Senior benefits in Union County, Georgia

Georgia's Caregiver Support services help family members and friends who care for an older adult. Through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the Division of Aging Services and the local Area Agencies on Aging offer information and one-on-one help finding services, counseling and support groups, caregiver training, and respite care that gives a caregiver a needed break — including in-home personal care or homemaker help and adult day services. These supports are available to family caregivers of adults 60 and older, and to caregivers of people of any age living with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. There is generally no income test, though some respite services use a suggested cost-share. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging or the Aging & Disability Resource Connection to get started.

$500–$5,000/yr

Georgia's Non-Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services help older Georgians live safely and independently at home when they don't qualify for Medicaid. Funded largely through the Older Americans Act and state aging dollars, the program offers a range of supports through the local Area Agencies on Aging — including in-home personal care and homemaker help, home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation, adult day care, home modifications and assistive devices, and care coordination. Services are for adults 60 and older, prioritized for those with the greatest social and economic need; there is generally no strict income test, though a voluntary cost-share may be suggested. Because funding is limited, there can be a waiting list. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging or the Aging & Disability Resource Connection to find what's available in your area.

$500–$6,000/yr

Legacy Link is the Area Agency on Aging for Union County. As an Aging & Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) access point, it connects older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers to in-home care, home-delivered and group meals, transportation, caregiver support, benefits counseling, and the Medicaid Community Care Services Program waiver. Services are for adults 60 and older, with priority for those in greatest need. Call Legacy Link at 770-538-2650 or 1-800-845-5465.

$500–$6,000/yr

SCSEP places low-income job seekers age 55 and older into paid part-time community service assignments at nonprofits and public agencies — schools, libraries, food pantries, senior centers, parks departments, and similar host sites. Participants typically work 20 hours per week and earn at least the federal, state, or local minimum wage (in California, $16.50/hour in 2026, which works out to roughly $17,000 per year before taxes). The placement is paired with skills training, computer literacy, resume help, and one-on-one coaching aimed at moving the participant into unsubsidized employment within the broader job market. SCSEP is administered nationally by the Department of Labor and locally by AARP Foundation, the National Council on Aging, Goodwill, the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, and state agencies; coverage exists in every California county though slot availability and the host-site mix vary by grantee.

$15,000–$17,000/yr

Georgia's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income households pay their home heating and cooling bills. It offers a regular seasonal payment toward energy costs and crisis help when a household faces a shutoff or is already without service. Households qualify if their total gross income is at or below 60% of the state median income and they are responsible for their home energy costs. Seniors 65 and older and people who are medically homebound get an early application window — heating assistance opens for them the first workday of December, and cooling assistance the first workday of April, ahead of the general public. The program is run locally by Community Action Agencies, and applicants are served first-come, first-served until funds run out, so applying early matters.

$350–$1,000/yr

Ninth District Opportunity (NDO) delivers the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for Union County. LIHEAP makes a one-time payment directly to a household's home energy supplier to help with heating and cooling costs, with crisis help when a shutoff is imminent. Households qualify with income at or below 60% of the state median income, and households where every member is 65 or older or medically homebound can apply early each season. Schedule an appointment by phone (855-636-3108) or online; help is first-come, first-served until funds run out.

$350–$1,000/yr

Funded under Older Americans Act Title III-C1 and run locally by Area Agencies on Aging, the Congregate Nutrition Program serves hot meals to seniors age 60 and older at senior centers, community centers, places of worship, and similar gathering sites. Most sites serve lunch on weekdays; some serve dinner or weekend meals as well. There is no income test. A voluntary contribution (typically $2–$4 per meal) is suggested but never required, and no senior is turned away for inability or unwillingness to contribute. Beyond the meal itself, sites typically offer health screenings, nutrition counseling, social activities, transportation assistance, and a built-in social network that reduces the isolation that contributes to depression and accelerated cognitive decline in older adults.

$1,000–$2,500/yr

Federally authorized under the Older Americans Act and locally operated by Area Agencies on Aging and Meals on Wheels affiliates, the Home-Delivered Meals Program brings hot or frozen meals — typically five to seven per week — to seniors age 60 and older who are homebound or have difficulty preparing meals safely on their own. There is no income test; the program is open to all qualifying seniors regardless of wealth. A voluntary contribution is suggested (a few dollars per meal) but never required, and no senior is turned away for inability or unwillingness to pay. Beyond the meals themselves, the daily home visit functions as a wellness check — drivers are trained to notice changes in health, mood, or living conditions and to alert local care coordinators when something looks wrong.

