How We Research Our Guides

Our Research Philosophy

Accuracy and reliability come before everything else. The topics we cover — Medicare eligibility, Medicaid income limits, Social Security benefit amounts, assisted living costs, veterans benefits — fall under what is commonly known as "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) categories. Errors in this kind of content can lead to real harm: missed enrollment windows, incorrect benefit estimates, or poor care decisions.

We believe that seniors and their families deserve access to the same quality of information that policy experts and benefits counselors rely on. That means going directly to primary government sources rather than relying on secondhand summaries, and cross-referencing data points across multiple authoritative references.

Our research is conducted under the direction of Paul Paradis, who oversees the sourcing, verification, and editorial quality of every guide we publish.

Primary Government Sources

The foundation of our research is official data from federal and state government agencies. These are the primary sources we draw from for each major topic area:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

CMS is our primary source for all Medicare and Medicaid content. We reference CMS for:

• Official Medicare rules, coverage policies, and enrollment procedures
• Medicare Part A, Part B, Part C (Medicare Advantage), and Part D plan data
• Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copayment amounts for the current year
• Medicaid federal requirements, matching rates, and program guidelines
• Dual-eligibility rules for individuals who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid
• Medicare.gov plan finder data for plan comparisons and enrollment information

Social Security Administration (SSA)

The SSA is our primary source for all Social Security and SSI content. We reference the SSA for:

• Social Security retirement benefit amounts, including maximum and average benefit levels
• Eligibility rules for retirement, disability (SSDI), and survivor benefits
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) federal benefit rates and eligibility criteria
• Annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) announcements and their effect on benefit amounts
• Full retirement age schedules, early retirement reduction factors, and delayed retirement credits
• Earnings limits for beneficiaries who continue working

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

The VA is our primary source for all veterans benefits content. We reference the VA for:

• VA healthcare eligibility, enrollment priority groups, and copayment rates
• Aid and Attendance pension benefit amounts and eligibility requirements
• Veteran-directed home and community-based care programs
• State veterans homes and VA nursing home eligibility
• Survivor benefits including Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
• VA caregiver support programs

State Departments of Health and Human Services

Because many programs — particularly Medicaid, assisted living regulations, and home care programs — are administered at the state level, we research state-specific data from each state's relevant agencies. This includes:

• State Medicaid income and asset limits, which vary significantly from state to state
• Medicaid waiver programs for home and community-based services (HCBS)
• State-specific assisted living licensing requirements and regulations
• State pharmaceutical assistance programs (SPAPs) that supplement Medicare Part D
• State supplement payments for SSI recipients
• State-administered programs such as SNAP, LIHEAP, and property tax relief for seniors

Medicare.gov

As the official consumer-facing portal for Medicare, Medicare.gov provides essential data that we reference for:

• Plan finder data for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans
• Enrollment period dates and deadlines
• Nursing home and home health agency quality ratings (Care Compare)
• Medicare coverage determination information

Industry Research Sources

Beyond government data, we reference established industry research organizations for cost benchmarking, trend analysis, and supplementary data:

Genworth Cost of Care Survey

The Genworth Cost of Care Survey is our primary benchmark for care cost data. This annual survey provides median costs for assisted living facilities, home health aides, homemaker services, adult day health care, and nursing home care across all 50 states and hundreds of metropolitan areas. We use this data to provide readers with realistic cost expectations for their specific location.

American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI)

AALTCI is a leading source for long-term care insurance industry data. We reference AALTCI for information about long-term care insurance premiums, claim statistics, policy trends, and the overall state of the long-term care insurance market. This helps us provide context when discussing how seniors can plan for and finance long-term care needs.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

The BLS provides labor market and economic data that we use for:

• Home health aide and personal care aide wage data, which influences the cost of in-home care
• Consumer Price Index data relevant to healthcare cost trends
• Occupational outlook data for care-related professions
• Regional cost-of-living comparisons that affect the affordability of care

National Council on Aging (NCOA)

NCOA is a respected advocacy and research organization focused on older adults. We reference NCOA for:

• Research on benefits access and utilization among seniors
• Data on the benefits gap — how many eligible seniors miss out on programs they qualify for
• Best practices for benefits screening and enrollment assistance
• Policy analysis on programs affecting older Americans

Our Update Process

Senior benefits programs are not static. Eligibility rules change, benefit amounts are adjusted, costs fluctuate, and new programs are introduced. Our update process is designed to keep our guides current and accurate.

