Kings County, New York vs Wake County, North Carolina

NY HEAP has three components: (1) REGULAR Heating Benefit — annual heating bill assistance; (2) EMERGENCY Benefit — for households in danger of utility shut-off or running out of fuel; (3) COOLING Assistance — buy/install air conditioner or fan, opens annually around April 15. Eligibility tied to income (typically ~60% of state median income) and household size. Seniors age 60+ and households with a disabled member or child under 6 get priority. Apply at mybenefits.ny.gov, through the local county DSS, or NYC HRA (212-331-3126 in NYC). Open application windows: Regular HEAP November-April; Emergency HEAP January-April; Cooling April-August.

$200–$1,500/yr

New York's Veterans Emergency Housing Assistance Fund pays up to $2,000 to a veteran facing an immediate housing hardship without the money to cover it. Covered needs include overdue rent, utilities, or property taxes; fire or natural-disaster damage; temporary shelter when housing is lost or uninhabitable; replacing or repairing an essential appliance like a furnace or water heater; and home changes needed for disability access. The veteran must live in New York State, have a discharge other than dishonorable, and have a net worth at or below the VA's limit for the non-service-connected pension. After the application is submitted, a Veterans Benefits Advisor calls to verify the emergency and the household's income, assets, and expenses — and checks for other benefits the household may qualify for.

$500–$2,000/yr

Brooklyn (Kings County) emergency aid: (1) NYC HRA One-Shot Deal / Cash Assistance for utility shut-off, rent arrears, eviction prevention (212-331-3126); (2) NYC Aging Older Adult Centers for ongoing meals/social services (212-244-6469); (3) NYC H+H for healthcare (844-692-4692); (4) Catholic Charities of New York (212-371-1000, archdiocese-wide) and Catholic Charities Brooklyn-Queens (718-722-6000); (5) Met Council on Jewish Poverty; (6) Borough-specific food pantries via City Harvest. Dial 311 for general referrals or 211 for the United Way 2-1-1 line.

$200–$3,000/yr

NYC HRA delivers NY's HEAP for Brooklyn residents: Regular HEAP (annual heating help), Emergency HEAP (utility shut-off / fuel-out crises), and Cooling Assistance (AC unit). Eligibility approximately at 60% State Median Income; seniors 60+ get priority. Apply through ACCESS HRA online (access.nyc.gov), in person at an HRA Job Center, by calling 311, or at a designated NYC Aging Older Adult Center. NYC: 212-331-3126.

$200–$1,500/yr

EPIC is a New York state program that helps more than 325,000 income-eligible seniors age 65+ supplement their out-of-pocket Medicare Part D drug costs. Two plans: (1) FEE PLAN for income up to $20,000 single / $26,000 married — modest annual fee, lowest copays; (2) DEDUCTIBLE PLAN for income $20,001-$75,000 single / $26,001-$100,000 married — meet annual deductible first. EPIC also helps pay Medicare Part D premiums for income up to $23,000 single / $29,000 married. Requires Medicare Part D enrollment (or eligibility). Cannot enroll in EPIC if on Medicaid. Apply at health.ny.gov/health_care/epic or by calling 800-332-3742.

$200–$3,000/yr

New York Medicaid Non-MAGI (Aged/Blind/Disabled) covers comprehensive medical, behavioral health, and long-term services & supports for low-income residents age 65+, blind, or disabled. 2026 limits: single-applicant income $1,836/month (approximately 138% FPL — NY is significantly more generous than the federal floor); single-applicant resources $33,038. Married couples (both applying): $2,489/month income, $44,796 resources. Primary residence exempt up to $1,130,000 equity. Apply through the NY State of Health marketplace, ACCESS HRA (NYC residents), or the local county Department of Social Services. Apply at health.ny.gov or by calling 800-541-2831.

$4,000–$50,000/yr

NY Medicare Savings Programs help Medicare beneficiaries pay Part B premiums and (for QMB) deductibles and coinsurance. NY income limits are HIGHER than the federal floor: QMB up to ~$1,800/month single / $2,432 couple (138% FPL); SLMB to ~$2,160/month single / $2,918 couple (165% FPL); QI to ~$2,427/month single / $3,279 couple (186% FPL). NO RESOURCE TEST in NY (the federal $9,660 / $14,470 resource test was removed in NY as of 2023). Apply through county DSS, NYC HRA (212-331-3126), or the NY State of Health marketplace.