$1,500–$4,000/yr

SFMNP gives low-income seniors annual vouchers — roughly $40 per eligible person in California in 2026 — to buy fresh, unprepared, locally-grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey at participating farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs. The federal program is funded by USDA and distributed locally by the California Department of Food and Agriculture through county and nonprofit partners (food banks, area agencies on aging, senior centers). Vouchers are typically distributed once per year between May and October. SFMNP is small in dollar value relative to other senior benefits but pairs well with CalFresh because it lets recipients buy farmers'-market produce that traditional grocery-store benefits don't always cover well.

$35–$50/yr

Georgia Medicaid for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD) is the state's full-benefit Medicaid for low-income seniors 65 and older and for people who are blind or disabled at any age. It covers doctor visits, hospital care, prescription drugs, lab work, and medical equipment, and works alongside Medicare to pay costs Medicare doesn't. Georgia is an SSI (1634) state, which means anyone who receives federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is automatically enrolled in Medicaid with no separate application. Seniors who don't get SSI may still qualify under the same SSI financial standards — monthly income at or below the SSI benefit rate ($994 for an individual, $1,491 for a couple) and countable assets at or below $2,000 (individual) or $3,000 (couple). Countable assets exclude the primary home and one vehicle. Seniors whose income or assets are slightly over the limit may still get help through other Georgia Medicaid pathways such as the Medicare Savings Programs or the Community Care Services Program waiver.

$4,000–$12,000/yr

CHAMPVA is the VA's health-care program for spouses, surviving spouses, and dependent children of veterans who are rated 100% permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, who died of a service-connected condition, or who died on active duty. CHAMPVA shares the cost of covered services — inpatient and outpatient care, prescriptions, durable medical equipment, mental health, and skilled nursing care — typically paying 75% of the VA-allowable amount after a small annual deductible. Once a beneficiary becomes Medicare-eligible at 65, CHAMPVA functions as a secondary payer that picks up most of what Medicare doesn't cover, including Part B coinsurance and many Part D-equivalent prescriptions. CHAMPVA is administered out of the VA Health Administration Center in Denver and is separate from TRICARE; a person eligible for TRICARE cannot use CHAMPVA.

$3,000–$15,000/yr

SHIP provides free, unbiased, one-on-one Medicare counseling to anyone with Medicare and to their families and caregivers. A trained SHIP counselor — not a salesperson and not paid on commission — will sit down with you to compare Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Part D drug plans, and Medigap policies, sort out enrollment deadlines and late-enrollment penalties, untangle a denied claim or an appeal, and check whether you qualify for cost-saving programs like the Medicare Savings Programs or Extra Help. There is no income test and the service is always free. SHIP is run by the federal Administration for Community Living and delivered through a local office in every state — in California it is called HICAP, in Florida it is called SHINE — so the counselor knows both the national rules and the local plans available where you live.

VA Health Care covers primary care, specialty care, mental health, hospital stays, prescriptions, and preventive services at the nationwide network of VA medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics. Most veterans with an other-than-dishonorable discharge are eligible to enroll. After enrollment the VA assigns the veteran a Priority Group (1 through 8) based on service-connected disability rating, special circumstances (former POW, Purple Heart, catastrophic disability), and income relative to the geographic-means-test threshold. Priority Groups 1 through 5 receive most care at no cost; higher priority groups pay copays that are still well below typical Medicare and private-insurance cost-sharing. VA Health Care does not replace Medicare for most senior veterans — most enroll in both — but it can substantially reduce out-of-pocket costs for care received at VA facilities, especially prescriptions ($0–$11 per fill versus typical Medicare Part D copays).

$5,000–$20,000/yr

Union General Hospital in Blairsville, the flagship of Union General Health System, is the community hospital serving Union County in the north Georgia mountains. Union General offers financial assistance and payment-plan options to uninsured patients and others who cannot afford their hospital bills, based on income and need. Call to schedule an appointment with a financial counselor to discuss programs that may help with hospital bills.

