Senior benefits in Sacramento County, California

Every California county is served by an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and an Aging & Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) — a single point of contact that connects older adults, caregivers, and people with disabilities in Sacramento County to in-home supportive services, home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation, family-caregiver support, benefits and insurance counseling (HICAP), and California's Medi-Cal home- and community-based long-term-care programs. Services are for adults 60 and older, with priority for those in greatest need. Call the ADRC of Sacramento at 1-800-211-4545 or Agency on Aging Area 4 at 916-486-1876. You can also call the statewide line at 1-800-510-2020 to find your local Area Agency on Aging.

Estimated service value: $500–$6,000 a year

In this county: The Area Agency on Aging / ADRC is the entry point to Older Americans Act and California state aging services for adults 60+. Specific services depend on an individual needs assessment and local funding, so this shows as a may-qualify result. Call the ADRC of Sacramento at 1-800-211-4545 or Agency on Aging Area 4 at 916-486-1876 (statewide locator line: 1-800-510-2020).

California's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps income-eligible households pay home heating and cooling bills, with one-time crisis help when service is past due or shut off. It is funded federally and run statewide by the California Department of Community Services & Development (CSD). In Sacramento County it is delivered by the local CSD-contracted service provider; find yours with the CSD 'Find Services in Your Area' locator or the online application portal. Households generally qualify at or below 60% of the state median income; older adults and people with disabilities are prioritized. Payments usually go straight to the utility company. Apply online at CaLIHEAPApply or through your local provider.

Estimated bill savings: $94–$1,500 a year

Hospitals serving Sacramento County — including Sacramento's hospitals, including UC Davis Medical Center, Dignity Health, Sutter, and Kaiser Permanente — must provide financial assistance under California's Hospital Fair Pricing Act. Uninsured patients (and insured patients with high medical costs) with household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level qualify for charity care or discounted payment; many nonprofit systems give fully free care at lower income levels (for example, Dignity Health provides free care up to 250% of the poverty level). Eligible patients are never charged more than the amounts generally billed to insured patients. Ask any hospital's financial-counseling or billing office for its Financial Assistance Policy and application; the state's HCAI publishes every hospital's policy.

Estimated bill savings: $500–$20,000 a year

Free minor home modifications and repairs that make a home safer and easier to get around in — grab bars, ramps, handrails, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors — for lower-income homeowners who live in their home. SHRA funds Rebuilding Together Sacramento to run the program year-round across Sacramento County; there is no cost to the homeowner. Apply online or by mail through Rebuilding Together Sacramento, or call 916-455-1880. (SHRA's separate Home Repair Program handles emergency health and safety repairs.)

Estimated service value: $300–$5,000 a year

In this county: Rebuilding Together Sacramento sets the income guidelines in its application ("low-moderate income"); no dollar limit is published, so this check cannot confirm income eligibility. You must own and live in the home. Work is limited to minor safety and accessibility modifications. Confirm with Rebuilding Together at 916-455-1880.

The SHRA Home Repair Program (HRP) provides emergency home-repair grants to very low-income owner-occupants of single-family homes or mobile homes whose home has an immediate safety or health hazard, a dangerous or hazardous condition, or a fire or health code violation. The per-property and per-client maximum is $10,000; SHRA hires and pays the contractors. The program serves the City of Sacramento, the cities of Galt, Folsom, and Isleton, and unincorporated Sacramento County — it does NOT cover Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, or some parts of Elk Grove. Applications are accepted only during open windows (about June 1–August 31 and November 1–February 28); apply by calling 916-440-1317. A separate Safe at Home Program (in partnership with Rebuilding Together, 916-455-1880) provides minor accessibility modifications such as ramps and handrails.

Estimated service value: $1,000–$10,000 a year

In this county: This program has conditions this check cannot confirm for you: you must be a very low-income owner-occupant of a single-family home or mobile home, the home must be in an eligible area (City of Sacramento, Galt, Folsom, Isleton, or unincorporated Sacramento County — not Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, or some parts of Elk Grove), and the repair must address an immediate safety/health hazard or code violation. Applications are accepted only during open windows (about June 1–August 31 and November 1–February 28). Confirm eligibility and the current window by calling 1-916-440-1317.

Sacramento County General Assistance (GA) is a county-administered cash-aid program for indigent adults 18 and older with no means of support. For a low-income senior it is mainly a bridge while a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) claim is pending. You must be physically present in Sacramento County, a Sacramento County resident for at least 15 days, and intend to continue residing in the County. Individuals deemed employable receive GA for up to 90 days in a 12-month period; individuals determined unemployable due to a temporary or long-term disability may receive GA until the disability is resolved. Apply by phone at 1-800-560-0976 (Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM), online via the State's SAWS 1 application, or in person at 2450 Florin Road, Sacramento (Mon–Fri 7:45 AM–4:00 PM).

In this county: Sacramento GA has conditions this check cannot confirm for you: you must have at least 15 days of physical presence in Sacramento County, intent to continue residing there, no other means of support, and — if determined employable — you can only receive GA for up to 90 days in any 12-month period. The County publishes the exact grant amount and resource limits only in its GA Fact Sheet PDF, not on its public web page; confirm those and apply by calling 1-800-560-0976 or in person at 2450 Florin Road, Sacramento.

SacRT GO is Sacramento Regional Transit's federally mandated ADA complementary paratransit service for riders whose disability prevents them from using fixed-route bus or light-rail service. Eligibility is functional and yields one of three determinations: Unconditional (permanently unable to use fixed route for any trip), Conditional (unable only under certain circumstances; service is limited trip-by-trip), or Temporary. Service covers locations within three-quarters of a mile of SacRT's bus routes or light-rail stations, including Antelope, Elverta, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Folsom, North Highlands, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova, Rio Linda, Sacramento, and unincorporated Sacramento County, with E-van service extending to Elk Grove. The application has three parts: a professional verification form from a physician, the applicant's responses, and signatures. Eligibility is determined within 21 days of completing your interview and any functional assessment.

Estimated service value: $1,500–$4,000 a year

In this county: ADA paratransit eligibility is functional and is determined within 21 days of an interview and possible functional assessment, after a physician completes the professional verification form — this check cannot perform that evaluation. The service area is limited to within three-quarters of a mile of a SacRT bus route or light-rail station (with E-van service extending to Elk Grove). Begin the application by calling 1-916-557-4685 (TDD 1-916-557-4686).

Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) charges a Senior Discount fare to riders 62 and older on bus and light-rail service throughout the Sacramento region. Show proof of age — senior ID, driver's license, or passport — to qualify. A separate Super Senior sticker is available to riders 75 and older, and Super Seniors with a Lifetime Pass ride completely free. Discount monthly stickers must be affixed to a valid SacRT Photo ID card, available only at the SacRT Sales Center (1225 R Street, Sacramento; Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM, adjacent to 13th Street Station). Veterans, seniors, and Medicare cardholders can also access discounts via the Tap2Ride contactless-payment program after pre-registration.

Estimated service value: $150–$600 a year