Where to Get Free Help With Senior Care Costs in California

Most of it runs through the California Department of Aging and the local agencies it funds. Each office answers a different kind of question, so the first step is matching the question to the office. The phone numbers here were on the department's own pages when this guide was published. Confirm them there before you rely on one.

The main sources are:

HICAP is the state's Medicare counseling program. The Department of Aging says it provides free, confidential one-on-one counseling, education and assistance on Medicare, long-term care insurance, other health insurance issues and planning ahead for long-term care needs. It also provides legal assistance or legal referrals for Medicare and long-term care insurance problems.

The department says HICAP counselors are trained in Medi-Cal and Medicare. Counseling is for people 65 or older who are eligible for Medicare, younger people with a disability who are eligible, and people who will soon be eligible.

For a family looking at assisted living, HICAP is the place to ask what a Medicare plan covers, how to appeal a denial, and how to read a long-term care insurance policy. Our guide on whether Medicare pays for assisted living covers the basics first.

The Department of Aging contracts with 33 Area Agencies on Aging that coordinate services for older adults and adults with disabilities at the community level. You can find yours by calling 800-510-2020 or by choosing your county on the department's Find Services page. The department's list has separate entries for Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles.

Legal Services are offered through the same agencies. The department says they help with legal problems concerning housing, consumer fraud, Social Security, SSI, Medicare, Medi-Cal, pensions, nursing homes, conservatorships and other matters, and that they are open to people 60 or older regardless of income. This is the place to start with a benefits denial or a question about a contract when hiring an attorney is out of reach.

Caregiver Resource Centers are a separate statewide network. The department says every resident has access to one, and that each center provides core services to families and caregivers at low or no cost. Those include family consultation and care planning, financial assistance for respite care, and legal and financial consultation with attorneys on powers of attorney, advance directives, conservatorships and estate and financial planning.

People outside California can call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, which the department lists for services in other states.

Call when the person already lives in a care home or nursing home and something is going wrong. The Department of Aging says Ombudsman representatives assist residents of long-term care facilities with issues related to day-to-day care, health, safety and personal preferences. Its list of problems includes violations of residents' rights, poor quality of care, Medicare and Medi-Cal benefit issues, and improper transfer or discharge of a resident.

The department says all Ombudsman services are provided for free, all complaints are confidential, and representatives follow the resident's wishes. Every long-term care facility must post the local Ombudsman number and the statewide hotline, 1-800-231-4024, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In an emergency, call 911.

For money questions the Ombudsman is most useful when a bill dispute, a rate change or a discharge notice is involved.

For VA benefits, VA says the services an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative provides on a benefit claim are always free. A VSO representative can help gather evidence, file a claim and communicate with VA. VA has an online search tool for finding one. An accredited attorney or claims agent may charge fees, but only after VA has decided the initial claim. Our guide to VA Aid and Attendance explains the pension most relevant to care costs.

For a broad check, USA.gov, an official website of the United States government, has a benefit finder. You select categories such as health, military and veterans, or retirement and seniors, and it shows benefits you may qualify for with information on how to apply.

For Medi-Cal, HICAP or your Area Agency on Aging can point you to your county's Medi-Cal office.

A counselor can do more in one call if you have the facts in front of you. It also helps to know what free help looks like, since not everyone who offers benefits advice is a public program.

• Have ready: the person's Medicare card and any plan or long-term care policy, a list of monthly income, a rough list of savings and property, and any military discharge papers.
• Have ready: the letter or notice you are calling about, with its date.
• Be cautious if someone asks for payment to prepare a first VA claim. VA says fees are allowed only after its decision on the initial claim, and only for accredited attorneys and claims agents.
• Be cautious if advice about qualifying for a benefit comes with a financial product to buy.
• Be cautious if you are asked to move or sign over assets quickly. Ask Legal Services or an elder law attorney first.

Hamssa Benrekia is a senior living placement specialist in Torrance who works with families in the South Bay and Harbor area of Los Angeles County. Her help is free for families, but she is not a public program: she is paid a referral fee by the care home after a move-in, as our page on whether senior placement is free explains. She does not give benefits, legal or financial advice. Once you know your budget, she can shortlist licensed assisted living communities and board and care homes that may fit it. To talk about homes, contact Hamssa. For the ways families cover the bill, see how to pay for assisted living in California and the California Assisted Living Placement Guide.