Delaware grants
& benefits: DPAP, ASSIST and school tax credits.

Most Delawareans on Medicaid are enrolled in a managed care plan under the Diamond State Health Plan. DHSS says it does not look at resources when deciding Medicaid eligibility, so owning a car, a bank account or a home does not rule you out, and you can hold a job and still qualify.

From January 1, 2027, adults 19 through 64 in the expansion group need 80 hours of monthly activity, counting a job, volunteer or community service, a work program, or school or training at least part time. Earning $580 or more a month also satisfies it. Renewals also move from once a year to every six months.

DHSS lists exemptions for parents, guardians and caretakers of children 13 and under, family caregivers of someone with a disability, veterans with a 100% rating, pregnant and postpartum members, people in addiction treatment, former foster youth under 26, and anyone meeting SNAP or TANF work rules.

A separate federal change to which noncitizens can get Medicaid starts October 1, 2026. DHSS will mail a notice before each renewal date saying whether coverage simply continues or whether it needs proof of your hours or of an exemption.

How the program works nationally, including expansion, is in our Medicaid program guide.

The Delaware Prescription Assistance Program pays up to $3,000 per person each year toward medically necessary drugs and Medicare Part D premiums. The state funds it with tobacco settlement money through the Delaware Health Fund, under Title 16, Chapter 30B of the Delaware Code.

You qualify at 65 or older, or under 65 while receiving Social Security Disability, provided household income stays within 200% of the federal poverty line. If your income is higher, you can still qualify when your prescription costs run above 40% of your yearly income.

At the pharmacy you pay 25% of the price, with a $5 minimum. Anyone eligible for Medicare has 90 days from the DPAP start date to show enrollment in a Part D drug plan, plus Extra Help if eligible. People with full Medicaid cannot use it. Call 1-844-245-9580 for a form; the whole process works by mail.

The Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau (DMAB), once called ELDERinfo, is the state's free Medicare counseling service inside the Department of Insurance. Trained volunteers help with Part D, Medigap, Medicare Advantage, billing problems and low-income programs. Call 1-800-336-9500 or 302-674-7364.

Senate Bill 71 took effect January 1, 2026. Anyone holding a Medigap policy now gets a window that opens 30 days before their birthday and stays open at least 30 days after it, to switch to a policy with the same or fewer benefits without medical underwriting.

The law also guarantees a Medigap policy to people who leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare during fall open enrollment or the January 1 to March 31 window. Insurers cannot turn those applicants down, although they may rate them individually and apply a pre-existing condition limit.

Under an older law, SB 42, insurers that sell Medigap to people 65 and over must offer the same policies to people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability. Those new enrollees get six months from the start of benefits to buy one.

State programs that cut Medicare premiums and drug costs are covered in our guide to low-income Medicare help.

Homeowners 65 or older can take a credit of 50% of regular school property tax, up to $500, on their primary residence. Anyone who set up legal domicile in Delaware on or after January 1, 2018 must first live here 10 straight years. People who arrived from 2013 through 2017 need three.

Apply by April 30 for the coming tax year, with a driver's license or state ID for each applicant. The tax bill must be paid in full by the end of each tax year to keep the credit for the next one. Forms go to your county: New Castle (302-395-5520), Kent (302-744-2341) or Sussex (302-855-7871).

Veterans paid 100% VA compensation for a permanent and total service-connected disability, through a 100% rating or individual unemployability, owe no non-vocational school district tax on their home. They need three years of Delaware domicile and the same April 30 filing.

Delaware Paid Leave, run by the Department of Labor, began taking claims on January 1, 2026. It replaces 80% of your weekly wage, up to $900 a week, while you are off work for a new child, your own serious illness, a family member's serious health condition, or a relative's overseas military deployment.

Leave for a new child runs up to 12 weeks a year. Medical, caregiver and deployment leave each allow up to six weeks every 24 months, and all types together cannot pass 12 weeks in one year.

To qualify you must do at least 60% of your work in Delaware, have 12 months with your employer and 1,250 hours of service in the last 12 months. File in the LaborFirst portal through my.delaware.gov. Claimants can call 302-761-8375 or email PFMLClaims@delaware.gov.

About 120,000 Delawareans use SNAP. Most households qualify with gross income up to 200% of poverty, which works out to $2,660 in monthly gross income for a single person from October 1, 2026, and the top benefit for one person is $306. Households getting TANF, General Assistance or SSI skip the income test.

Two federal changes reached Delaware in 2026. Since April 1, most lawful permanent residents need five years in that status. Able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 without a child younger than 14 in the household now get three months before an 80 hour monthly work rule applies, and veteran and homeless exemptions ended.

Winter heating help through the Delaware Energy Assistance Program runs October 1 to March 31, with income capped at 60% of state median income. Crisis help for a shutoff notice, past-due bills or a fuel tank at 10% or less is open all year, and a summer cooling payment follows for those who applied that year.

Apply on ASSIST, or call Catholic Charities in New Castle (302-654-9295), Kent (302-674-1782) or Sussex (302-856-6310). First State Community Action Agency in Georgetown also takes applications at 1-800-372-2240. DNREC runs free weatherization at 302-735-3480.

Surname-letter deposit days, the 200% table and hearing rules are in our Delaware food stamps guide.

How the federal energy program works in every state is explained in our LIHEAP program guide.