Annual Review Cycle

Our guides are reviewed and updated to reflect current-year program rules, benefit amounts, and eligibility thresholds. The annual review cycle is tied to the major events that trigger program changes:

• Medicare Open Enrollment (October – December): We update Medicare guides to reflect new premiums, deductibles, plan changes, and coverage updates for the coming year.
• Social Security COLA Announcements (typically October): When the Social Security Administration announces the annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment, we update all benefit amount references across our Social Security and SSI guides.
• State Medicaid Program Changes: State Medicaid programs can change their income limits, asset thresholds, covered services, and waiver programs at various points throughout the year. We monitor and update state-specific guides as changes are confirmed.
• Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Updates: When updated Federal Poverty Level guidelines are published (typically in January), we update all guides that reference FPL-based eligibility thresholds.
• Care Cost Data: When new Genworth Cost of Care Survey data or other cost benchmarks are released, we update our cost-related content accordingly.

Ongoing Monitoring

Between scheduled review cycles, we monitor for significant program changes, legislative updates, and policy announcements that may affect the accuracy of our existing guides. When we identify a change that materially affects the information in a published guide, we update that guide outside of the normal review cycle.

Quality Controls

Our research and publication process includes multiple quality controls to maintain accuracy:

• Multi-step verification: Key data points — such as benefit amounts, income limits, and eligibility rules — are verified against primary sources before publication. We do not publish specific figures without source confirmation.
• Cross-referencing: Whenever possible, we cross-reference information across multiple authoritative sources. For example, a state Medicaid income limit might be confirmed by both the state's Medicaid agency website and CMS federal data.
• Subject-matter review: All content is reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and clarity by Paul Paradis, who has extensive experience researching and writing about senior benefits programs.
• Source documentation: We maintain records of the sources used for each guide so that data points can be traced back to their origin and re-verified during updates.
• Reader feedback loop: We take correction reports from readers seriously. All reader-reported errors are investigated against primary sources, and verified errors are corrected promptly. This feedback loop helps us identify issues that may have been missed during our internal review.

Limitations

We are committed to transparency about what our research can and cannot guarantee:

• Not real-time data: While we update our guides regularly, we cannot guarantee that every data point reflects real-time changes. Government programs can be modified through legislative action, administrative rulemaking, or emergency measures at any time. There is always a potential gap between when a change occurs and when our guide is updated.
• General information, not personalized advice: Our guides provide general information about programs, eligibility rules, and costs. They cannot account for your individual circumstances, which may include factors that affect your eligibility or benefits in ways our guides do not address.
• State-level complexity: Programs like Medicaid are administered differently in every state, and some states have dozens of waiver programs with unique eligibility rules. While we strive for comprehensive state coverage, the complexity of 50 different state systems means there may be local programs or nuances we have not yet captured.
• Cost estimates: Cost data in our guides is based on surveys, averages, and medians. Actual costs in your area may differ from the figures we report, especially in rapidly changing markets.

Our strong recommendation: Always verify critical information with official government sources and consult with licensed professionals before making decisions about your benefits, care, or finances. Our guides are a starting point for your research, not a substitute for professional guidance.

Related Policies

Our research methodology works hand in hand with our other editorial and quality policies:

• Fact-Checking Policy — Our specific procedures for verifying factual claims and correcting errors in our guides.
• Editorial Policy & Standards — Our commitment to editorial independence, accuracy, and accountability.
• About Us — Learn more about our mission and what we cover.
• Our Author — Learn about Paul Paradis, the researcher behind our guides.
• Contact Us — Report errors or ask questions about our research.