Legal & Financial Planning
BenefitsCheckUp
National Council on Aging (NCOA)
A free, confidential online tool that matches older adults with nearly 2,000 benefit programs they may be eligible for but don't know exist.
Who it's for
Families trying to understand what financial help -- for medication, food, utilities, or health care costs -- someone with dementia may already qualify for.
When to use this
Early in financial planning, or any time costs start to feel unmanageable -- many eligible families never apply for benefits simply because they don't know the programs exist.
Why MemoryPath recommends this
It is run by the National Council on Aging, a respected national nonprofit, and it aggregates benefit programs from federal, state, and private sources into a single, free screening -- work a family would otherwise have to do program by program.
Services provided
- A confidential online questionnaire matching users to eligible programs
- Coverage of nearly 2,000 benefit programs across food, utilities, and health care
- Direct application links for many of the programs identified
What it actually does
BenefitsCheckUp asks a series of questions about income, location, and household situation, then returns a personalized list of benefit programs the person may be eligible for -- covering things like Medicare Extra Help, Medicaid, state pharmacy assistance programs, and food and utility assistance.
Why this matters for dementia care
Dementia care is expensive, and many families never learn about assistance programs they'd actually qualify for. A single confidential screening can surface benefits that offset costs long before they become a crisis.
A note on scope
BenefitsCheckUp identifies potential eligibility and provides application information -- it does not process applications itself, and eligibility is ultimately determined by each individual program.