WCCF Salem Giving Tree Fund Awards Grants to Salem Teachers

Not everyone can do everything, but everyone can do something and those somethings add up. In this case, the somethings are a couple of dollars out of each paycheck for Salem Community Schools employees that choose to give to the Salem Community Schools Giving Tree Fund.

This year, four Salem Community Schools educators were awarded grants from the fund.

Pam Barry’s Kindergarten classroom will be learning STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) activities geared to develop thinking skills, reasoning, teamwork, investigative, and creative skills that students can use throughout life.

Students in Brooke Ingram’s Kindergarten class will be using the Osmo system. The system will give students a new way of interacting with classroom IPads by utilizing a special pencil. Students will be able to work independently while others are working in small groups.

Third grade teachers, Emily Johnson and Crystal Mikels, are collaborating to continue the Ready Set Make STEM Club. Students will meet after school to develop problem solving skills in the realm of STEM.

Washington County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1993 to serve donors, award grants, and provide leadership to improve Washington County forever

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Tax Help for Caregiver of Elderly Parents

Are caregiving expenses tax deductible? I provide a lot of financial support to my elderly mother and would like to find out if I can write any of it off on my taxes.
There are actually several tax deductions and credits available to adult children who take care of their aging parents or other relatives. Here are your options along with the IRS requirements to help you determine if you're eligible to receive them.

Dependency Deduction

If you're paying for more than 50% of your mom's living costs (housing, food, utilities, medical and dental care, transportation and other necessities), and her 2016 gross income (not counting her Social Security benefits) was under $4,050, you can claim your mom as a dependent on your tax return and reduce your taxable income by $4,050.
Note that your mom doesn't have to live with you to qualify as a dependent, as long as her income was under $4,050 and you provided more than half her financial support.
If your mother does live with you, you can include a percentage of your mortgage, utilities and other expenses in calculating how much you contribute to her support. IRS Publication 501 (see irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p501.pdf) has a worksheet that can help you with this. To receive this, or other IRS publications or forms via mail, call 800-829-3676.

Shared Support

If you share the financial responsibility for your mom with other siblings, you may be eligible for the IRS multiple-support declaration. Here's how this works. If one sibling is providing more than half the parent's financial support, only that sibling can claim the parent. But if each sibling provides less than 50% support, and their combined assistance exceeds half the parent's support, then any sibling who provides more than 10% can claim the parent as a dependent. But only one sibling can claim the tax break in any given year. Siblings can rotate the tax break, with one claiming the parent one year and another the next. The sibling who claims the parent as a dependent will need to fill out IRS Form 2120 (irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2120.pdf) and file it with his or her tax return.

Medical Deductions

If you can't claim your mom as a dependent, you may still get a tax break for helping pay her medical costs. The IRS lets taxpayers deduct money spent on a parent's health care and qualified long-term care services, even if the parent doesn't qualify as a dependent.
To claim this deduction, you still must provide more than half your mom's support, but your mom doesn't have to be under the $4,050 income test. The deduction is limited to medical, dental and long-term care expenses that exceed 10% (or 7.5% if you're 65 by Dec. 31, 2016) of your adjusted gross income. You can include your own medical expenses in calculating the total. See IRS publication 502 (irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf) for details.

Dependent Care Credit

If you're paying for in-home care or adult day care for your mom so you are free to work, you may also be able to claim the Dependent Care Tax Credit, regardless of whether or not your mom qualifies as a dependent on your tax return. This credit can cut up to $1,050 off your tax bill for the year. In order to claim it, you must fill out IRS Form 2441 (irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2441.pdf) when you file your federal return.

Check Your State

In addition to the federal tax breaks, more than 20 states offer tax credits and deductions for caregivers on state income taxes. Check with your state tax agency to see what's available. For links to state tax agencies see taxadmin.org/state-tax-agencies.
Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Published January 13, 2017

