Why this exists

Billions of dollars in federal and state assistance goes unclaimed each year, not because people are ineligible but because nobody told them the program existed. Energy assistance, the Lifeline phone benefit, property tax freezes for older homeowners, WIC, school meal programs, state pharmaceutical assistance: each has its own agency, its own form, and its own income test, and none of them advertise.

The checklist puts them in one place, sorted by what they help with, with the income threshold and the application route written next to each one.

What is in it

• Food and nutrition. SNAP, WIC, senior farmers market vouchers, summer meal programs, and the commodity supplemental food program.
• Utilities. LIHEAP heating and cooling assistance, weatherization, water bill assistance, and the shutoff protections that vary by state.
• Phone and internet. Lifeline eligibility, what it actually covers, and which carriers participate in your state.
• Health care. Medicaid expansion status by state, Medicare Savings Programs, Extra Help for prescription costs, and community health center sliding scales.
• Housing. Housing choice vouchers, weatherization, home repair grants for rural households, and property tax relief for older and disabled homeowners.
• Veterans. Aid and Attendance, state veteran benefits, and the dependency and indemnity compensation most survivors never file for.
• Tax credits. The Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and free filing services, including the credits people leave behind by not filing at all.

Two things we will always tell you

First: applying for a government benefit is free. If anyone charges you a fee to apply, walk away. Second: we are not the government, and we cannot approve or deny anything. We tell you where the real application lives and what it asks for.

Get the checklist

Enter your details and we will email you the PDF. If you want, we will also text you when a program's enrollment window opens in your state.

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