$500–$15,000/yr

The Community Care Services Program (CCSP) is Georgia's Medicaid waiver that lets frail seniors and adults with disabilities receive care at home or in the community instead of moving to a nursing home. Services can include in-home personal support and homemaker help, adult day health, home-delivered meals, emergency response systems, respite for family caregivers, and skilled nursing or therapy in the home. To qualify you must be a Georgia resident, meet a nursing-home level of care (decided by a care assessment), and meet Medicaid's financial rules — the waiver uses the higher institutional income limit of 300% of the SSI benefit rate ($2,982/month in 2026) with countable assets at or below $2,000. There is often a waiting list. Start by contacting your local Area Agency on Aging or the Aging & Disability Resource Connection.

$6,000–$25,000/yr

The Housing Choice Voucher program (commonly called Section 8) helps very-low-income households rent housing in the private market. The household generally pays about 30% of its adjusted income toward rent and the voucher covers the rest, up to a local payment standard, so housing cost scales to income instead of market rent. Unlike Section 202, a voucher is not tied to one building — it can be used at any rental whose owner accepts it and that meets program rent and quality standards, and in California source-of-income discrimination law requires most landlords to consider voucher holders. Vouchers are administered by local Public Housing Agencies, each with its own waiting list; many California PHAs maintain senior or senior/disabled preference categories. The benefit is large in high-rent California markets, but voucher waiting lists are among the longest of any benefit — frequently 5 to 10+ years, and many are closed except during brief lottery openings.

$8,000–$20,000/yr

Section 202 funds nonprofit-owned apartment communities built specifically for low-income seniors age 62 and older, paired with on-site supportive services (a service coordinator, transportation, meal programs, light housekeeping referrals) designed to let residents age in place. Residents generally pay 30% of their adjusted income toward rent and HUD covers the rest, so the out-of-pocket housing cost scales down with income rather than tracking market rent. For a low-income senior in a high-rent California market this is one of the largest single dollar-value benefits available — but Section 202 properties are individually owned, have limited units, and almost always carry multi-year waiting lists, so it is best understood as something to get on the list for now rather than a benefit that starts quickly.

$5,000–$15,000/yr

SSI is a federal monthly cash benefit for people 65 and older (or blind / disabled at any age) with very limited income and resources. It's a separate program from Social Security retirement — you can qualify for SSI even if you never worked enough to get Social Security, and many people qualify for both. In California, SSI recipients also get the State Supplementary Payment (SSP) on top, which adds several thousand dollars a year to the federal benefit. SSI is also a gateway: it can automatically open the door to Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and Extra Help.

$11,928–$17,892/yr

SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment) is a Georgia Medicaid program that combines the home- and community-based services of the Community Care Services Program with enhanced primary-care case management. It is designed for frail seniors and adults with disabilities who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare-style assistance and who would otherwise need nursing-home care. A care coordinator links each member to a primary-care physician and arranges in-home personal support, home-delivered meals, adult day health, respite, and emergency response so the member can stay safely at home. To qualify you must be a Georgia resident, meet a nursing-home level of care, and be financially eligible for Medicaid (the program serves members who qualify as a Qualified Medicare Beneficiary). Apply through your local Area Agency on Aging or the Aging & Disability Resource Connection.

$6,000–$25,000/yr

Extra Help (also called the Part D Low-Income Subsidy or LIS) lowers your prescription drug costs under Medicare Part D. It can pay your Part D premium, cap copays at a few dollars per prescription, and eliminate the coverage gap. The Social Security Administration estimates Extra Help is worth about $5,300 a year for people who qualify. It's frequently bundled with QMB / SLMB / QI but you can apply independently.

$4,000–$5,300/yr

QI is the top income tier of the Medicare Savings Programs. Like SLMB, it pays the Medicare Part B premium (around $202.90/month, roughly $2,435/year) — but for households whose income is too high for SLMB. Eligibility falls between 120% and 135% of the federal poverty level. QI funding is a federal block grant awarded on a first-come, first-served basis each calendar year, and enrollment must be renewed every year. QI is mutually exclusive with full Medi-Cal — anyone already receiving Medi-Cal benefits is not eligible for QI but typically gets the Part B premium covered by Medi-Cal directly.