How to Organize Your Affairs

My wife and I would like to get our personal and financial affairs in order so our kids will know what's going on if we get sick or die. What tips can you offer?
Organizing your key information and getting your personal and financial affairs in order is a great gift to your loved ones.
To help you get started, your first step is to gather up all of your important personal, financial and legal information so you can arrange it in a format that will benefit you now and your loved ones later.
Then you'll need to sit down and create various lists of important information and instructions of how you want certain things handled when you die or if you become incapacitated. Here's a checklist of areas you need to focus on.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Contacts: Make a master list of names and phone numbers of close friends, clergy, doctors, and professional advisers such as your lawyer, accountant, broker and insurance agent.
Medical information: Include a list of medications you and your spouse take, along with any allergies and illnesses.
Personal documents: Include such items as your birth certificates, Social Security cards, marriage license, military discharge papers, etc.
Secured places: List all the places you keep under lock and key or protected by password, such as safe deposit boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc.
Service providers: Provide contact information of the companies or people who provide you regular services such as utility companies, lawn service, etc.
Pets: If you have a pet, give instructions for the care of the animal.
End of life: Indicate your wishes for organ and tissue donation (see organdonor.gov), and write out your funeral instructions. If you've made pre-arrangements with a funeral home include a copy of agreement, their contact information and whether you've prepaid or not.

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Will, trust and estate plan: Include the original copy of your will and other estate planning documents you've made.
Financial power of attorney: This document names someone you trust to handle money matters if you're incapacitated.
Advance health care directives: These documents (see caringinfo.org) - a living will and medical power of attorney - spell out your wishes regarding your end-of-life medical treatment when you can no longer make decisions for yourself.

FINANCIAL RECORDS

Financial accounts: Make a list of all your bank accounts, brokerage and mutual fund accounts and any other financial assets you have.
Debts and liabilities: Make a list of any loans, leases or debt you have - mortgages owed, car loans, student loans, medical bills, credit card debts. Also, make a list of all credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information.
Company benefits: List any retirement plans, pensions or health benefits from your current or former employer including the contact information of the benefits administrator.
Insurance: List the insurance policies you have (life, long-term care, home, auto, Medicare, Medigap, prescription drug, etc.) including the policy numbers, agents and phone numbers.
Property: List real estate, vehicles and other properties you own, rent or lease and include documents such as deeds, titles, and loan or lease agreements.
Taxes: Include the location of your tax records and your tax preparer's contact information.

Keep all your organized information and files together in one convenient location, ideally in a fireproof filing cabinet or safe in your home. Also be sure to review and update it every year, and don't forget to tell your loved ones where they can find it.
If you need help, get a copy of 12 Critical Things Your Family Needs to Know. This is an excellent 60-page workbook available at 12criticalthings.com for $15 or $19 for the downloadable versions, or $25 for a printed copy.
Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Published January 6, 2017

Local Football Players Turnover Hunger

Issue a challenge to high school football players, sit back, and watch what happens.

Several months ago, our local football teams were challenged to raise money for the Food Bank Fund in the Washington County Community Foundation by getting friends and family to pledge a certain dollar amount for every turnover that they forced.

This was a new activity and no one knew how it would go.

Our kids, however, rise to the occasion when they are challenged. In total, our high school players raised over $5,900.00 in pledges for the Food Bank Fund.

“For the short amount of time we gave ourselves for this project, we are very excited about the outcome,” said Andrew Burks, member of the West Washington coach staff. “A lot of the credit goes to our community foundation, to Judy and Lindsey. They really made it easy on us.”

“A big thank you also goes out to Luke, RJ, and Phillip, as well as the many, many people who gave.”

Plans are to make this an annual fundraiser.

“With proper planning and increased awareness, we hope to double the amount raised next year,” said Burks. “Moreover, we are working with other southern Indiana coaches from other counties and their foundations to turn this into to a positive program for our entire region.”

The mission of the Washington County Community Foundation is to engage people, build resources and strengthen our community. Visit the website at www.wccf.biz and like the Foundation on Facebook.

Discount Benefits for Baby Boomers

What types of discounts are available to baby boomers, at what age do they kick in and what's the best way to go about finding them?
One of the great perks of growing older in America is the many discounts that are available to boomers and seniors.
There are thousands of available discounts on a wide variety of products and services including restaurants, grocery stores, travel and lodging, entertainment, retail and apparel, health and beauty, automotive services and much more. These discounts typically range between 5% and 25% off and can add up to save you hundreds of dollars each year.
Here are some tips and tools to help you find these discounts.

Always Ask

The first thing to know is that most businesses don't advertise discounts, but many give senior discounts when asked if one is available.
You also need to know that while some discounts are available as soon as you turn 50, others may not kick in until you turn 55, 60, 62 or 65.

