Millions of U.S. elderly missing benefits

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Millions of U.S. seniors are missing out on $20 billion in free and low-cost support for healthcare, prescriptions, food and utilities, advocacy groups say.

"Low-income Americans who are struggling to make ends meet are missing out on billions of dollars of services and benefits that can help them," James Firman, president and chief executive officer of the National Council on Aging, said in a statement. "As a result, we are launching a national campaign to educate older adults about the support that is available -- and the steps they need to take to get signed up."

The National Council on Aging and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging are directing the public to two resources that can help people connect with potential support. The National Council on Aging's Benefits CheckUp www.benefitscheckup.org/campaign is a free, comprehensive online screening tool that contains more than 2,000 public and private programs for low-income people with Medicare.

The Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging, at www.eldercare.gov, connects older adults and their families to local agencies and organizations that can assist them with applying for support from a variety of programs.

The two groups released a report that found BenefitsCheckUp screenings in 2011 identified more than $1.2 billion in benefits that users may be eligible to receive, but are currently not getting. In addition, 71 percent of all BenefitsCheckUp users were missing out on benefits they were potentially eligible to receive.