Staten Island (Richmond County): Medicare cost programs and where to get free help

Staten Island is Richmond County on every Medicare and Medicaid record. It has one in-person HIICAP site on NYC Aging's citywide list, in St. George near the ferry, and one HRA Medicaid office listed on nyc.gov/hra, which means most Staten Islanders handle the Medicare Savings Programs, Extra Help, and EPIC by phone and mail. That works fine. The programs are the same as in the rest of the city; the difference is that fewer people on the island know they exist, because the island has a larger share of homeowners on fixed incomes who never had Medicaid and never assumed they could get help with Medicare costs.

This page is for Staten Island residents who have Medicare and are living on Social Security, a small pension, or both: the widow in a paid-off house on the South Shore whose income is under the QI limit but who has never applied for anything, the couple in a Mid-Island co-op paying two Part B premiums, the person in a North Shore apartment who has Medicaid and wants to make sure the Medicare premium is being covered, and the adult child in New Jersey or Brooklyn helping by phone. It is also for people over 65 who pay full price at the pharmacy and have not looked at EPIC.

HRA, not a county office. Richmond County has no Department of Social Services. Medicaid for people 65 and over, people with disabilities, and Medicare beneficiaries is administered by the NYC Human Resources Administration, and the Medicare Savings Program application (DOH-4328) is filed with HRA. The Staten Island Medicaid office location is on nyc.gov/hra. The HRA Medicaid Helpline is the same citywide number used in the other boroughs, and for many islanders it is the more practical channel.

HIICAP through NYC Aging. The statewide HIICAP line routes by county; say "Richmond" or "Staten Island." NYC Aging's citywide listing shows one Staten Island community site, the Community Agency for Senior Citizens (CASC) on Stuyvesant Place in St. George, by appointment. From the South Shore that is a long bus ride, so many residents use phone counseling, which is the same program with the same training. Aging Connect books appointments.

Separate doors for Extra Help and EPIC. Extra Help is a Social Security application (the island has a Social Security office, and the phone line works from anywhere). EPIC is a state program for people 65 and older in a Part D plan who do not have full Medicaid, which describes a large share of Staten Island retirees. A HIICAP counselor can tell you which applications make sense and in what order.

HRA asks for proof of residency, identity, income, and immigration status, and requires proof of Medicare. For a Staten Island MSP application that typically means:

• Medicare card, or the Social Security letter with your Medicare start date.
• Photo ID or another accepted identity document.
• Income proof: Social Security benefit letter, pension statements, pay stubs, any rental income.
• Proof of a Staten Island address: a property tax or utility bill, lease, or official mail.
• Citizenship or immigration documents when they cannot be verified electronically.

Owning a home does not by itself block a Medicare Savings Program in New York, because the state applies no resource test to those programs. A full Medicaid application does count resources (with the home usually exempt). If you are applying for MSP only, bank statements are typically not needed. Send copies. HRA generally defers an incomplete application rather than denying it. The document guide is on nyc.gov/hra.

For orientation only: Staten Island University Hospital North in Ocean Breeze and South in Prince's Bay; Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton; and the Staten Island Ferry terminal and Borough Hall in St. George, which are near the CASC counseling site but are not Medicaid or Medicare offices.