Department of Senior Services: 334-242-5743.

How to apply

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Alabama agencies

Check what you may qualify for