Seniors can now find out if they are eligible for 40 different benefits in one sitting.
GreenPoint Bank, 40-20 Queens Blvd., in association with Sunnyside Community Services and the Council of Senior Centers and Services, now offers the free service, CSCS ACCESS to BENE*FITS, a benefits screening program that determines a senior’s eligibility for 40 federal, state, city, and private benefits.
To find out eligibility for any of these benefits (over 90 percent of seniors are eligible), meet with a trained volunteer at the GreenPoint Bank any Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. In about 15 minutes, seniors will receive a list of benefits for which they are eligible and information and assistance in applying for them — all free.
More than half of older New Yorkers don’t receive the benefits to which they are entitled because they don't know these benefits exist or don’t know how to apply for them. Included are popular programs such as Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Food Stamps, Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE), Medicare savings programs, and Verizon Lifeline.
The help provided by CSCS ACCESS to BENE*FITS translates into real savings. For example, SCRIE protects elderly seniors from future rent increases, HEAP assists eligible people with the cost of utilities in the form of an annual rebate, Verizon Lifeline provides a discount of almost $10 per month on telephone service and Medicare savings programs pay a senior’s Medicare premium, saving more than $58 a month.
You shouldn’t have to struggle to make ends meet. There are benefits due you that can give you the extra money everyone could use. Don’t miss out; find out which benefits you can receive. For more information, call Phyllis Ruiz at 212-398-6565, Ext 227.
