Senior benefits in Warren County, Iowa

Aging Resources of Central Iowa is the Area Agency on Aging for Warren 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 Warren County, IMPACT Community Action Partnership takes LIHEAP applications by appointment (phone or in person) or online. The IMPACT office in Warren County is at 109 E. Clinton Avenue in Indianola (The Helping Hand of Warren Co.). If you heat with propane, LIHEAP can pay for a propane delivery. If you have a disconnection notice, have been shut off or have a furnace that does not work, call right away. Call 515-518-4770 to book an appointment.

Estimated bill savings: $80–$800 a year

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lists an office for Warren County at 111 N. Buxton Street, Indianola. Phone: 515-690-9310 or 800-286-6424. 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

Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA) gives door-to-door public transit rides in Warren 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 Warren County, rides run Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; service in the city of Indianola runs Monday and Friday only. 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

Warren County Veterans Affairs, at 301 N Buxton St, Suite 107 in Indianola, helps eligible veterans and their dependents apply for VA compensation, pension, survivor pension, Aid and Attendance, appeals and the Iowa Veterans Home, and helps with military records and grave markers. It also gives county assistance in emergencies for rent or mortgage, utilities or propane, gas and food. The veteran must have been discharged under honorable conditions and served 90 days or more of federal active duty. Volunteer drivers take veterans to VA medical appointments. The office is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 515-690-9336.

Estimated cash: $200–$1,500 a year