WASHINGTON, DC, October 24, 2006 — The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has added a new feature to its Web-based BenefitsCheckUp service that could assist several million people who are eligible for but have not enrolled in the Extra Help benefit available through Medicare’s Prescription Drug Coverage (also known as Part D). The new service, available at www.benefitscheckup.org, could be especially helpful to the more than 630,000 who were "deemed eligible" for the Extra Help in 2006, but who have recently lost their automatic eligibility for this assistance and must now apply for it.

"If someone with Medicare has limited income and resources, there’s no reason not to apply for the Extra Help" said James Firman, NCOA president and CEO. "And, now, anyone anytime can use the Web to speed up this process and find out if they can also get extra income or other help with paying for their medicines or health care expenses."

People must apply to the Social Security Administration (SSA) first to find out if they qualify for Extra Help. If someone qualifies, they can save on average $3,700 a year since Medicare’s Extra Help will pay their cost sharing and they will have no gap in coverage (the donut hole). The deadline for enrollment in a Medicare Part D plan is December 31, 2006.

People with Medicare, family members or caregivers can now use NCOA’s BenefitsCheckUp (found at www.BenefitsCheckUp.org) to submit their applications for Extra Help electronically and receive immediate confirmation that SSA received the application. In addition, without filling out any other questionnaire, the BenefitsCheckUpRx-Extra Help with Prescription Costs feature will tell users if they qualify for other federal or state benefits programs. These include those programs that can save them money on health care (Medicare Savings Programs and Medicaid), provide extra income (Supplemental Security Income), find other prescription savings (State Pharmacy Assistance Programs) or help in paying for food (Food Stamps).

"We added this new feature to BenefitsCheckUp because we received lots of requests from individuals and feedback from organizations involved in finding and helping people with Medicare that some other tool was needed," said Stuart Spector, senior vice president of the NCOA’s Benefits Access Group. "The new BenefitsCheckUp Extra Help feature is free, it’s fast and it is confidential."

NCOA, which led far-reaching outreach and enrollment efforts during the initial Part D enrollment period, continues its work in helping to find and enroll those who may be eligible for the Extra Help through its ongoing support of local Access to Benefits Coalitions in 44 areas and the second phase of its My Medicare Matters campaign.

About the National Council on Aging

Founded in 1950, the National Council on Aging is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of older persons and to increasing their continuing contributions to communities, society, and future generations. For more information on NCOA, visit National Council on Aging (www.ncoa.org).

About BenefitsCheckUp

Since 2001, 1.8 million people have used BenefitsCheckUp and 400,000 have found benefits programs that help them pay for prescription drugs, health care, rent, utilities, and other needs. For more information about how to become a BenefitsCheckUp Organizational Edition user, e-mail support@benefitscheckup.org.

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WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2006 — October is Energy Awareness Month and we are reminded that no one should have to choose between staying warm in winter (or safely cool in summer) and paying for food, rent, medicine or other essentials. Every year, hypothermia kills about 600 Americans, half over 65, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The good news is that the federal government has just released $80 million to 14 states that will help people with limited incomes pay their energy bills this winter.

Finding out whether you qualify for programs such as the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), is easy thanks to the National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) free and confidential online service BenefitsCheckUp.

"Winter and summer can be dangerous times of the year for anyone who can’t afford to pay energy bills, but even more so for older Americans," said Stuart Spector, NCOA’s senior vice president of Benefits Access. "BenefitsCheckUp can be a life saver for many of these people and their caregivers."

Adult children of seniors who have access to the Internet can help their parents fill out the simple survey on the Web. You or someone you know can find out if you qualify for LIHEAP or other state and federal benefits programs in a few minutes by using BenefitsCheckUp at www.benefitscheckup.org.

BenefitsCheckUp is the first of its kind Web-based service designed to help seniors determine quickly and easily what benefits they qualify for and how to claim them. Last year alone, more than 360,000 people used BenefitsCheckUp and, among those users, about 43,708 found out they were eligible for energy-related benefits they were not yet receiving.

BenefitsCheckUp can also help seniors find health care programs, prescription drug assistance, in-home services, financial assistance, legal services, housing assistance, property tax programs, nutrition programs, as well as volunteer and training opportunities and education programs. Since the service was launched in June 2001, more than 1.7 million eligibility reports identifying various benefits programs have been completed.

NCOA says that BenefitsCheckUp includes more than 1300 different programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. An average of more than 50 programs can be available to qualified seniors in each state.

LIHEAP, which just received an additional $150 million this season, is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Clearinghouse (http://www.ncat.org/liheap) also provides free telephone and e-mail referrals to people who want to know where to apply for lower-income energy assistance. Those seeking help can call the National Energy Assistance Referral at 1-866-674-6327 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/liheap.

About the National Council on Aging

The National Council on Aging, founded in 1950, is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of older persons and to increasing their continuing contributions to communities, society and future generations. For more information, visit www.ncoa.org. NCOA is based in Washington, DC.

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