Programs that put cash back or take a recurring bill down. Most families miss hundreds of dollars a month here, and many of these have no asset test.
The biggest and most widely used first. We take no referral fees, so this is what is worth your time, not what pays us.
Dollar figures are ranges, not promises, and each program sets its own rules. Confirm eligibility with the program before acting.
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Support this projectVA Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound benefits are monthly payments added to a qualifying veteran's or survivor's VA pension. You cannot get both at the same time. Aid and Attendance is for those who need another person's help with daily activities, are bedridden, are in a nursing home because of a disability, or have severely limited eyesight. Housebound is for those who spend most of their time at home because of a permanent disability.
Last checked Jun 1, 2026
VA 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.
Last checked Jun 1, 2026
ESAP is a simpler way to get Basic Food for households where every member is 60 or older or an adult with a disability and no one has earned income. It is not a separate benefit. Your Basic Food amount is the same, but two things change. First, you are approved for 36 months instead of 12. Second, you do not have to do a renewal interview or the usual mid-period check-ins during that time. ESAP is decided only when you first apply and when you renew. A household already on Basic Food cannot switch into ESAP in the middle of a certification period. Reporting is lighter too: you only have to report if your household income goes over 130% of the federal poverty level or if you have large gambling or lottery winnings. If your household stops qualifying for ESAP during the period, for example a member who is not elderly or disabled moves in, or someone starts earning wages, you keep Basic Food for the rest of the 36 months but go back to the regular check-ins. The state's benefit system sets the ESAP status automatically.
Last checked Jun 17, 2026
Extra 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.
Last checked Jun 1, 2026
Medicare Savings Programs are Medicaid-funded and run by Washington. They help people who have Medicare pay their Part A premium, their Part B premium, or both, and (for the QMB tier) their out-of-pocket costs too. Washington sets aside the first $20 of unearned income, which is income not from working, and, unlike many states, uses no asset test, so you are not asked to prove your bank balances or other resources. There are four tiers, each with its own income limit and benefits. If you are in a Medicare Savings Program, you are also signed up automatically for Extra Help (the Low-Income Subsidy) that lowers Medicare Part D drug costs.
Last checked Jun 17, 2026
A property tax relief program run by county assessors and overseen by the Washington Department of Revenue. The program does two things. It lowers the property taxes you pay on your main home, both the regular and the excess levies, and it freezes your home's taxable value at its level in your first qualifying year, so future taxes are figured on the frozen value instead of the rising market value. It runs on a rolling two-year cycle. You must meet all the requirements by December 31 of the assessment year to get relief in the following tax year. Starting with tax year 2025, the home can include one accessory dwelling unit (a second small home on the property, sometimes called a mother-in-law unit). Only the home and up to one acre of land qualify, or more if local zoning requires it.
Last checked Sep 1, 2025