Nevada Medicare Assistance Program (MAP): Free Medicare Counseling
What Nevada MAP Does
The Nevada Medicare Assistance Program (MAP) is the state's SHIP — State Health Insurance Assistance Program. It provides free, one-on-one Medicare counseling through trained volunteers and staff who have no financial interest in selling you a plan. That last part matters. Unlike the broker websites and 1-800 numbers that flood Medicare searches, MAP counselors don't earn commissions and don't capture your information for insurance sales leads.
MAP is administered by the Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD) and operated regionally by contracted nonprofits:
- Statewide hotline: 1-800-307-4444
- Northern Nevada: Access to Healthcare Network — (775) 284-1892
- Southern Nevada: Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican — (702) 616-4926
What MAP Counselors Help With
MAP counselors screen you for Medicare Savings Program (QMB, SLMB, QI) eligibility and help with basic application completion. They compare Part D plans during Annual Enrollment, explain Medicare Advantage options, and answer questions about coverage gaps.
They're especially useful if you're new to Medicare and overwhelmed by the enrollment options. A counselor can sit with you, review your prescriptions, and help you pick a Part D plan that actually covers your medications at the lowest cost.
MAP also runs the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), which helps beneficiaries identify and report Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse on claims.
Where MAP Falls Short
MAP is grant-funded, and that creates real constraints:
Appointment backlogs during Annual Enrollment. From October 15 through December 7, counselor calendars fill with plan comparison appointments. If you need help with an MSP application during that window, expect a wait.
No ongoing case management. A MAP counselor can help you fill out the DWSS application form. They cannot monitor whether DWSS processed it, track your 45-day timeline, chase down a missing verification request, or follow up when your Part B premium refund is delayed. Once the appointment ends, administrative follow-through falls on you.
No legal representation. If DWSS denies your application and you need to file a fair hearing appeal, MAP counselors cannot represent you. They can refer you to Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada at (702) 386-0404 or Nevada Legal Services, but they can't prepare your case or appear at the hearing.
No authorized representative authority. A MAP counselor cannot sign applications on your behalf, call DWSS to discuss your case details, or receive your notices of decision. Only someone designated as your authorized representative on Form 2525-EE — usually an adult child or family member — can do that.
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When to Use MAP vs. a Process Guide
MAP is the right first stop if you need someone to explain what QMB, SLMB, and QI are and whether you might qualify. It costs nothing and the advice is unbiased.
Where families run into trouble is after that initial screening — the weeks-long stretch of gathering documents, submitting the application through the right channel, responding to DWSS verification requests by the deadline on the notice, tracking the 60-to-90-day premium refund timeline, and knowing what to do if a provider sends you a bill they legally cannot collect.
The Nevada Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide picks up where MAP leaves off: a structured system you follow from application through approval, refund, and annual renewal, including the dispute scripts and appeal worksheets that MAP cannot provide.
Get Your Free Nevada — Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Checklist
Download the Nevada — Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.