$2,098–$8,000/yr

NYC Health + Hospitals operates the city's public hospital safety net. HHC Options is a sliding-scale fee program for uninsured or underinsured patients regardless of immigration status — applies to all H+H hospitals and Gotham Health clinics, including those serving Brooklyn. Patients pay a flat reduced rate based on family income (typically 0%-100% FPL = no cost; 100%-400% FPL = sliding scale). Apply at any H+H facility or online at nychealthandhospitals.org. Brooklyn primary H+H hospitals: NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island, NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull (Brooklyn).

$500–$30,000/yr

PACE is a comprehensive, integrated care program for seniors who are certified as needing a nursing-home level of care but want to keep living in the community. A single PACE organization becomes the participant's complete medical home — primary care, specialists, hospital care, prescriptions, physical and occupational therapy, dental, vision, hearing, mental health, transportation to appointments, meals, and adult day care at a PACE center. For New Yorkers who have both Medicare and Medicaid (or Medicaid only), PACE covers all of it with no out-of-pocket cost. PACE in New York is for people 55 and older who are assessed as needing community-based long-term care for more than 120 days at a nursing-home level of care, who live within a PACE organization's service area, and who can be served safely at home. Participants agree to use only PACE-network providers.

$30,000–$80,000/yr

Enhanced STAR provides an increased school property tax exemption for homeowners age 65+ with combined household income up to approximately $110,750 (2026 limit). Available as either a direct exemption on the school tax bill or as a STAR credit check from NY Tax. Must be the primary residence. Apply through the local assessor (for the exemption) or register with NY Tax (for the credit) at tax.ny.gov/star. New applicants since 2015 generally receive the credit version (a check) rather than the exemption.

$200–$1,500/yr

New York pays a monthly annuity to legally blind wartime veterans — and to their unremarried surviving spouses — who live in New York State. The 2025 rate is $141.33 per month, about $1,696 per year. The blindness does not need to be connected to military service: legal blindness means 20/200 vision in the better eye with best correction, or a field of vision limited to 20 degrees. The veteran needs wartime service of at least 90 days on active duty (less if discharged early for a service-connected disability). Apply by mailing the Blind Annuity application and a Report of Legal Blindness form, with the discharge paperwork, to DVS — or call 1-888-838-7697 for help.

$1,695–$1,696/yr

Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) is how New York delivers community-based long-term care to people who need it for more than 120 days. It serves residents (generally age 18 and older, and especially seniors 65+) who have Medicaid — or who qualify for Medicaid — and who are assessed as needing a nursing-home level of care that can instead be provided at home. An MLTC plan coordinates and pays for home care, personal care, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance (CDPAS), home health aide and nursing visits, physical and occupational therapy at home, adult day health care, home-delivered meals, and related services, so a person can remain in the community rather than enter a nursing home. Enrollment begins with a free assessment by the New York Independent Assessor (NYIA), which confirms the need for community-based long-term services and supports; the person must also be financially eligible for New York Medicaid (for 2026, single-applicant income at or below $1,836/month and countable resources at or below $33,038, with spend-down and spousal-impoverishment protections available). Call the New York Independent Assessor at 1-855-222-8350 to request an assessment, then New York Medicaid Choice at 1-888-401-6582 to choose a plan.

$20,000–$80,000/yr

New York operates five State Veterans' Homes — skilled nursing facilities in Oxford, Montrose, St. Albans (Queens), Batavia, and Long Island (Stony Brook) — owned and run by the State Department of Health and SUNY. They serve veterans who need skilled nursing care, and in some cases spouses and Gold Star parents. A spouse may be admitted if married to an eligible veteran for at least one year before applying and also in need of skilled nursing care. The state reports no out-of-pocket cost to the veteran for routine skilled nursing care, with coverage arranged through VA, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits. Call 1-888-838-7697 or a home directly to ask about admission.

NYC Aging (DFTA) operates 300+ Older Adult Centers (OACs) across all 5 boroughs serving ~30,000 New Yorkers age 60+ daily with healthy meals, fitness classes, social activities, and case management — membership is FREE. Additional services: Home-Delivered Meals (HDM) for homebound seniors; Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) social services; Caregiver Support; Legal Services; Geriatric Mental Health (licensed clinicians at OACs in every borough). Find a Brooklyn Older Adult Center or apply for HDM by calling DFTA at 212-244-6469 or 311 (Aging Connect).

