Resources
Senior Resources in Palm Beach County, FL
A lot of what older adults in Palm Beach County need falls outside any health plan. This page lists the offices and programs our callers ask about most, from Jupiter down to Boca Raton: free Medicare counseling, Social Security, help with premiums, bus fares and rides, meals, libraries and care for veterans.
If the office you need isn't here, call us. We'll help you track down the right number, and we can look at your plan while we're on the phone.
- SHINE counseling, Social Security and ACCESS Florida
- Palm Tran fares, CONNECTION rides and meals
- VA care and county veteran services
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Type a plan name, a deadline or a question in your own words.
Medicare counseling and benefits
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SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders)
Florida's free Medicare counseling program, run by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs with the local Area Agencies on Aging. Trained volunteers help one on one with plan choices, Medicare bills and Extra Help forms, and they don't sell insurance. Call 1-800-963-5337 or visit floridashine.org.
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Area Agency on Aging Palm Beach/Treasure Coast
701 Northpoint Pkwy., Suite 115, West Palm Beach. The Helpline takes questions from older adults and family caregivers, and the agency offers SHINE counseling on Medicare, drug plans and long-term care. Helpline 1-866-684-5885, or (561) 684-5885 locally.
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Social Security offices
Palm Beach County has offices at 801 Clematis St., Suite 2, in West Palm Beach and at 621 NW 53rd St. in Boca Raton. Staff there can enroll you in Parts A and B, take a retirement claim or replace a Medicare card. Book a visit at 1-800-772-1213, or handle many tasks at ssa.gov.
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ACCESS Florida (Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs)
Run by the Florida Department of Children and Families. Apply for Medicaid online through MyACCESS. The Medicare Savings Programs, which DCF calls Medicare Buy-In, use a paper Medicaid/Medicare Buy-In Application that you mail or fax in. They can pay your Part B premium. Call center: (850) 300-4323.
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Medicare.gov
The official Medicare site. Use it to compare plans in the plan finder, look up what's covered and check sign-up dates. Phone help is at 1-800-MEDICARE.
Rides, meals and libraries
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Palm Tran half fare
A regular bus ride is $2. Show your Medicare card and it's $1. Riders 65 and older can also get the half fare with a Florida ID or driver's license. Reduced day and month passes are sold too. Customer service: (561) 841-4287.
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Palm Tran CONNECTION
Shared door-to-door rides for Palm Beach County residents with disabilities. You must apply and be approved first: call (561) 649-9838, option 7. Once approved, you can book a trip as far as three days out. The reservation line is open daily from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. A one-way ride is $4.
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Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches
Fresh dinners delivered three days a week to homebound seniors from Jupiter and Tequesta south to Century Village in Boca Raton. Prices run on a sliding scale, and some veterans qualify for free meals. Call (561) 802-6979, ext. 7, for a phone screening.
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County senior centers and meal sites
The Palm Beach County Division of Senior and Veteran Services runs senior centers on Lake Worth Rd., on Northlake Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens and in Belle Glade, plus lunch sites for adults 60 and up around the county. Call (561) 355-4740.
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Palm Beach County Library System
The Main Library is at 3650 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach, (561) 233-2600, with branches from Tequesta to West Boca. Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach run their own city libraries too.
Care for veterans
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Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center
7305 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach. This is the former West Palm Beach VA Medical Center. Since the VA can't bill Medicare, ask us how your VA care lines up with a Medicare plan. Call (561) 422-8262 or 800-972-8262.
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VA clinics in Boca Raton and Delray Beach
The Boca Raton VA Clinic is at 901 Meadows Rd., (561) 416-8995. The Delray Beach VA Clinic is at 4800 Linton Blvd., Suite E300, (561) 422-6510. Both offer outpatient care for veterans enrolled at the VA.
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Palm Beach County Veteran Services
County veteran service officers help with VA benefit claims at no charge. Offices include 6415 W. Indiantown Rd. in Jupiter, (561) 964-5459, and 345 S. Congress Ave. in Delray Beach, (561) 357-7110.
Hurricane season and your prescriptions
When a disaster or emergency is declared, Medicare drug plans lift their refill-too-soon limits and can cover a larger supply. Florida law also requires state-licensed insurers to allow an early refill of at least 30 days once a county is under a hurricane warning or a state of emergency. If a declared emergency kept you from making a plan change, ask 1-800-MEDICARE about a special enrollment period. Our Part D guide for Palm Beach County covers the rest.
Help paying premiums and drug costs
If money is tight, two programs can help. Extra Help cuts what you pay for Part D, and Florida's Medicare Savings Programs can cover the Part B premium. Apply for Extra Help through Social Security and for the savings programs through ACCESS Florida. SHINE at 1-800-963-5337 will walk you through the forms, and we're glad to go over whether you're likely to qualify.
Palm Beach Senior Insurance has no ties to any government agency and is not endorsed by one. This list is a community reference, so check with each organization for current hours, eligibility rules and services.
Coverage guides
Not sure who to call?
Tell us what you're trying to get done. We'll find the office that handles it and look over your Medicare coverage while you're on the line.