{
  "_about": "Dated source table for the 'already owed' benefits screener (The Senior Desk's fourth membership perk). One file, one year, every figure cited to the governing authority. Mirrors the 70-numbers / ss_numbers_2026.json discipline: anything not confirmed for 2026 is marked CONFIRM and must NOT be rendered as fact. These figures screen for LIKELY eligibility only. Eligibility is decided by the agency that runs each program, never by The Senior Desk, and The Senior Desk never files an application for anyone. The Senior Desk is not the Social Security Administration, CMS, the VA, the FCC, or any government agency, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.",
  "data_year": 2026,
  "last_verified": "2026-07-27",
  "sources": {
    "fpl": "U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (ASPE), 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and DC, https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines",
    "cola": "Social Security Administration, 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment fact sheet, https://www.ssa.gov/cola/",
    "lis": "Extra Help / Part D Low-Income Subsidy — 42 U.S.C. 1395w-114; SSA program rules at 20 CFR 418.3123 (income) and 418.3225 (resources); SSA 'Understanding the Extra Help With Your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan', https://www.ssa.gov/medicare/part-d-extra-help",
    "msp": "Medicare Savings Programs — 42 U.S.C. 1396d(p); figures from National Council on Aging, 'Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs): Eligibility and Coverage (2026)', updated March 2026; Florida program at https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/help/medicare-savings-programs",
    "fl_196075": "Additional homestead exemption for persons 65 and older — Fla. Stat. 196.075; Fla. Const. art. VII, s. 6; Florida Dept. of Revenue Form DR-501SC, https://floridarevenue.com/property/Pages/Taxpayers_Exemptions.aspx",
    "fl_627_0652": "Motor vehicle insurance discounts for the completion of a driver improvement course — Fla. Stat. 627.0652; approved course providers listed by the Florida Dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, https://www.flhsmv.gov/courses/",
    "va_pension": "VA Veterans Pension and Aid and Attendance — 38 U.S.C. 1521, 1541; 38 CFR 3.271-3.276; VA current pension rates effective December 1, 2025, https://www.va.gov/pension/veterans-pension-rates/ and https://www.va.gov/pension/survivors-pension-rates/",
    "snap": "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — 7 U.S.C. 2014; 7 CFR 273; USDA FNS FY2026 (Oct 1, 2025-Sep 30, 2026); Florida program at https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance/food-assistance-snap-program",
    "lifeline": "Lifeline — 47 CFR 54.400-54.409; FCC Lifeline program administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), https://www.lifelinesupport.org/",
    "irmaa": "CMS / Medicare.gov, income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA), based on modified adjusted gross income from the tax return two years prior"
  },

  "federal_poverty_guideline": {
    "source": "fpl",
    "region": "48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia",
    "annual_1_person": 15960,
    "annual_2_person": 21640,
    "annual_each_additional": 5680,
    "note": "The base measure most of these programs multiply by a percentage. Alaska and Hawaii use higher guidelines; Florida uses the 48-state figures."
  },

  "cola_pct": {"value": 2.8, "source": "cola"},

  "medicare_part_b_premium_monthly": {"value": 202.90, "source": "msp"},

  "ssa_countable_income_method": {
    "source": "lis",
    "general_monthly_exclusion": 20,
    "earned_income_flat_exclusion": 65,
    "earned_income_remainder_divisor": 2,
    "note": "How SSA counts income for Extra Help and the Medicare Savings Programs. Subtract $20 a month from most income first (the general exclusion). From wages, subtract $65 and then half of what is left. Social Security benefits, pensions, interest, and dividends are 'unearned' and get only the $20 exclusion. This is an APPROXIMATION: SSA applies additional exclusions the screener does not model, so a result near the line should always be checked with SSA."
  },

  "extra_help_lis": {
    "source": "lis",
    "income_limit_pct_fpl": 150,
    "resource_limit_single": 16590,
    "resource_limit_couple": 33100,
    "resource_limit_single_with_burial_setaside": 18090,
    "resource_limit_couple_with_burial_setaside": 36100,
    "burial_setaside_per_person": 1500,
    "apply_url": "https://www.ssa.gov/medicare/part-d-extra-help",
    "note": "Extra Help lowers or eliminates Part D drug-plan premiums, deductibles, and copays. Screen: SSA countable income at or below 150% of the poverty guideline AND countable resources under the resource limit. Countable resources are money in the bank plus investments; the home and one car do NOT count. Enrolling in a Medicare Savings Program brings Extra Help automatically. Resource limits are SSA's published figures for the year and are approximate here; the with-burial figures apply when money is set aside for burial."
  },