Search Online

Because senior discounts frequently change and can vary depending on where you live and the time of the year, an online search is the easiest way to help you locate current discounts.
To do a search, start by visiting SeniorDiscounts.com, which lists thousands of discounts that you can search for by city and state and by category.
You can also look for discounts at TheSeniorList.com, which provides a large list of national and regional business chains that offer them. You can also go to Google.com and type in the business or organization you're curious about, followed by "senior discount" or "senior discount tickets."
If you use a smartphone, another tool is the Sciddy app (see Sciddy.com). This app lets you search for senior discounts and can send you alerts when you're at an establishment that offers them.

Join a Club

Another way to receive senior discounts is through membership organizations like AARP, Seniors Coalition or the American Seniors Association. AARP, for example, offers its 50 and older members a wide variety of discounts through affiliate businesses and sponsors.
For federal workers, there's also the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.

Types of Discounts

Here's an abbreviated list of some of the different types of discounts you can expect to find.
Restaurants: Senior discounts are common at restaurants and fast food establishments, including Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Subway, Wendy's, Applebee's and Golden Corral. These discounts range from free or discounted drinks to discounts off your total order.
Retailers: Many thrift stores and retailers offer a break to seniors on certain days of the week. Some of these stores include Goodwill, Banana Republic, Kohl's, Michaels and Ross.
Supermarkets: Many locally owned grocery stores offer senior discount programs, as do some chains like Albertsons, Kroger, Publix and Fry's Supermarkets. Some offer discounts on certain days of the week but they vary by location.
Travel: Southwest Airlines provides the best senior fares in the U.S. to passengers 65 and older. Amtrak offers a 15% discount and Greyhound offers 5% off to travelers over 62. Most car rental companies provide discounts to customers who belong to organizations like AARP. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival cruise lines offer discount rates to cruisers 55 and over. In addition, most hotels offer senior discounts, usually ranging from 10% to 30%.
Entertainment: Many movie theaters, museums, golf courses, ski slopes and other public entertainment venues provide reduced admission to seniors over 60 or 65. Additionally, the National Park Service offers a lifetime pass for those 62 and up for $10 (see nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm).
Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Published December 30, 2016

Nice is named the 2017 LECS recipient

Jaelen Nice has been named the recipient of a four-year, full tuition scholarship as the Washington County Community Foundation 2017 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.

Nice was surprised after basketball practice with the assistance of coach, Hank Weedin. Lindsey Wade-Swift with the Washington County Community Foundation and Weedin collaborated and decided to bring Nice in to brainstorm ideas of how to encourage more students to attend the basketball game in January for which there are free tickets. “Most students are ready to go home after a long day of school and practice, but Jaelen was more than willing to meet with us. In fact, he was going to shoot more baskets after practice. That’s very telling of his character and drive,” Wade-Swift stated.

“When I found out, I really didn’t know what to think. I was excited and humbled at the same time. I just feel very blessed to have an opportunity like this. It still doesn’t seem real to me yet. I’m just so incredibly thankful,” states Nice.

Jaelen plans on pursuing a degree in Biochemistry or Radiology and is leaning towards attending Anderson University.

He is an integral part of the Lions Tennis team and Basketball team, a member of Student Council, the Washington County Youth Foundation, Vice- President of National Honor Society, Science Club, Booster Club, FCA President, and Vice-President of the Senior Class.

Nice participates in several community service projects such as Dare to Care food distribution, Jump Start, school blood drives, Relay for Life, VBS, and many more. He has also received many athletic and academic awards including Tennis All-Conference, FCA Christian Athlete Award, National History Day Career Award, and academic excellence in math, English, history, Spanish, and science.

Thirty-four applications were turned in for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship to the Washington County Community Foundation. The WCCF has developed a score sheet and ranking based on criteria that includes: GPA, SAT/ACT scores, Financial Need, First Generation College Student, Activities, Community Service, Honors/Awards, and Essay. The top students are then chosen to interview in front of the WCCF Scholarship Committee. After the Washington County Community Foundation scholarship committee narrowed the field to 4 nominees, the finalists’ names were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for the selection of the recipients.

ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.

The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree. There were 142 scholarships awarded statewide.

Washington County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1993 to serve donors, award grants, and provide leadership to improve Washington County forever.