$1,200–$6,000/yr

New York resident veterans with a service-related disability of 40% or more pay just $5 for the first hunting, fishing, or trapping license bought in a calendar year — and the other license types are free that same year. Qualifying veterans also get free bowhunting and muzzleloading privileges (with a base hunting license) and preference in the Deer Management Permit selection. Enrollment happens once: bring a VA letter showing the case number and a service-related disability of 40% or more to any license issuing agent. After that, licenses can be renewed online, by phone at 1-866-933-2257, or at an agent location without showing the letter again.

New York State's Veterans Benefits Advisors — each a veteran — prepare and file VA claims at no cost for veterans, spouses, children, and parents, working from field offices across the state. They help with disability compensation, the non-service-connected pension, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for survivors, Special Monthly Compensation, and appeals, and they gather the supporting documents. Getting the VA rating right matters twice in New York: the rating drives federal compensation AND the disability add-on to the state's veterans property tax exemptions. No one needs to pay a private company to file a VA claim. Call 1-888-838-7697 or book a phone or video consultation online.

New York's first state-run veterans cemetery — the New York State Veterans Cemetery – Finger Lakes — sits on 162 acres along Seneca Lake in Romulus, Seneca County, and is open for interments. The State Department of Veterans' Services has managed it since February 2023. Burial is available to veterans discharged from active duty under other than dishonorable conditions, plus the veteran's legal spouse and eligible dependent children; certain reservists and National Guard members also qualify. Each burial includes a 30-minute committal service at the cemetery shelter, with cemetery staff completing the interment. Making pre-arrangements with a funeral director ahead of need keeps the discharge paperwork easy to find when it matters.

New York reduces the assessed value of a wartime veteran's primary residence for property tax purposes: 15% off for serving during a designated time of war (or earning an expeditionary medal), an additional 10% for serving in a combat zone, and a further reduction for a service-connected disability equal to half the VA disability rating. Each county, city, town, village, and school district chooses whether to offer the exemption and sets its own dollar caps, so the benefit differs from one locality to the next. The home must be the primary residence, owned by the veteran, the veteran's spouse, or the unremarried surviving spouse. Apply once with Form RP-458-a at the local assessor's office — in most communities the deadline is March 1. The base 15% benefit does not require any disability rating.

$100–$2,500/yr

New York offers a separate property tax exemption for veterans who served on active duty during the Cold War period — September 2, 1945 through December 26, 1991 — even without wartime or combat service. Where a locality has adopted it, the exemption reduces the home's assessed value by 10% or 15% (the locality chooses), with locally-set dollar caps. A veteran with a service-connected disability gets a further reduction equal to half the VA disability rating, and that disability portion never expires. The basic exemption lasts 10 years unless the locality has removed the time limit. The home must be owned by the veteran, the veteran's spouse, or the unremarried surviving spouse. Apply at the local assessor's office.

MTA Reduced-Fare MetroCard (and OMNY) cuts subway, bus, and Staten Island Railway fares in half for riders age 65+ or with a qualifying disability. Access-A-Ride is the MTA's ADA paratransit for people who cannot use the subway or bus due to disability — covers all 5 boroughs door-to-door. Reduced-Fare: apply online at new.mta.info/fares/reduced-fare or in person at MetroCard offices. Access-A-Ride: apply by calling 877-337-2017 for an eligibility assessment.

$500–$3,500/yr

State-funded help for family members and friends who care for someone living with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia in North Carolina. A trained family consultant meets with the caregiver (in person or by phone), builds a care plan, teaches dementia care skills, connects the family to local services, and follows up. Caregivers in the program may also get funds for self-directed respite care — a paid break using adult day services, in-home help, or short overnight stays — subject to eligibility and available funding. Available in every North Carolina county through six regional offices: Western 828-251-7432, Foothills 828-485-4267, South Central 980-314-7801, Central 919-660-7510, Southeastern 910-408-6365, Northeastern 252-414-3230.

This program helps family and unpaid caregivers with information, access to services, individual counseling, support groups, caregiver training, short-term respite care, and limited supplemental services. It serves caregivers age 18+ caring for someone 60 or older (or any age with Alzheimer's/dementia), and older relatives age 55+ raising children or caring for an adult with a disability. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to see what is available.

The Central Pines Regional Council Area Agency on Aging serves older adults age 60 and older, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers in Wake County. Services include congregate and home-delivered meals, family caregiver support and respite, options counseling for long-term care, the long-term care ombudsman, the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) for Medicare counseling, and information and referral. Call the Area Agency on Aging to learn what is available locally.