  "medicare_savings_programs": {
    "source": "msp",
    "income_disregard_monthly": 20,
    "administered_in_fl_by": "the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)",
    "resource_limit_single": 9950,
    "resource_limit_couple": 14910,
    "apply_url": "https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/help/medicare-savings-programs",
    "fl_apply_url": "https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance",
    "tiers": [
      {"key": "qmb", "name": "Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB)", "pct_fpl": 100, "monthly_single": 1350, "monthly_couple": 1824, "pays": "the Part A and Part B premiums plus Medicare deductibles, coinsurance, and copays"},
      {"key": "slmb", "name": "Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB)", "pct_fpl": 120, "monthly_single": 1616, "monthly_couple": 2184, "pays": "the monthly Part B premium"},
      {"key": "qi", "name": "Qualifying Individual (QI)", "pct_fpl": 135, "monthly_single": 1816, "monthly_couple": 2455, "pays": "the monthly Part B premium"}
    ],
    "note": "Medicare Savings Programs use the same SSA countable-income method as Extra Help, with the $20 monthly disregard built into the monthly figures above. In Florida you apply through DCF. The published monthly limits equal the stated percentage of the poverty guideline, divided by 12, plus the $20 disregard, rounded."
  },

  "fl_senior_homestead_196075": {
    "source": "fl_196075",
    "min_age": 65,
    "household_agi_limit": 38686,
    "additional_exemption_max": 50000,
    "long_term_residency_years": 25,
    "long_term_residency_just_value_max": 250000,
    "note": "Two county-level exemptions for homeowners 65 and older whose HOUSEHOLD adjusted gross income is at or below the limit. 'Household income' is the AGI (Internal Revenue Code section 62) of ALL members of the household, not just the owner. (1) An additional exemption up to $50,000 off non-school taxes, if the county or city has adopted it. (2) A full exemption for a home owned and lived in for at least 25 years with a just value under $250,000, where adopted. Both vary by county and the income limit resets each January with the Consumer Price Index. Apply through the county property appraiser."
  },

  "fl_mature_driver_627_0652": {
    "source": "fl_627_0652",
    "min_age": 55,
    "course_hours": 6,
    "reduction_years": 3,
    "typical_reduction_low_pct": 3,
    "typical_reduction_high_pct": 15,
    "coverages": ["collision", "bodily-injury and property-damage liability", "personal injury protection (PIP)"],
    "note": "No income test. A driver 55 or older who finishes a six-hour accident-prevention course approved by the Florida Dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) gets a MANDATORY motor-vehicle premium reduction for three years, on collision, liability, and PIP coverage; carriers commonly set it at 3 to 15 percent. The Senior Desk does not run the course and is not a course provider; FLHSMV publishes the list of approved providers."
  },

  "va_aid_attendance": {
    "source": "va_pension",
    "effective_date": "2025-12-01",
    "mapr_aid_attendance": {
      "veteran_no_dependents": 29093,
      "veteran_one_dependent": 34488,
      "surviving_spouse_no_dependents": 18697
    },
    "net_worth_limit": 163699,
    "ume_deductible_above_pct_of_mapr": 5,
    "apply_url": "https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound/",
    "note": "Aid and Attendance is an increase to the VA pension for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities or pay for care. It is measured on COUNTABLE income: total income MINUS unreimbursed medical and care expenses that exceed 5% of the base MAPR. Because assisted-living and in-home-care costs are deductible, a veteran with substantial income can still qualify — which is why take-up is so low: people self-screen out on the raw income number. Net worth (assets plus annual income) must be under the limit; the home and one vehicle do not count. Figures are effective December 1, 2025."
  },

  "snap_fl": {
    "source": "snap",
    "elderly_age": 60,
    "net_income_limit_pct_fpl": 100,
    "resource_limit_elderly_or_disabled": 4500,
    "medical_expense_deduction_floor_monthly": 35,
    "administered_in_fl_by": "the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), through ACCESS Florida",
    "apply_url": "https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance/food-assistance-snap-program",
    "florida_no_asset_test_note": "Florida uses broad-based categorical eligibility, so most SNAP households — including seniors — face no asset test. The $4,500 elderly/disabled resource limit is the federal figure, kept here for reference; the screener does not apply it and does not discourage anyone over it.",
    "note": "SNAP helps buy food. A household with a member age 60 or older (or disabled) is EXEMPT from the gross-income test and is measured on the NET test only — income after deductions at or below 100% of the poverty guideline. Unreimbursed medical costs above $35 a month are deductible, and the shelter deduction is uncapped for these households, so many people who look over the line on gross income still qualify. FY2026 figures (Oct 1, 2025-Sep 30, 2026)."
  },

  "lifeline": {
    "source": "lifeline",
    "income_limit_pct_fpl": 135,
    "monthly_benefit": 9.25,
    "monthly_benefit_tribal": 34.25,
    "qualifying_programs": ["SNAP", "Medicaid", "Supplemental Security Income (SSI)", "Federal Public Housing Assistance", "Veterans and Survivors Pension"],
    "apply_url": "https://www.lifelinesupport.org/",
    "note": "Lifeline is a monthly discount on phone or internet service. Qualify by income (household income at or below 135% of the poverty guideline) OR by taking part in a qualifying program — so anyone approved for SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, federal housing help, or a VA pension already qualifies. One benefit per household."
  },

  "irmaa_context": {
    "source": "irmaa",
    "status": "CONFIRM",
    "note": "IRMAA is a Medicare surcharge set by the tax return from TWO years earlier (modified adjusted gross income), NOT current income. It is named here only to show why there is no single 'income' — the 2026 IRMAA tiers were not confirmed for this file, so no tier is stated as a dollar amount. This program is context, not something the screener tests for."
  }
}