We provide this free financial resource to visitors of the Community Room of SeniorSSuperStoreS in an effort to keep baby boomers, seniors and the elderly informed of matters that can affect their lifestyle.

SeniorS SuperStoreS strives to provide you valuable information concerning issues of interest and importance for everyone, and especially you, our guests.In this effort we ran across this article that deals with the Benefits Check Up that you can take to determine what federal and state benefits you may be entitled to.

New Survey Shows that Seniors Spending More Time Online and Finding More Web Resources such as Medical and Health Information.

America Online, Inc.has launched the first ever online service -- www.BenefitsCheckUp.org -- to provide older Americans with one-stop access to information about federal and state benefits. AOL's GovernmentGuide.com will host the new Web-based service, which was developed by the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) with support from AOL and other companies. NCOA is the nation's first national, non-profit group of organizations and professionals dedicated to promoting the well-being of older people.

By completing a free, confidential survey on BenefitsCheckUp.org, older Americans, their families, caregivers and community organizations can access a report of all the benefits available to them as well as how to claim them. Nearly one thousand unique state and federal programs are covered by this new online service, including financial assistance, health care, nutrition and prescription drug programs, home energy and weatherization benefits, and legal and transportation services. Like AOL's GovernmentGuide.com, this new online service will be available to anyone logging onto the Internet.

Americans age 65 and over represent over 13 percent of the U.S. population. This number is expected to double over the next three decades, as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age. Today more than five million seniors -- many living at or below the nation's poverty line -- are missing out on hundreds of state and federal benefits programs. For example, three million seniors are not receiving full Medicaid benefits, and almost 4 million are eligible for, but do not receive food stamps every year. Billions of dollars go unspent each year due to lack of awareness of these programs, complexity of application forms, language barriers and other obstacles. With BenefitsCheckUp.org, older Americans and their families can now locate the information and apply for federal and state benefits faster and easier.

According to the second annual AOL "Senior Wired" survey released last month, the Internet is becoming a more important and frequent part of older Americans' daily lives. The survey -- which examined how older adults (age 55 and over) feel about and use the Internet -- revealed that 41% of the respondents have been online for one to three years, and 48% have been online more than four years. The average amount of time older Americans in the top ten "wired" cities are spending online is 20 hours per week, and 93% of those surveyed feel the Internet has improved their lives.

The survey also revealed that over 58 percent of seniors use the Internet to search for medical and health information. BenefitsCheckUp.org will specifically address their needs, helping to improve their health care, financial well-being and quality of life.

"Seniors -- one of the fastest growing online populations -- are increasingly logging onto the Internet, to not only keep in touch with loved ones but get valuable information as well," said Katherine Borsecnik, President of AOL Brand Programming and Product Operations. "America Online has been a leader in providing easy access to online government resources. With BenefitsCheckUp.org, seniors can now find helpful, relevant and comprehensive guidance just a few clicks away."

"As research has shown, many older Americans are unaware of what types of benefits they are entitled to," said Kathy Bushkin, President, AOL Time Warner Foundation and Senior Vice President, AOL Time Warner, Inc. "We are pleased to be part of this partnership with the National Council on the Aging and others to help America's seniors find the benefits they need and deserve."

Nearly one-seventh of today's current elderly population -- an estimated 5.2 million older Americans - have a limitation in performing normal daily activities such as housekeeping, chores, or preparing food. BenefitsCheckUp.org offers seniors and those who care for them an alternative to standing in long lines or spending weeks or even months trying to get information about these programs.

"Millions of Americans are missing out on billions of dollars in benefits every year," said James Firman, EdD, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Council on the Aging. "There are literally hundreds of programs listed on BenefitsCheckUp.org that can help improve the quality of their lives and most seniors don't know either how to find them or take advantage of them."

America Online, Inc. worked with the National Council on the Aging to help launch this unique website, which provides the first ever one-stop access to all federal and state benefits available today. BenefitsCheckUp.org is also available at AOL Keyword: BenefitsCheckUp.

In addition to hosting the site on AOL's popular GovernmentGuide.com, AOL, in collaboration with other AOL Time Warner brands, will promote the service widely. AOL Time Warner provided funding to the National Council for the Aging to help operate BenefitsCheckUp.org. The new online service was also developed with the support of New York Life, The Merck Foundation, Lucent Technologies, the U.S. National Institute on Aging and the Archstone Foundation.

To get more details, please click here to go to the Benefits Check Up site.