Since 1937, the Colorado Constitution has insured Colorado residents' basic retirement income and health coverage. The Old Age Pension (OAP) program provides assistance and health care benefits for low-income adults aged 60 or older.
Medical Benefits
All Old Age Pension recipients qualify for medical coverage of:
- Inpatient hospital services
- Outpatient hospital services
- Home health care
- Laboratory and x-ray services
- Physician services
- Pharmacy services
- Medical transportation
- Dental care (limited to surgical procedures)
- Medical supplies and durable equipment
Some Old Age Pension recipients may also qualify for nursing home care, community care, inpatient psychiatric care, Adult Foster Care, or a Home Care Allowance
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for OAP you must:
- Be aged 60 or older.
- Have a gross monthly income below the established program income limits. If you receive Home Care Allowance, this amount may be larger.*
- Have resources below $200 (couple resources below $300).**
- Be a U.S. citizen or be eligible under requirements for aliens.
- Be a resident of Colorado.
Notes:
*Income is anything that can be used to purchase food, clothing, or shelter. Some examples include wages, social security, pensions, child support and unemployment benefits, and spouse's income.
**Resources are any money that remains unspent from a prior month. Some examples include cash checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, insurance policies, and secondary property.
The home, a car, personal belongings, household goods, some burial policies, and some life insurance policies are EXEMPT. They are not counted as part of your resources. However, a Medicaid lien may be filed on a property to be collected after death.
How to Apply
To apply for OAP, you must complete an application packet. Please call (719) 383-3100 if you would like a packet mailed to you. Applications cannot be processed until all forms within the packet are completed and returned to our office. You can expect the processing of a new application to take up to 45 days.
You will need several documents to verify the information and you may need to come in for a face-to-face interview. If you do not have all of your required paperwork in order before the interview, you can gather it after.