How to find assistance for patients going home, for hospital discharge planners in 2026

Q: Is Benefit Buddy free to use?

Finding benefits is free for everyone, signed in or not. A paid Plus tier costs $4.99 a month. You can also try a shared demo account without signing in, and it resets every day. Check the price and what Plus includes before choosing a paid plan.

Steps for hospital discharge planners to screen a patient's household for government help, state programs and health plan extras before discharge.

By CleverDings · 2026-10-25

CleverDings is published by the makers of Benefit Buddy, Postal Buddy and Packing Buddy, which are compared here alongside other apps.

Gather the patient's household facts and income documents first, then screen for likely programs and note what is missing for each. A screening tool such as Benefit Buddy can show which benefits may apply and what step stands in the way, but the agency decides. ^[1]

Option	What it does	Cost
Benefit Buddy	Checks government help, the state's own programs, and perks in health plans, insurance, cards and jobs against the household. ^[1]	Finding benefits is free; Plus costs $4.99 a month. ^[1]
State benefits website	Not published here; check which programs it screens for before applying.	Not published
Local aging services office	Not published here; ask whether it offers benefits counseling.	Not published
Patient's health plan	Not published here; call the number on the card and ask what extras are included.	Not published

What you need before you start

Discharge planners work on a short clock, so having the basic facts ready saves calls back to the patient and family. Write them down once and reuse them for every agency and tool.

Who lives in the home. The patient's age, who else lives there, and the state and county the patient is going back to.
Income. Monthly amounts from Social Security, pensions, work, and any interest or rent. Recent tax returns, W-2 forms, 1099 forms or IRS transcripts show this.
Savings and property. Bank balances, other accounts, and whether the patient owns the home. Some programs ask about these and some do not.
Health coverage. Insurance cards, any Medicare Advantage plan name, supplemental or long term care insurance, and any retiree plan.
Military service. A DD-214 if the patient served.
Consent. The patient should agree to the search. Some agencies will only talk to a family member or planner if the patient is present or has signed a release.

Do not copy full Social Security numbers into notes or chats. Keep them on paper or with the agency.

Step by step

Most of the work is gathering facts, then checking each program once.

Write a short household summary. A few sentences: age, who lives where, income sources, health needs, and the state and county. You will reuse it for every tool and call.
List the program types. Think in groups: food help, health coverage, help paying for medicines, home energy bills, housing, property tax relief, veterans benefits, and disaster aid if the patient lives in an affected area.
Find the state's names for each program. Federal programs often go by a different name in each state, so search with the state name and the program.
Screen before you apply. Use a screening tool or the state benefits site to see which programs look likely. A screening result is a hint, not a decision.
Note what is in the way. For each program, write down whether the patient seems to qualify, what step is missing, or which question would settle it. Common blockers are an income figure not yet confirmed, a missing document, or an enrollment window.
Check the perks already paid for. Look at the patient's health plan, insurance, credit cards, memberships and any former employer. Some include extras that go unused.
Apply through the agency itself. Use the official application, or ask a local aging services office or a benefits counselor to sit with the patient and family.
Keep a record. Track what was applied for, on what date, who was spoken to, and when to follow up.
Recheck when things change. Income, health and household details change, and so do rules and deadlines, so look again when they do.

Tools that can do it

Several kinds of help fit this job. Pick based on how much typing you want to do and whether you also want to talk to a person.

The state benefits website. It is where applications are filed. Check whether it has a screening step before the application, and which programs it covers.

A local aging services office. Many areas have an office for older adults with staff who can walk through programs. Ask whether it offers benefits counseling and whether appointments are needed.

The patient's health plan. Call the number on the card and ask what extras the plan includes. Ask for the list in writing.

Benefit Buddy. Benefit Buddy checks government help, the state's own programs, and perks in the patient's health plan, insurance, cards and job against the household. ^[1] You tell it about the patient's household in a few sentences and answer a few questions. ^[1] It covers programs like SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and WIC, plus the state's versions under their own names. ^[1] For each benefit it says whether the patient qualifies, what one step stands in the way, or which question would settle it. ^[1] It also checks the household against perks already in a health plan, insurance, cards and job. ^[1] You can name the patient's Medicare Advantage plan to see its extras, with dollar amounts the plan states. ^[1] Instead of typing, you can add a document such as a tax return, W-2, 1099, IRS transcript or DD-214. ^[1] You can tick benefits off as you use them or dismiss ones you don't want. ^[1] Finding benefits is free for everyone, signed in or not. ^[1] You can also try a shared demo account without signing in, and it resets every day. ^[1] The app is made for the web and phones. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Starting with forms. Gather income and coverage facts first. Half-finished applications waste time and can confuse the agency.
Treating a screening result as approval. Only the agency decides. Use results to decide what to apply for and what to ask.
Skipping the state's version of a program. The federal name may not be the name on the state site.
Guessing at income. Use a document, not memory, and check whether the program counts gross or net income.
Forgetting perks already owned. Health plans, insurance and memberships may include extras that nobody has used.
Missing deadlines. Write down enrollment windows and any disaster sign-up dates the day you find them.
Leaving the patient and family out. Agencies often need the patient's consent, and the patient knows details the planner may not.
Not keeping records. Note dates, names and reference numbers for every call and application.

Frequently asked questions

Where should hospital discharge planners start when finding assistance for patients going home?

Start with a short summary of the patient's household: age, state and county, who lives at home, income sources and health coverage. Gather recent income documents and insurance cards before the first call. With that in hand, screen for likely programs, note what is missing for each one, and then apply through the agency itself. Share the summary with the patient and family so they can correct any facts before anything is filed.

What documents are needed to check a patient's benefits before discharge?

Useful documents include recent tax returns, W-2 or 1099 forms, IRS transcripts, Medicare and insurance cards, and a DD-214 if the patient served in the military. Bank and property details can matter for some programs. You can add one of these documents to Benefit Buddy instead of typing its details. ^[1] Keep full Social Security numbers on paper or with the agency, not in casual notes, and confirm any income figure against a document rather than memory.

Does a screening tool say a patient will be approved?

No. A screening result is a hint about which programs to pursue, and the agency makes the decision when the application is filed. For each benefit, Benefit Buddy says whether the patient qualifies, what step is in the way, or which question would settle it. ^[1] Use those results to decide what to ask the agency and which facts still need confirming.

Is Benefit Buddy free to use?

Finding benefits is free for everyone, signed in or not. ^[1] A paid Plus tier costs $4.99 a month. ^[1] You can also try a shared demo account without signing in, and it resets every day. ^[1] Check the price and what Plus includes before choosing a paid plan.

Can Medicare Advantage extras be looked up for a patient?

Yes. In Benefit Buddy you can name the Medicare Advantage plan to see its extras, with dollar amounts the plan states. ^[1] If you use another route, call the number on the plan card and ask for the extras in writing, so you can check them later. Confirm the plan name with the patient first.

Finding benefits is free; Plus costs $4.99 a month. ^[1]

Try Benefit Buddy

Sources

Benefit Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)