Senior Solutions receives grants to provide benefits enrollment assistance

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Senior Solutions, Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont is the recipient of a grant from the National Council on Aging’s Center for Benefits Access. This Benefit Enrollment Center grant provides funding for Senior Solutions to partner with the six senior centers in Windsor and Windham counties: Brattleboro Senior Center, Bellows Falls Senior Center, Springfield Senior Center, Black River Senior Center in Ludlow, Thompson Senior Center in Woodstock, and the Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction to provide benefits enrollment assistance.

Benefit Enrollment Centers find and enroll Medicare beneficiaries – both older adults aged 65-plus years and adults living with disabilities – who have limited income and resources to access available benefits, with the primary focus being on the following five core benefit programs: Medicare Part D Extra Help (or Low-Income Subsidy, LIS); Medicare Savings Programs (MSP); Medicaid (Community and Long-term Care); Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps); and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

A BEC outreach specialist will work with an older adult to apply for multiple benefits at one time, based on that individual’s needs. Currently, Senior Solutions assists older Vermonters with the programs listed above in addition to Meals on Wheels, case management, information and assistance, and wellness programs like Tai Chi and Matter of Balance. The target goal of this grant is for Senior Solutions and the local senior centers to assist 650 individuals who may qualify to apply for and receive much-needed assistance over a two-year period.

For more information, contact Wendi Germain at wgermain@seniorsolutionsvt.org or 802-755-7295. For general questions related to aging in Vermont, please call the HelpLine 802-885-2699 or 866-673-8376.

Back To Top