$2,400–$2,435/yr

QMB pays your Medicare Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. If you qualify, you should not be billed for any Medicare-covered services. It's the most generous of the four Medicare Savings Programs and is widely under-enrolled — the federal government estimates millions of eligible Americans are not enrolled.

$2,435–$3,500/yr

SLMB pays your Medicare Part B premium (currently around $202.90/month, ~$2,435/year) if your income is too high for QMB but still below 120% of the federal poverty level. It's the middle tier of the Medicare Savings Programs and is widely under-enrolled — when income is just above the QMB cutoff, SLMB usually applies. Asset limits are the same as QMB.

$2,400–$2,435/yr

Medicare Savings Programs help Georgia seniors on Medicare pay their Medicare costs. The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program pays the Medicare Part B premium plus deductibles, coinsurance, and copays — and QMB enrollees also get the Extra Help that lowers prescription-drug costs. The Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) and Qualifying Individual (QI) programs pay the monthly Part B premium for seniors with somewhat higher income. For 2026, QMB covers individuals with monthly income at or below $1,350 ($1,824 for a couple) and countable resources at or below $9,950 ($14,910 for a couple); SLMB and QI use higher income limits. Apply through Georgia Medicaid; free help is available from a GeorgiaCares Medicare counselor.

$2,100–$8,000/yr

The Georgia Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program gives low-income seniors benefits to buy fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs at approved Georgia farmers' markets during the market season (about May through mid-October). To qualify you must be a Georgia resident, be 60 years of age or older, and have a household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. Eligible seniors receive a benefit allotment once per season, on a first-come, first-served basis, distributed through participating Area Agencies on Aging. Along with the benefits, participants get nutrition information and tips for selecting and preparing fresh produce.

$30–$50/yr

A Long-Term Care Ombudsman is a free, confidential advocate for anyone who lives in a nursing home, assisted living community, or board-and-care home — and for their family. If you or a loved one is a resident, the Ombudsman will listen to concerns about care quality, safety, dignity, resident rights, billing, or a discharge or eviction notice, and then work directly with the facility to resolve them. They can sit in on care-plan meetings, explain your rights as a resident, and escalate serious problems to state regulators. The service is independent of the facility, costs nothing, and the Ombudsman works only for the resident — never the home. This is the program to call before you tour a facility, when a placement is being arranged, or any time something feels wrong in a current placement.

Title III-E of the Older Americans Act funds support specifically for the family members and informal caregivers who look after an older adult — not the senior, the person caring for them. Through the local Area Agency on Aging, an unpaid family caregiver (an adult child, a spouse, or another relative) of a person 60 and older can access respite care that gives them a break, individual counseling and caregiver support groups, training on safe transfers, medication management and dementia care, information and assistance navigating other programs, and limited supplemental services like consumable supplies or minor home modifications. There is no income test for the caregiver. Caregiver burnout is one of the leading reasons a senior ends up institutionalized, so this program protects both the caregiver's health and the senior's ability to stay home.

$1,000–$5,000/yr

Title III-B of the Older Americans Act funds a broad menu of non-medical supportive services that help seniors age 60 and older stay independent in their own homes and communities. Through the local Area Agency on Aging, eligible seniors can access subsidized or free transportation to medical appointments and grocery stores, homemaker and chore help, personal care, friendly-visitor and telephone-reassurance programs, adult day care, home repair and modification (grab bars, ramps), legal assistance for non-criminal matters like benefits appeals and consumer fraud, and case management to coordinate all of it. There is no income test, though local agencies target services to those in greatest social and economic need and a voluntary contribution may be requested. The same Area Agency on Aging that runs senior meals administers these services, so one phone call opens the door to the whole package.

$500–$3,000/yr

The Senior Medicare Patrol helps people with Medicare — and their families and caregivers — spot, stop, and report Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse. A trained SMP team member will help you read a confusing Medicare Summary Notice or Explanation of Benefits, check whether you were billed for a service or device you never received, recognize the phone and door-to-door scams that target seniors (fake 'new Medicare card' calls, free-brace or free-test schemes), and report anything suspicious to the right investigators. The service is free and available to everyone on Medicare regardless of income. SMP is run by the federal Administration for Community Living and operates a local program in every state. Catching one bogus charge can save you hundreds of dollars and protects the Medicare Trust Fund for everyone.