$1,000–$6,000/yr

The Crisis Intervention Program helps North Carolina households that are in a heating or cooling emergency — for example, a disconnect notice or no working heat or air conditioning. It pays toward the bill to keep service on. It is available year-round while funds last, for households with income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level who are facing a life-threatening or health-related energy crisis. Apply at your county DSS or ePASS.

up to $600/yr

LIEAP is North Carolina's heating-assistance program (federally funded by LIHEAP). It makes a one-time payment directly to your heating vendor to help with winter heating costs. Households that include someone age 60 or older, or a person with a disability receiving services through the Division of Aging, can apply starting December 1; everyone else can apply January 1 through March 31, or until funds run out. Income must be at or below 130% of the federal poverty level. Apply at ePASS or your county DSS.

$300–$600/yr

North Carolina's Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) gives a one-time payment toward heating costs, and the Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) helps when a household faces a heating or cooling emergency. Both are run by Wake County Health and Human Services. Households with an older adult (60+) or a person with a disability can apply starting December 1; all other eligible households apply January 1 through March 31, or until funds run out. Apply online through ePASS at epass.nc.gov, by mail, or at a county office.

$300–$1,500/yr

NC Medicaid for people who are age 65 or older, blind, or disabled (the non-MAGI MAABD pathway, separate from the 2023 Medicaid expansion). People who receive SSI qualify automatically. Others may qualify as 'Medically Needy' by meeting a Medicaid deductible (spend-down). The countable resource limit is $2,000 for one person and $3,000 for a couple. Apply online at ePASS or through your county Department of Social Services.

$4,000–$30,000/yr

SHIIP is North Carolina's free Medicare counseling service, with counselors in all 100 counties. They help compare Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D, Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans, and long-term-care insurance, screen for help paying Medicare costs (Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs), and spot Medicare fraud. Counselors do not sell or endorse any plan. Call 1-855-408-1212.

WakeMed offers financial assistance (charity care) for emergency and medically necessary care to patients who cannot afford to pay, plus an uninsured discount for self-pay patients. Applications are available free in English and Spanish and must be returned with proof of income within 240 days of the patient liability letter. UNC Health Rex and Duke Health, which also serve Wake County, have their own assistance programs. Ask for a financial assistance application or call the billing office.

CAP/DA is North Carolina's Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver. It provides supports such as personal care, case management, and home modifications so adults who would otherwise need nursing-home care can stay in their own home. You must be 18 or older, need a nursing-facility level of care, and qualify for long-term-care Medicaid. Contact a local CAP/DA case-management agency in your county to request a referral.

$10,000–$60,000/yr

PACE provides all the medical and supportive care a frail older adult needs to keep living in the community instead of a nursing home — doctors, prescriptions, therapy, adult day care, transportation, and in-home help — coordinated by one team. To join you must be 55 or older, need a nursing-facility level of care, live in a PACE organization's service area, and be able to live safely in the community. North Carolina has 11 PACE organizations operating in 14 locations.

$10,000–$80,000/yr

North Carolina operates State Veterans Homes providing 24-hour skilled nursing care in Black Mountain, Kinston, Salisbury, and Kernersville. Care includes nursing supervision, IV and oxygen therapy, wound care, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Admission requires active-duty service other than for training, a discharge under honorable conditions, North Carolina residency for the two years before applying, and a physician referral showing the need for skilled nursing care. When beds are available, a veteran's spouse or surviving spouse may also be admitted. The homes accept Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance, and payment is based on the actual cost of care and ability to pay.

Medicare Savings Programs help people with Medicare pay their Part B premium, and (at the QMB level) also deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. North Carolina has three levels — QMB (MQB-Q), SLMB (MQB-B), and QI (MQB-E) — with rising income limits. In 2026 the highest level (QI) reaches about $1,816/month for one person and $2,455/month for a couple; the resource limit is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple. Apply at ePASS or your county DSS.

$2,100–$8,000/yr

This seasonal program gives North Carolina residents age 60 or older vouchers to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, and cut herbs at certified farmers' markets, from July 1 to September 30. Household income must be no more than 185% of the federal poverty level (in 2026: $2,461/month for one person, $3,337/month for two). Contact your county's local agency about applications and voucher availability.

