Health Care & Medicare Help › Guide
How to Apply for Medicare Extra Help: Documents and Steps
Medicare Extra Help can cut the cost of a Part D drug plan. You may pay less for the plan, the plan fee, and each drug. Some people get this help on their own. Other people must apply through Social Security.
The form is free. You can apply before or after you join a Part D plan. Start with the official Social Security form, not a paid service.
Do you need to apply?
You may get Extra Help on your own if you have Medicare and get one of these:
- Full Medicaid
- Help from a Medicare Savings Program
- SSI cash help from Social Security
Medicare should mail you a notice if you get Extra Help on your own. Keep the notice. You do not need to send a second form.
If you do not get one of those benefits, you can still apply. Social Security will look at your pay and the things you own. The limits can change each year. Check the current limits on the official Medicare page.
What should you gather first?
You do not need a perfect file before you start. These records can make the form easier:
- Bank statements for you and your spouse
- Your last tax return
- IRA or 401(k) balances
- Pension, VA, annuity, or rail benefit notes
- Names of the drugs you take
- Your Medicare card, if you have it
Social Security may ask about other homes, land, or cash accounts. It does not count every item you own. Answer each question with the best fact you have.
How do you apply?
- Go to the Social Security Extra Help page.
- Choose the online form, or call Social Security for an office or phone visit.
- Enter facts for you and your spouse, even if only one of you applies.
- Review the form before you send it.
- Save the proof or note that shows the date you applied.
You can also ask a local SHIP counselor for free help. SHIP stands for State Health Insurance Assistance Program. The counselor does not sell a Medicare plan.
What happens after you apply?
Social Security sends a letter with its choice. Read the full letter. It will tell you if you get Extra Help and when it starts.
If you get the help and do not have a Part D plan, Medicare may place you in one. You can pick a different plan. Check that the plan covers your drugs and works with your drug store.
The Extra Help form may also start a request for a Medicare Savings Program in your state. That program may help with other Medicare costs. You can say no to this data share on the form.
What if Social Security says no?
Read the reason in the letter. Check the pay, bank, and home facts that Social Security used. Call if a fact is wrong or a record was missed.
The letter tells you how to ask for a new look. Follow its due date. Keep copies of what you send.
A denial from Social Security does not stop you from asking your state about a Medicare Savings Program. Read our Medicare Savings Program guide for that path.
How do you avoid a scam?
No one can promise that you will get Extra Help. Do not pay a fee to file. Do not give your Medicare number to a caller who reached you first.
Use SSA.gov, Medicare.gov, or a free SHIP counselor. If a caller pushes one drug plan before asking about your drugs, end the call.
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