GeorgiaCares is Georgia's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — free, unbiased, one-on-one help for people on Medicare and their caregivers. Certified counselors explain your Medicare options, compare Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans during open enrollment, help you enroll, sort out billing and claims problems, file appeals, and screen you for programs that lower your costs such as the Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help. GeorgiaCares is not connected to any insurance company and never sells insurance, so the guidance is impartial and free. Counselors are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., by calling 1-866-552-4464 and choosing option 4, or through your local Area Agency on Aging.

The Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled is a nonrefundable federal income tax credit, claimed on IRS Schedule R, for taxpayers who are age 65 or older (or who are permanently and totally disabled) and have low income. The maximum credit is $750 for a single filer and up to $1,125 for a married couple (both age 65 or older), but the actual amount is reduced — often to zero — by any nontaxable Social Security benefits and by adjusted gross income above a low threshold. Because the income limits have not been updated since the 1980s, the credit most often produces a real dollar benefit for low-income seniors whose income comes from small pensions or wages rather than Social Security, and for people under 65 retired on permanent disability. It is one of the most under-claimed line items on the senior tax return, in part because the seniors it targets frequently are not required to file at all.

up to $1,125/yr

Georgia homeowners who own and live in their home as their primary residence can claim a homestead exemption that lowers their property taxes. Every resident homeowner qualifies for a standard $2,000 exemption from county and school taxes. Homeowners 65 and older may claim an additional $4,000 exemption from all county property taxes if their income (and their spouse's) did not exceed $10,000 for the prior year — and most retirement, pension, and Social Security income is excluded from that $10,000 count, so many seniors on a fixed income qualify. Seniors 62 and older may also claim added exemptions for school taxes, and a separate floating inflation-proof exemption is available at 62+ with income under $30,000. Many Georgia counties offer larger local senior exemptions on top of these, so it's worth checking with your county tax commissioner. Apply once with your county tax commissioner; the exemption then renews automatically as long as you qualify.

$200–$1,500/yr

Legacy Link, the Georgia Mountains Area Agency on Aging, coordinates transportation for older adults in Union County, with rides arranged through the county's transit provider. Service helps seniors reach medical appointments, shopping, senior centers, and essential errands. Rides are demand-response and reserved in advance. Contact Legacy Link at 770-538-2650 for the local transportation contact and to arrange service.

$150–$1,500/yr

Federal Lifeline is a Universal Service Fund program that discounts a single phone or internet (or bundled) service line by $9.25 per month for low-income households — and by up to $34.25 per month for residents of qualifying Tribal lands. Eligibility has two paths: an income test (household income at or below 135% of the federal poverty level) and a program-based path (current participation in Medicaid/Medi-Cal, SNAP/CalFresh, SSI, federal public housing assistance, or the Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension Benefit). Either path qualifies the household — both don't have to be met. The federal Lifeline discount is separate from but designed to stack with California LifeLine, so most California seniors who qualify for one will qualify for the other.

$111–$411/yr

WAP funds free home energy upgrades for income-eligible households to reduce energy bills, improve comfort, and address health-and-safety hazards. After a free professional energy audit, local providers install whatever the audit identifies — typically attic and wall insulation, air-sealing, weatherstripping, duct sealing, water-heater wraps, LED lighting, smart thermostats, refrigerator replacement (for very old high-draw units), HVAC tune-ups or replacement, ventilation upgrades, and carbon-monoxide detector installation. Average per-home investment in California ranges from $3,000 to $8,000 depending on the home's condition. WAP is open to homeowners AND renters (rental units require landlord written consent). The program is one-time per home (typically), though homes can sometimes be re-weatherized after 15 years if a new audit identifies additional measures. WAP is funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy with additional layered funding from HHS (LIHEAP-Wx) and state utility programs, all delivered by the same local providers.

$3,000–$8,000/yr

Aid & Attendance is a tax-free monthly benefit added on top of the basic VA pension for wartime veterans (or their surviving spouses) who need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, eating, or managing medications — or who are housebound, in a nursing facility, or have very limited eyesight. The benefit is widely under-claimed because many veterans assume their non-service-connected condition disqualifies them. Eligibility requires the veteran to have served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a recognized wartime period, plus income and net worth below VA limits. VA uses a special income calculation that subtracts unreimbursed medical expenses from gross income before applying the limit — so the income test here is approximate.

$12,000–$34,488/yr