If anyone in your SNAP household is age 60+ or receives disability benefits, medical costs above $35 a month can be deducted from your income — which raises your SNAP benefit.
It is one of the most under-claimed deductions in the entire program: most eligible households claim nothing.
Here’s what counts, what proof you need, and how the math works as of August 2026.
Who can claim it?
Only households with an elderly or disabled member:
- Age 60 or older, or
- Receiving SSI, SSDI, or certain other disability-based benefits (including some veterans’ disability payments).
The deduction applies to that member’s medical expenses — not the whole household’s.
Which expenses count?
More than most people expect. Allowable costs include:
- Health insurance premiums — including Medicare Part B, Part D, and Medigap premiums you pay out of pocket
- Prescription drugs and insulin, plus copays
- Over-the-counter items a doctor recommended (aspirin, vitamins, supplements — with a provider’s note in many states)
- Dental care, dentures, glasses, contacts, hearing aids and batteries
- Transportation to medical care — mileage, bus fare, taxi costs to appointments and the pharmacy
- Home health aides, attendant care, and some costs of a service animal (food, vet bills)
- Unpaid medical bills you’re still paying off, in many states
What doesn’t count: costs an insurer reimburses, and general living costs with no medical connection.
How does the math work?
Only the amount above $35 a month is deducted.
Example: a 67-year-old pays a Part B premium plus $60 in prescriptions and copays each month. If the total is, say, $245:
- $245 − $35 = $210 medical deduction
- That $210 comes off countable income.
- Lower net income raises the benefit — as a rule of thumb, each $3 of deduction adds roughly $1 of monthly SNAP, and it can also help a borderline household pass the net income test.
Note the interaction: households with an elderly/disabled member face no gross income test — only the net test. Medical deductions are often exactly what gets such a household under the line. Several states also offer a standard medical deduction (a fixed amount once you show expenses over $35), which spares you from documenting every receipt — ask if yours does.
How do you claim it?
- Tell your caseworker at application or recertification that a member is 60+ or disabled and has medical costs. The question is often skipped — raise it yourself.
- Bring proof: premium statements (the Medicare premium shows on your Social Security award/COLA letter), pharmacy printouts (ask the pharmacy for an annual summary — one call gets everything), receipts, mileage logs.
- Report changes when costs rise — a new prescription or premium increase can be added mid-certification.
If the agency refuses expenses you believe qualify, request the decision in writing; it’s appealable.
Related reading: the SNAP interview and what they ask, and using an EBT card online for grocery delivery — useful for the same households claiming this deduction.
FAQ
Is there a cap on the deduction?
No federal cap. Documented expenses above $35/month are deductible in full (standard medical deduction states handle it slightly differently).
Do Medicare premiums really count?
Yes, any premium you actually pay. If a Medicare Savings Program pays your Part B for you, that premium no longer counts (you’re not paying it).
My state pays some drug costs. What counts then?
Only your out-of-pocket share. Reimbursed amounts never count.
One-time big bill — surgery, dental work?
States can average a one-time expense over the certification period or count it in one month. Ask which treatment helps you more.