benefit period benefit period a benefit period is a length of time during which a benefit is paid. this may be a government benefit such as the british housing benefit, or a healthcare benefit system such as the american medicare, or payment from an insurance policy such as a payment protection insurance which covers mortgage or other commitments after accident, illness or redundancy. it may also be known as the payment period. a related terms is benefit week used in calculation of entitlement to benefits. medicare in the context of the united states healthcare system medicare, a benefit period begins the day a beneficiary is admitted to a hospital or skilled nursing facility (snf). the benefit period ends when the beneficiary has not received any inpatient hospital care (or skilled care in a snf) for 60 days in a row. if a beneficiary is readmitted into a hospital or snf after one benefit period has ended, a new benefit period begins. benefit year or season a benefit year or season is a period during which a sports person is granted the benefit of various activities by his or her club or other organisation. see benefit (sports)