Stay home longer.
Keep more of your money.
For an aging parent, a partner, or yourself.
Two things most families miss. How much help exists before assisted living, and how much money they already qualify for. Washington has 1,037 programs, agencies, and day services for staying home, and 176 benefit programs that put money back or help pay. Independent. No referral fees.
Answer a few questions for a step-by-step plan, who to call first, and what to say when they pick up. Or jump straight to the benefits.

If you don't know where to start, start here.
Three things almost every Washington family should know about. All free or income-tested. No referrals, no salespeople.
Each of Washington's 13 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA Area Agency on Aging) is the actual front door to elder services in your county. Case management, Community Options Program Entry System (COPES) intake, family caregiver support, transportation. One phone call orients the whole next year.
COPES pays for in-home care, adult day programs, and even residential services at home, when monthly income is below ~$2,901 and the person needs nursing-home level of care. The most important program almost no one mentions.
Wraps doctor visits, day program, transportation, in-home help, and medications into one program for adults 55+ who'd otherwise need a nursing home. Free with Medicaid, sliding scale otherwise. Currently 3 organizations serve WA.

Care that comes to your home
Services and benefits designed to keep someone living in their own home. By far the first place to look before considering a facility.
In-home care
816Care that comes to your home. Home care agencies, hospice, adult day, and PACE. These exist so people don't have to move into a facility. Most are partly or fully covered for people on Medicaid.
Day programs & senior centers
174Drop-in places to spend the day. Classes, fitness, lunch, social activities, transportation. Often free or donation-based. The most underrated part of staying home.
Help & guidance
47Your local Area Agency on Aging, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, advocacy nonprofits, helplines, and benefits counseling. Almost always free. Start here when you're not sure where to start.
Money you may be missing
Cash back, lower bills, and help paying for care. Most families never claim what they qualify for. We take no referral fees, so this is what is worth your time, not what pays us.

VA Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits
$2,424 to $2,874/moVA Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound benefits are monthly payments added to a qualifying veteran's or survivor's VA pension. The two benefits cannot be received concurrently. Aid & Attendance is intended for those who need another person's help with activities of daily living, are bedridden, are nursing-home patients due to disability, or have severely limited eyesight. Housebound is for those who spend most of their time at home because of a permanent disability.
VA Survivors Pension
$975 to $1,558/moVA Survivors Pension offers monthly tax-free payments to qualified unmarried surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of wartime veterans, subject to income and net worth limits set by Congress. May be supplemented by Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits if the survivor needs help with daily activities or is housebound.
Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP)
$50 to $546/moESAP is a Basic Food simplification path for households where all members are age 60+ or adults with a disability (per WAC 388-400-0040) and no member has earned income. It is not a separate benefit; ESAP-eligible households receive the same Basic Food benefit, but with two key process changes: (1) the certification period is 36 months (instead of 12), and (2) no recertification interview is required, and no mid-certification reviews (MCRs) are required during the certification period. Eligibility for ESAP is determined only at initial application and at recertification; an existing Basic Food household cannot transition into ESAP mid-certification. Reporting requirements during certification are simplified: clients must report when household income exceeds 130% FPL or upon substantial gambling/lottery winnings. If a household becomes ineligible for ESAP during the period (e.g., a non-elderly/non-disabled member moves in, or earned income starts), the household stays on Basic Food for the remainder of the 36-month period but resumes MCR reporting. ESAP coding is set automatically in ACES.
Medicare Part D Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy)
$5,700/yrExtra Help, also called the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, lowers what a Medicare beneficiary pays for prescription drug coverage. It can cover the Part D premium, the deductible, and the per-prescription copays, and it removes the Part D late-enrollment penalty and opens a special enrollment window to change plans. Recent federal changes folded the old partial subsidy into the full subsidy, so most people who qualify now receive the full benefit. People already enrolled in Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, or a Medicare Savings Program are deemed automatically eligible and do not need to file a separate Extra Help application.
Medicare Savings Program (MSP)
$203 to $400/moMedicare Savings Programs (MSPs) are Medicaid-funded programs administered by Washington that help individuals entitled to Medicare pay their Part A and/or Part B premiums and (for QMB) cost-sharing. Washington applies a $20 unearned-income disregard and notably has no asset test for MSP eligibility, applicants are not asked to verify bank account balances or other resources. There are four tiers, each with different income thresholds and benefits. MSP enrollees are also automatically enrolled in the federal Extra Help / Low-Income Subsidy for Medicare Part D.
Property Tax Exemption for Senior Citizens and People with Disabilities
$100 to $350/moA statutory property tax relief program administered by county assessors and overseen by the Washington Department of Revenue. The program (1) reduces regular and excess levies an applicant pays on their primary residence and (2) freezes the residence's taxable value as of the first qualifying year, so future levies are calculated against the frozen value rather than the rising market value. The program runs on a rolling two-year cycle: applicants must meet all qualifications by December 31 of the assessment year to receive relief in the following tax year. Beginning with tax year 2025, the residence definition includes one accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Only the residence and up to one acre of land qualify (more if zoning requires).
Programs that pay for staying home
All Medicaid-funded. Income limits apply. Apply through your local AAA or DSHS Home & Community Services office.

