Benefits for seniors in Maryland

Medicaid for people 65 and over

Maryland Medicaid pays for doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and long-term care for people who qualify. The Maryland Department of Health runs it. Local departments of social services take applications.

• If you get SSI, you already have Medicaid. You do not need to apply.
• Age 65 or over, blind or disabled: the income limit is $350 a month for one person and $392 for two. The asset limit is $2,500 for one person and $3,000 for two. These limits are low, and some help with Medicare costs (below) has much higher limits.
• Spend-down: If your income is over the limit, you can still qualify once your medical bills (including Medicare premiums and other insurance costs) add up to the amount you are over. Bills from up to 3 months before you apply can count. Your assets must still be under the limit.
• What it covers: doctor and hospital care, prescriptions, and long-term services if you need them. If you also have Medicare, Medicare pays first.

Long-term care. Medicaid can pay for nursing home care and for care at home if you need the level of care a nursing home gives. For home care programs, income can be up to 300% of the federal SSI payment ($994 a month in 2026). Countable assets must be no more than $2,000 or $2,500, depending on your category. If you are married, your spouse at home can keep some of your shared assets: in 2026, from $32,532 up to $162,660. Your local department of social services works out the amount. In a nursing home, most of your income goes toward your care, but you keep a small amount for personal needs.

Estate recovery. After a Medicaid member aged 55 or older dies, Maryland must seek repayment from the estate for long-term care, but not while a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child survives. Heirs can ask for a hardship waiver.

Help paying Medicare costs

Maryland offers the four Medicare Savings Programs: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), Qualifying Individual (QI) and Qualified Disabled and Working Individual (QDWI). They pay your Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026). QMB also pays Medicare deductibles and copays.

Maryland uses the federal limits:

• QMB: income up to $1,350 a month for one person, $1,824 for a couple.
• SLMB: up to $1,616 a month for one person, $2,184 for a couple.
• QI: up to $1,816 a month for one person, $2,455 for a couple.
• Assets: up to $9,950 for one person, $14,910 for a couple.

The state picks the right program when you apply. If you get any Medicare Savings Program, you also get Extra Help with drug costs automatically. Questions: call the Maryland Department of Health Medicare Savings Program line at 1-800-638-3403, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Prescription drug help

Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program (SPDAP). SPDAP helps pay the premium for your Medicare drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage.

• You must live in Maryland and have Medicare Part D coverage.
• It pays up to $75 a month toward your premium in 2026.
• Household income must be at or below 300% of the federal poverty level: $47,880 a year for one person or $64,920 for a couple in 2026. There is no asset test.
• You cannot qualify if you get full Extra Help or have other drug coverage.
• Call SPDAP at 1-800-551-5995, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If your income is lower, apply for Extra Help first. It pays more.

Extra state payment with SSI

Maryland does not pay an extra state amount to SSI recipients who live in their own home. You get the federal SSI payment only ($994 a month for one person in 2026). Maryland runs its own supplement for some people who live in a care home or assisted living facility. Your local department of social services can tell you more.

Food help

SNAP (once called Food Stamps, and in Maryland sometimes called the Food Supplement Program) helps you buy groceries.

• Assets: Almost all Maryland SNAP households do not face an asset test. If yours does, the federal limit from October 1, 2026 is $4,750 if someone is 60 or older or disabled, or $3,000 for other households.
• If you are 60 or older or get certain disability payments, medical costs over $35 a month can be counted. That can raise your benefit. Keep your receipts.
• Apply online at MarylandBenefits.gov, at your local department of social services, or call 1-800-332-6347 (TTY 1-800-735-2258).

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. If you are 60 or older with limited income, you can get $35 once a year to spend on fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs and honey at farmers markets, June to November. Everyone must apply again each year. Apply online through the Maryland Department of Agriculture website, mda.maryland.gov.

My Groceries To Go! (Commodity Supplemental Food Program). People 60 and over with low income in Allegany, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery and Prince George's counties can get a monthly food box. Call the Department of Human Services at 1-800-332-6347 to find a provider.

Senior meals. If you are 60 or older (and your spouse, at any age), you can eat at group meal sites. If you are homebound, you may get home-delivered meals. There is no income test; you are asked for a donation, but no one is turned away. Call Maryland Access Point at 1-844-627-5465 to find a program near you.

Help staying at home

• Home and Community-Based Options Waiver (Community Options Waiver): Medicaid help at home or in assisted living for adults who need nursing-home-level care. Services include case management, medical day care and assisted living. There is a waiting list. Call Maryland Access Point at 1-844-627-5465 to join the registry. If Medicaid has paid for your nursing home stay for at least 30 days, ask the facility social worker about applying without waiting. Questions: Office of Long Term Services and Supports, 410-767-1739.
• PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly): for people 55 and older who need nursing-home-level care and live in a PACE service area. PACE gives all your medical and long-term care through one team. Maryland has four PACE sites. Call the Maryland Department of Health at 410-767-6500 to find out if one serves your area.
• Community First Choice personal care is part of regular Medicaid for people who qualify.

Property tax and housing help

Homeowners' Property Tax Credit. This credit limits your property tax based on your income. There is no age requirement.

• Household income must be no more than $60,000 a year.
• Net worth must be under $200,000, not counting your home and retirement accounts.
• You must live in the home at least six months a year.
• The deadline is October 1 each year. File by April 15 to see the credit on your July tax bill.
• Apply online at onestop.md.gov or by mail. Questions: 410-767-4433 or 1-800-944-7403.

Renters' Tax Credit. If you are 60 or older, or 100% disabled, and your rent is high compared to your income, the state may send you a check of up to $1,000 a year. The deadline is October 1 each year. Apply online at onestop.md.gov or by mail. Questions: 410-767-5915.

Help with energy bills

The Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP) in the Department of Human Services helps low-income households pay heating and electric bills. It runs all year, from July 1 to June 30. It includes the Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) for heating and the Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP) for electric bills. For the 2026-27 program year, income must be at or below 200% of the poverty level: $2,660 a month for one person or $3,607 for two. You can get help once per program year, and you must apply again each year. You do not need a shut-off notice to apply.

• Apply online at benefits.maryland.gov, by mail, at a drop box, or through your local energy assistance office.
• Call 1-800-332-6347 (TTY 1-800-735-2258) for a paper application.
• Check your status at myohepstatus.org.

Free help and counseling

• State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP): free, unbiased Medicare counseling from the Maryland Department of Aging. Counselors help with plan choices, billing problems, Extra Help and SPDAP. Call 1-800-243-3425 or 410-767-1100.
• Maryland Access Point (MAP): the state's aging and disability resource center. MAP helps you find health, transportation, food, housing and other services. Visit marylandaccesspoint.211md.org or call 1-800-243-3425. Local Area Agencies on Aging run MAP in each county. The Maryland Department of Aging's website is aging.maryland.gov.
• Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116 or eldercare.acl.gov to find your local Area Agency on Aging.

How to apply

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Maryland agencies

Check what you may qualify for