BLOOMFIELD, CT and WASHINGTON, DC – May 7, 2008 – CIGNA Senior & Retiree Services, a division of one of the nation’s largest health services companies, is joining forces with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to make available NCOA’s BenefitsCheckUp® to CIGNA’s Medicare members. The program helps identify federal, state and local benefits programs that can help enhance the quality of seniors’ lives.

BenefitsCheckUp is the nation’s most comprehensive Web-based service to help individuals, primarily older Americans with limited income and resources, find and get the benefits programs for which they qualify. Launched by NCOA in 2001, the innovative program tracks over 1,550 benefits programs throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

This arrangement provides CIGNA with its own version of NCOA’s BenefitsCheckUp, and the potential to provide access to benefits programs to thousands of its members nationwide.

"CIGNA’s mission is to improve the health, well-being and security of those we serve," said Sam Srivastava, president, National and Senior Segments for CIGNA HealthCare. "What better way to accomplish that mission than to help provide necessary resources to improve the quality of seniors’ lives. NCOA adds a valuable dimension to our services and commitment to our members."

Since its creation, BenefitsCheckUp has screened more than 2 million seniors and some younger persons with disabilities for programs that help pay for health care, prescription drugs, rent, utilities and many other needs.

"We welcome CIGNA as a partner in our mission to improve the lives of older Americans," said NCOA senior vice president Stuart Spector. "Through BenefitsCheckUp, CIGNA will help their members nationwide discover benefits they might not have otherwise known about. It’s a significant contribution to helping older people of limited means get the help they need."

More information on NCOA and its BenefitsCheckUp program is available at BenefitsCheckUp.org.

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About CIGNA Senior and Retiree Services

"CIGNA Senior and Retiree Services" is a service mark, and the "Tree of Life" logo is a registered service mark, of CIGNA Intellectual Property, Inc., licensed for use by CIGNA Corporation and its operating subsidiaries. Products are offered by these operating subsidiaries, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company and CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., and not by CIGNA Corporation. Each of these operating subsidiaries is a Medicare Advantage Organization with a Medicare contract. For more information visit www.cignamedicare.com

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging’s mission is to improve the lives of older Americans. NCOA programs help older people remain healthy and independent, find jobs, access benefits programs, and discover meaningful ways to continue contributing to society. A non-profit organization with a national network of more than 14,000 organizations and leaders, NCOA was founded in 1950 and is based in Washington, DC.

Media Contacts:
Lindsay Shearer
603.268.7721
lindsay.shearer@cigna.com

Georgiana Bloom
202.609.6935
Georgiana.Bloom@ncoa.org

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Free online service helps seniors access needed government benefits programs

WASHINGTON, DC – May 6, 2008 – While Older Americans Month may conjure up images of healthy older adults playing tennis, gazing at the horizon from a cruise ship or sitting happily with their grandchildren, many older Americans in this country do not fit that stereotype.

Millions of older people — especially those with limited incomes and resources — are living in poverty. For example, some 5 million seniors experience some form of food insecurity. They and many others struggle everyday with meeting their basic needs.

"During Older Americans Month, as well as the other eleven months of the year, we work to reach older people throughout the country to help them find the benefits they need," said NCOA senior vice president Stuart Spector. "Many seniors of limited means and the people who care about them simply don’t know about the benefits available to them. The programs they can find through BenefitsCheckUp can improve not only their health but many other aspects of their lives."

The National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) BenefitsCheckUp® strives to change that. Through its free, confidential online service, Americans 55 years and older can determine if they qualify for help with the costs of groceries, prescription drugs, Medicare premiums, health care, utility bills and in-home services.

Users of the service — often family caregivers, senior center or nursing home providers, as well as the individuals themselves — answer a series of questions to determine eligibility for more than 1,500 federal, state and local benefits programs nationwide. The resulting report tells what programs to apply for and gives instructions on next steps.

Since its creation in 2001, NCOA’s BenefitsCheckUp has screened more than two million seniors for benefits programs valued at more than $6 billion.

Older Americans Month was established in 1963 by Pres. John F. Kennedy as a way to honor older people in America.

For more information on BenefitsCheckUp, visit http://www.BenefitsCheckUp.org.

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About the National Council on Aging

Founded in 1950, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) has a mission to improve the lives of older Americans. A non-profit organization with 3,700 members, we also have a national network of some 14,000 organizations and leaders that help us in our work. NCOA members include senior centers, area agencies on aging, adult day service centers, faith-based service organizations, senior housing facilities, employment services, consumer groups and leaders from academia, business and labor. Our programs help older people remain healthy and independent, find jobs, access benefits programs, and discover meaningful ways to continue contributing to society.

Media Contact:
Scott Parkin
Vice President, Communications
National Council on Aging
(202) 479-6975
scott.parkin@ncoa.org

Filed under: News by Michael ONeil
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