Senior benefits in Story County, Iowa

Aging Resources of Central Iowa is the Area Agency on Aging for Story County. It serves adults age 60 and older, adults 18 and older with disabilities, grandparents raising grandchildren, and people facing elder abuse. Its services are free. Specialists answer questions about housing, transportation and help at home, and options counselors can help you apply for programs. Other services include case management, family caregiver support, group meals and home-delivered meals, nutrition counseling, farmers market checks, and elder abuse prevention. Appointments are required, so call 515-255-1310 (toll free 800-747-5352) first.

Estimated service value: $200–$2,000 a year

LIHEAP (the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) gives a one-time payment toward winter heating bills for households with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Households with someone 60 or older or disabled can apply starting October 1; everyone else can apply starting November 1, and applications close April 30. In Story County, Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) takes LIHEAP applications. Its Story County Family Services office is at 230 SE 16th Street in Ames. You can schedule an in-person appointment, apply online, or mail or drop off a paper application. You do not need to be behind on your heating bill to apply, and crisis help may be available if you have a disconnect notice or have been shut off. Call 641-752-7162 (the menu reaches all MICA offices).

Estimated bill savings: $80–$800 a year

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lists an office for Story County at 126 S Kellogg Ave, Suite 101, Ames. Phone: 515-292-2035. Iowa HHS says you can apply for SNAP food benefits and for Medicaid health coverage, including Medicaid for older adults and people with disabilities, at your local HHS office. You can also apply online through the Iowa HHS Benefits Portal, or apply for Medicaid by phone at 1-855-889-7985.

Estimated bill savings: about $0 a year

Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames offers financial assistance to people in its service area, regardless of ability to pay. Help is based on gross household income compared to the federal poverty guidelines, with full assistance or a sliding fee scale. Its Catastrophic Medical Assistance may reduce your bill if your medical bills in any three-month window are more than 20% of your gross household income. You must first apply for programs like Medicaid or VA that would pay first. Apply through MyChart, on a paper application, or in person; apply within 365 days of the date of service if you have no insurance, or within 240 days of an insurance payment. Call the Financial Counseling Office at 515-239-2111.

Estimated bill savings: about $0 a year

Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA) gives door-to-door public transit rides in Story County, open to the general public, including people with disabilities. Call 1-877-686-0029, email erides@ridehirta.com, or use the HIRTA On Demand app to book a ride, and tell them the date, time and place. In Story County, rides run Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and in the City of Ames HIRTA also runs Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. In Ames, CyRide buses offer a reduced fare of $0.50 to people over 65, people with a disability and Medicare or Medicaid cardholders, and CyRide's Dial-A-Ride (run by HIRTA) gives door-to-door rides for people with a disability who are approved; call CyRide at 515-292-1100. Fares are one-way: $3.00 in town and $6.00 in the county; trips to Des Moines are $6 from Grimes, Norwalk and Waukee and $25 from other areas. If you are 60 or older, ask whether you qualify for donation-based rides, which are partly funded through Aging Resources of Central Iowa. Drivers pick you up within a 20-minute window and help riders who use a wheelchair or scooter.

Estimated service value: $150–$1,500 a year

Story County Veterans Affairs, at 126 S. Kellogg Avenue, Suite 001 in Ames, helps Story County veterans and their dependents get the county, state and federal benefits they have earned. Its Veterans Emergency Assistance can help with rent, utilities, food, medical costs, transportation and funerals. To qualify, you must be a veteran with a discharge other than dishonorable, live in Story County, and have income at or below 100% of the poverty level. The office is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 515-956-2626.

Estimated cash: $200–$1,500 a year