$50/yr

North Carolina residents who are 50% or more disabled veterans, as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, can buy a lifetime combination hunting and inland fishing license for a one-time $10 fee. The license covers statewide hunting and inland fishing privileges and stays valid for life. Apply by mail or in person — not online — with certification of the disability rating from the VA. Residents who are totally and permanently disabled under Social Security rules have a separate $10 lifetime license, even without military service.

Trained, accredited Veterans Service Officers help North Carolina veterans, spouses, and survivors file and appeal VA claims at no cost — disability compensation, secondary and presumptive conditions (burn pits, Agent Orange, Gulf War), Individual Unemployability, and survivor benefits. NCDMVA staffs Veterans Service Centers across the state, and every one of North Carolina's 100 counties has a County Veterans Service Officer. Getting the VA rating right matters twice in North Carolina: the rating drives federal compensation, and it opens state benefits like the $45,000 disabled-veteran property tax exclusion and the $10 lifetime hunting and fishing license. All services are 100% free — no one needs to pay a private company to file a VA claim. Walk-ins are accepted; appointments are recommended.

North Carolina funds free civil legal help for residents age 60 and older through the Older Americans Act, with the money going to the Area Agencies on Aging. Lawyers help with income matters such as Social Security, pensions and unemployment; health care matters such as Medicaid, Medicare and veterans' benefits; housing matters such as evictions, unsafe conditions, foreclosures and predatory lending; and defense against guardianship and powers of attorney. There is no income limit, but the program is aimed at older adults with the greatest economic and social need — including people in rural areas, people with severe disabilities, people with limited English, people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, and people at risk of being placed in an institution. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to be connected to a legal services provider, or call the NCDHHS Customer Service Center at 1-800-662-7030.

State/County Special Assistance is a monthly cash supplement for low-income North Carolinians who are age 65 or older, or disabled. One track helps pay for room and board in an approved adult care home; the In-Home track provides a cash supplement to people at risk of entering a facility so they can stay in their own home with care. People who get Special Assistance in an adult care home are automatically eligible for Medicaid. Apply through your county Department of Social Services.

$1,200–$18,000/yr

North Carolina operates four state veterans cemeteries: Western Carolina in Black Mountain, Coastal Carolina in Jacksonville, Sandhills in Spring Lake at Fort Bragg, and Eastern Carolina in Goldsboro. There is no charge for the gravesite or the necessary interment services for a qualified veteran, and no charge for installing the headstone. A veteran qualifies with active-duty service, other than for training, that ended under honorable conditions. Spouses, surviving spouses, and eligible dependent children may also be buried there for a burial fee. Contacting a cemetery ahead of need settles the paperwork early and eases decisions for the family later.

North Carolina excludes the first $45,000 of a home's appraised value from property tax for an honorably discharged veteran with a 100% permanent-and-total service-connected disability, or a veteran who receives specially adapted housing benefits from the VA. There is no income limit and no age limit. A surviving spouse who has not remarried keeps the exclusion, including when the veteran died from a service-connected condition. Apply once: a veterans service office certifies Form NCDVA-9, then Form AV-9 and the NCDVA-9 go to the county tax office by June 1. This is one of three North Carolina property-tax relief programs, and only one can be used per home.

$315–$450/yr

The Circuit Breaker program caps the property tax on your permanent residence at a percentage of your income, deferring the rest. You must be age 65 or older, or totally and permanently disabled, and have owned and occupied the home for at least five years. For the 2026 tax year, if your prior-year income is $38,800 or less, tax is limited to 4% of income; if income is between $38,800 and $58,200, tax is limited to 5%. Apply on Form AV-9 every year by June 1.

$200–$3,000/yr

This program lowers property tax for North Carolina homeowners who are age 65 or older, or totally and permanently disabled. It excludes the greater of $25,000 or 50% of the appraised value of your permanent residence from taxation. For the 2026 tax year your prior-year income must be $38,800 or less. Apply on Form AV-9 to your county tax assessor by June 1.

$200–$1,500/yr

GoWake Access provides shared, door-to-door rides for Wake County residents who are age 60 or older, have a disability, live in rural service zones, or are Medicaid recipients. Trips cost $2 within the same service zone and $4 between towns; Medicaid recipients ride free. Rides run Monday through Saturday by reservation. GoRaleigh and GoTriangle also run fixed-route buses across the Raleigh area. Call 919-212-7005 to set up a ride.

$200–$2,000/yr