How to Spot and Fix Medical Billing Mistakes

After a recent hospital stay, I have a stack of confusing medical bills at home I need to decipher. I've heard these bills frequently contain mistakes. How do I spot them to ensure I'm not paying more than I should?
Medical billing errors and overcharging is not uncommon. According to the American Medical Association, 7% of medical bills in 2013 had errors. Other groups estimate that figure to be much higher. Unfortunately, untangling those mistakes is almost always up to you. Here are some tips and tools that can help.

Check for Errors

To help you get a grip on your medical bills and check for errors, you need to familiarize yourself with what your insurance does and doesn't cover. Then you need to carefully review the explanation of benefits from your insurer and the invoices you receive from your doctor, hospital and/or outpatient facility providers.
These invoices need to be itemized bills detailing the charges for every procedure, test, service and supply you received. If you didn't receive an itemized invoice, request it from your health care providers. And if the invoices contain any confusing billing codes or abbreviations that you don't understand, ask them for an explanation. You can also look up most medical billing codes online by going to any search engine and typing in "CPT" followed by the code number.
Once you receive and decode the invoices, check for these mistakes:

Typos: Incorrect billing codes, a misspelled name or a wrong policy number.
Double billing: Being charged twice for the same services, drugs, or supplies.
Canceled work: Charging for a test your doctor ordered, then canceled.
Phantom services: Being charged for services, tests or treatments that were never received.
Up-coding: Inflated charges for medications and supplies.
Incorrect length of stay: Most hospitals will charge for the admission day, but not for day of discharge. Be sure you're not paying for both.
Incorrect room charges: Being charged for a private room, even if you stayed in a semi-private room.
Inflated operating room fees: Being billed for more time than was actually used. Compare the charge with your anesthesiologist's records.

To make sure the charges on your bill are reasonably priced, your insurance provider may offer an online price transparency tool. You could also use the Healthcare Blue Book (healthcarebluebook.com) or Guroo (guroo.com). These are free resources that let you look up the going rate of many procedures, tests or services in your area.

Make Corrections

If you find errors or have questions about charges, contact your insurer and your health care provider's billing office. When you call, be sure you write down the date, time and name of the person you speak to and a summary of the conversation, in case you need to refer back to it at a later time.
If there's a billing code error or some other mistake that's easily correctable, ask your health care provider to resubmit a corrected claim to your insurance company.

Get Help

If you aren't able to resolve the dispute on your own, you may want to consider hiring a medical billing advocate to work on your behalf. To find someone, try sites like billadvocates.com or claims.org. Most advocates charge an hourly fee — somewhere between $50 and $200 per hour — for their services, or they may work on a contingency basis, earning a commission of 25% to 35% of the amount they save you.
If you're a Medicare beneficiary, another resource is your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). They provide free counseling and can help you understand your medical bills and Medicare coverage. To find a local SHIP counselor visit shiptacenter.org or call 800-633-4227.
Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Published December 23, 2016

How to Create a Safe 'Aging-in-Place' Home

My husband and I are thinking about making some modifications to our home so we can remain living there for as long as possible. Can you recommend some good resources that can help us with aging-in-place ideas?
Many retirees, like you and your husband, want to stay living in their own house for as long as possible. But being able to do so will depend on how easy it is to maneuver in your home as you get older. Here are some helpful resources to give you an idea of the different types of features and improvements you can make that will make your house safer and more convenient as you age.

Home Evaluation

A good first step in making your home more age-friendly is to do an assessment. Go through your house, room-by-room, looking for problem areas like potential tripping or slipping hazards, as well as areas that are hard to access and difficult to maintain. To help with this, there are several organizations that have aging-in-place checklists that point out potential problems in each area of the home, along with modification and solutions.
Rebuild Together, for example, has a two-page "Safe at Home Checklist" that's created in partnership with the Administration on Aging and the American Occupational Therapy Association. Go to AOTA.org and search for "Rebuilding Together Safe at Home Checklist."
The National Association of Home Builders also has an "Aging-in-Place Remodeling Checklist" that offers more than 100 suggestions to help homeowners age 50-plus live safely, independently and comfortably. Go to NAHB.org and search for "Aging in Place Remodeling Checklist."
Also check out AARP's excellent resource called the "HomeFit Guide" that's filled with 28-pages of tips and diagrams to make your entire home safe and easier to live in as you age. You can access it at AARP.org - search for "HomeFit" or call 888-687-2277 and ask them to mail you a free copy.

