Arkansas offers more programs for senior citizens than most people realize, but they are spread across different agencies with different names and different applications. This guide gathers the most useful ones in one place, starting with a program many people search for by name: ARSeniors.
ARSeniors: full Medicaid for lower income seniors
ARSeniors is an Arkansas Medicaid coverage group for people 65 and older. It was created through Initiated Act 1 of 2000, funded with tobacco settlement dollars, and began in November 2002.
What makes it valuable is the scope of coverage. ARSeniors provides the full range of Medicaid benefits to qualifying seniors whose income is at or below 80 percent of the federal poverty level. It is the only group within the Medicare Savings Program family that provides full Medicaid benefits rather than help with Medicare costs alone. If you qualify in the month you apply, coverage can also reach back up to three months before your application.
Medicare Savings Programs: help with premiums and cost sharing
If your income is a bit higher, you may still qualify for help through a Medicare Savings Program.
- The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program, for incomes up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level, pays Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance.
- The Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary program, for incomes between 100 and 120 percent of the poverty level, pays the Part B premium.
- The Qualifying Individual program, for incomes from 120 up to 135 percent of the poverty level, also pays the Part B premium.
Asset limits and income figures change each year. Our full guide to Arkansas Medicare Savings Programs explains the details. You can apply through the Access Arkansas website or at your county Department of Human Services office.
Extra Help with prescription costs
Extra Help is a federal program that lowers Part D premiums, deductibles, and copays for people with limited income and resources. If you qualify for Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program, you automatically qualify for Extra Help. Others can apply through Social Security.
People with Medicaid or Extra Help also have additional opportunities during the year to change certain Medicare coverage, which can be useful if your needs change.
Tax relief for Arkansas retirees
Arkansas does not tax Social Security benefits. The state also exempts up to $6,000 of income from employer sponsored retirement plans, and IRA distributions can qualify for people 59 and a half or older.
Homeowners have two property tax benefits worth claiming. The homestead credit reduces the property tax bill on your primary residence. And once you reach 65, or if you are disabled, you can have the assessed value of your homestead frozen, which keeps reappraisals from raising your taxable value. Substantial improvements to the home can affect the freeze. Both benefits require an application with your county assessor, so they do not happen automatically.
Help staying at home
ARChoices in Homecare is an Arkansas Medicaid program that provides home and community based services to people 65 and older, and to adults 21 through 64 with physical disabilities, who need a nursing home level of care but prefer to remain at home.
Arkansas also has eight Area Agencies on Aging covering every county. Depending on where you live, they can help with home delivered meals, meals at senior centers, in home assistance, caregiver support, and transportation to appointments. The state's Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services oversees these services.
Food and utility assistance
SNAP benefits help seniors with limited income buy groceries, and older adults may qualify for special rules that make eligibility easier. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps with heating and cooling bills and is administered through local community action agencies across Arkansas. With Arkansas summers, cooling assistance can matter as much as winter heating help.
Putting the pieces together
These programs work best when they are coordinated with your Medicare coverage. Qualifying for Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program can change which Medicare options make the most sense for you, and when you are allowed to switch.
Our licensed agents help seniors across the state, from our office locations to phone and video appointments, understand how their benefits fit together. Call (501) 459-6953 or book a free consultation.
