How to Apply for an OTC Card in Massachusetts

There is no standalone application for an OTC card in Massachusetts. To learn how to apply for an OTC card in Massachusetts, treat it as a two-step path: qualify for MassHealth Standard, then enroll in a health plan that includes an over-the-counter benefit. In practice, that plan is almost always a Senior Care Options (SCO) plan, which is built for people 65 and older who have both Medicare and MassHealth.

Who Can Get One

OTC cards ride along with specific plans, not with MassHealth membership by itself. The benefit generally reaches you through a Senior Care Options plan, which requires that you be 65 or older, live in Massachusetts, and have MassHealth Standard coverage. SCO plans bundle Medicare and MassHealth into one package, and the OTC allowance is one of the extras included.

Seven SCO plans operate in Massachusetts for 2026, and each covers a different set of counties:1Mass.gov. Senior Care Options Plans

  • Commonwealth Care Alliance: Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester
  • Fallon Health NaviCare: Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester
  • Mass General Brigham SCO: Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk
  • Senior Whole Health SCO: Bristol, Essex, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester
  • Tufts Health Plan Senior Care Options: Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester
  • UnitedHealthcare: Bristol, Essex, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester
  • WellSense Senior Care Options: Barnstable, Bristol, Hampden, Plymouth, and Suffolk

Your county determines which plans you can pick from. If you are under 65 or do not qualify for MassHealth Standard, you cannot join a Senior Care Options plan, and the OTC benefit that comes with SCO enrollment will not be available to you.

Step 1: Apply for MassHealth

If you are not already enrolled, start here. MassHealth is the Massachusetts Medicaid program, and MassHealth Standard is the coverage level SCO plans require. Before you apply, pull together:2Mass.gov. Apply for MassHealth, the Health Safety Net, or the Childrens Medical Security Plan

  • Social Security numbers for every household member who is applying
  • Employer and income information for everyone in the household, such as paystubs or wage statements
  • Details about any current health insurance you have or can access through a job

You can apply in three ways.

Online

Create an MA Login account at mass.gov and complete the application electronically. The same account is used for annual renewals later, so setting it up now saves work down the road.2Mass.gov. Apply for MassHealth, the Health Safety Net, or the Childrens Medical Security Plan

By Mail

Fill out and sign the Massachusetts Application for Health and Dental Coverage and Help Paying Costs, then mail it to:

Health Insurance Processing Center
PO Box 4405
Taunton, MA 027802Mass.gov. Apply for MassHealth, the Health Safety Net, or the Childrens Medical Security Plan

Paper applications typically take a few weeks to process.3Massachusetts Health Connector. How Long Does It Take to Process a Paper Application

By Phone

Call the MassHealth Customer Service Center at (800) 841-2900 to complete the application over the phone.4Mass.gov. MassHealth Some MassHealth Enrollment Centers offer in-person help as well.

MassHealth will send a written decision. If anything is missing, they will contact you with a deadline to submit it.

Step 2: Enroll in a Plan That Includes the OTC Benefit

Approval for MassHealth Standard is only half the picture. The OTC card itself comes from the health plan you choose. For people 65 and older who also have Medicare, that means picking a Senior Care Options plan.

Once you are a MassHealth member, compare plans at MassHealthChoices.com or call (800) 841-2900 to enroll. If you are already in a MassHealth managed care plan that does not include OTC benefits, you can move during the annual Plan Selection Period, a 90-day window that lets you change plans for any reason.5Mass.gov. MassHealth Plan Selection Period

After you enroll in an SCO plan, the plan mails a welcome packet with your member ID and your OTC card. If the card has not arrived within a few weeks, call your plan’s member services line to check on it.

Already on MassHealth and Wondering Where Your Card Is

A lot of people looking into OTC cards already have MassHealth and want to know why one has never shown up. The reason is almost always the plan. If you are in a standard MassHealth managed care plan or the Primary Care Clinician Plan, and not in a Senior Care Options plan, an OTC benefit is not part of your coverage.

To move into a plan that offers one, visit MassHealthChoices.com or call (800) 841-2900. Remember the eligibility floor: SCO plans require that you be 65 or older and have both Medicare and MassHealth Standard.5Mass.gov. MassHealth Plan Selection Period

What the Benefit Is Worth

Dollar amounts vary by plan and can change every year. Two 2026 examples give a sense of the range:

  • WellSense Senior Care Options loads $75 onto the card each month, totaling $900 per year.6WellSense Health Plan. WellSense Senior Care Options Brochure
  • Tufts Health Plan Senior Care Options provides a quarterly credit of $115 for Medicare-approved OTC items and a separate quarterly credit of $235 for Medicaid-approved OTC items and eligible groceries, up to $1,400 per year across both credits.7Tufts Medicare Preferred. 2026 Tufts Health Plan Senior Care Options (D-SNP)

Other SCO plans set their own amounts. Check each plan’s Summary of Benefits or call member services for the current figure before you enroll.

How the Balance Cycles

Most Massachusetts OTC benefits run on a quarterly cycle. Your plan loads a set amount at the start of the quarter, and whatever you have not spent by the end of that quarter is gone. Unused funds do not roll over, and you cannot borrow against future quarters.7Tufts Medicare Preferred. 2026 Tufts Health Plan Senior Care Options (D-SNP) Some plans, like WellSense, reload monthly, but the same forfeiture rule applies at the plan’s stated interval.6WellSense Health Plan. WellSense Senior Care Options Brochure State sales tax on your purchases comes out of the allowance, so keep that in mind when you are near your limit.8Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. 2026 Over-The-Counter (OTC) Item Catalog