Personalized Advice

If you want more personalized help, consider getting a professional in-home assessment with an occupational therapist.
An occupational therapist, or OT, can evaluate the challenges and shortcomings of your home for aging-in-place, recommend design and modification solutions and introduce you to products and services to help you make improvements.
To find an OT in your area, check with your physician, health insurance provider or local hospital, or seek recommendations from family and friends. Many health insurance providers, including Medicare, will pay for a home assessment by an OT if prescribed by your doctor. However, they will not cover the physical upgrades to the home.
Another option is to contact a builder who's a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). CAPS are home remodelers and design-build professionals that are knowledgeable about aging-in-place home modifications and can suggest ways to modify or remodel your home that will fit your needs and budget. CAPS are generally paid by the hour or receive a flat fee per visit or project.
To find a CAPS in your area visit the National Association of Home Builders website at NAHB.org/capsdirectory where you can search by state and city.
Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Free Basketball Tickets for Students of Salem Community Schools

Due to the generosity of Stanley Colglazier and Sara Colglazier to the Washington County Community Foundation, students of Salem Community Schools will receive free tickets to the January 28, 2017 JV and Varsity basketball games versus Eastern High School. Students may enter through any door accessible to the gymnasium and will need to sign-in for entrance to the game. Salem students are strongly encouraged to wear Salem or black and gold attire. The tickets are available for students attending Salem Community Schools in grades K-12; however, students in elementary school are required to be accompanied by an adult. This is a great way to spend quality time together as a family while showing school spirit. This is also a great idea for a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, 4-H club, church youth group, or other group field trip. Be sure to take advantage of these free tickets as the Lions face off against county rivals, the Musketeers. For questions regarding tickets, please call the Washington County Community Foundation at 883-7334 or SHS athletic director, Hank Weedin at 883-3904.

Locating Lost Life Insurance Policies

When my mom passed away we thought she had a life insurance policy, but we have no idea how to track it down. Do you know of any resources that might help?
Lost or forgotten life insurance policies are very common in the U.S. It's estimated that more than $7 billion in benefits from unclaimed life insurance policies are waiting to be claimed by their rightful beneficiaries.
Unfortunately, there isn't a national database for tracking down these policies, but there are a number of strategies and a few new resources that can help your search. Here are several to get you started.
Search her records: Check your mom's financial records or storage areas where she kept her important papers for a policy, records of premium payments or bills from an insurer. Also contact her employer or former employer benefits administrator, insurance agents, financial planner, accountant, attorney or other adviser and ask if they know about a life insurance policy. You might also check safe-deposit boxes, monitor the mail for premium invoices or whole-life dividend notices, and review old income-tax returns, looking for interest income from, and interest expenses paid to, life insurance companies.
Contact the insurer: If you suspect that a particular insurer underwrote the policy, contact that carrier's claim office and ask. The more information you have, like your mom's date of birth and death, Social Security number and address, the easier it will be to track down. Contact information of some big insurers include: Prudential 800-778-2255; MetLife Metlife.com/policyfinder; AIG 800-888-2452; Nationwide 800-848-6331; John Hancock JohnHancock.com - click on "Contact Us" then on "Account Search Request."
Get state help: Nineteen state insurance departments have a policy locator service program that can help you locate lost life insurance, and many other states offer resources that can help you with your search. To find direct access to these resources visit the American Council of Life Insurers website at ACLI.com/consumers - click on "Missing Policy Tips."
Search unclaimed property: If your mom died more than a few years ago, benefits may have already been turned over to the unclaimed property office of the state where the policy was purchased. Go to MissingMoney.com, a website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, to search records from 40 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The pull-down menu under Links connects you to a map and addresses for unclaimed property agencies. To find links to each state's unclaimed-property division use Unclaimed.org.
If your mom's name or a potential benefactor's name produces a hit, you'll need to prove your claim. Required documentation, which can vary by state, is detailed in claim forms—a death certificate might be necessary. If you need a copy of your mom's death certificate, contact the vital records office in the state where she died or go to VitalChek.com.
Search fee-based services: There are several businesses that offer policy locator services for a fee. The MIB Group, for example, which is a data-sharing service for life and health insurance companies, offers a policy locator service at PolicyLocator.com for $75. But it only tracks applications for individual policies made since 1996.
You can also get assistance at Policy Inspector (PolicyInspector.com) for $99, and L-LIFE (LostLifeIns.com) for $108.50, who will do the searching for you.
Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Published December 9, 2016