The Community Options Program Entry System (COPES) is Washington's 1915(c) HCBS waiver for adults who meet nursing facility level of care (NFLOC). HCA and HCLA (Home and Community Living Administration) jointly administer the waiver. A January 1, 2025 amendment (1) adds 6 years of professional/practical social-service experience equivalent to a Social Service Specialist 2 to the qualifications of evaluators/assessors, (2) updates the Adult Day Care service definition so personal-care hours are no longer manually reduced by 30 minutes per hour of Adult Day Care, instead Adult Day Care is accounted for in the CARE Assessment as informal support, and (3) adds a new provider type, Death Doula, in the Client Support Training & Wellness Education service.
Community First Choice (CFC) is a Washington Apple Health state-plan benefit authorized under Section 1915(k) of the Social Security Act, effective 7/1/2015. CFC enables HCA and its contracted entities to deliver person-centered HCBS LTSS to Medicaid-eligible people who meet the institutional level of care under WAC 388-106-0355. Functional eligibility is based on a CARE assessment under chapters 388-106 and 388-828 WAC; authorization is by DSHS Home and Community Services (HCS) or DDA Community Services (DDCS). CFC services include personal care, skills acquisition training, PERS, caregiver management training, and nurse delegation (per WAC 388-106-0270 through 388-106-0295).
Medicaid Personal Care (MPC) is a state-plan benefit available to clients who are (1) functionally eligible for MPC services under WAC 388-106-0200 through 388-106-0235 and (2) financially eligible for a noninstitutional categorically needy (CN) or alternative benefits plan (ABP) Apple Health program. MPC fills the gap below the institutional level of care threshold required for CFC and HCB waivers. Services may be provided at home, in a department-contracted adult family home (AFH), or in a licensed assisted living facility contracted to provide adult residential care services.
FCSP serves unpaid caregivers of adults in Washington. Local FCSP offices, administered by Area Agencies on Aging, provide individualized support: identifying local resources and services, connecting caregivers to support groups and counseling, training on specific caregiving topics, arranging respite care, and one-on-one problem-solving for caregiving challenges.
Providence PACE is the largest PACE provider in Washington, with seven centers across King, Snohomish, and Spokane counties. PACE wraps medical care, social services, day programs, meals, and transportation into one package for adults 55+ who would otherwise need nursing-home-level care.
ICHS PACE serves Asian/Pacific Islander older adults and other eligible King County residents with comprehensive medical and social services through the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Located at the Ron Chew Healthy Aging and Wellness Center on Beacon Hill in Seattle.
PNW PACE Partners is the third contracted PACE provider in Washington, serving Pierce County from a single center in Tacoma. PACE delivers comprehensive coordinated medical and social services to adults 55+ who qualify for nursing-home level of care but can live safely in the community.
When home isn't possible
Sometimes home isn't safe. Washington has 7,001 licensed residential options. Adult family homes, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes. Before assuming you'll private-pay, check what the COPES waiver covers, ask your AAA about Medicaid-eligible facilities, and compare CMS quality ratings on nursing homes.

Not sure where to start?
Tell us a little about your situation and we'll turn it into a short, ordered plan. The calls to make first, what to say, and what each one unlocks.
Find what fits in 90 seconds →Independent guide. We do not accept referral fees from any provider listed. Verify eligibility with your local DSHS office before acting.