by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

More than 125,000 people die every year in the United States due to medication errors, said Cindy Fleming, an LPN with Asbury Durable Medical Equipment in Oklahoma City.
“That is so bad,” she said. “But like today I have a lady coming home from a skilled unit. So you know what I’m up against,” Fleming said. “She’s going to have her meds in a bubble pack, and half of them are going to come from home. So she’s going to be very confused to what’s what.”
So Fleming intends to recommend to the woman’s family that she obtain her medications from a Paratapass machine. This devise can hold 208 medications depending on the type of medication a pharmacist dispenses.
What it does is strip packs those medications by packing morning medications together, as well as packing all the noon and evening medications as needed.
They are properly labeled to have a description of the medication with the expiration date and dosage times. The patient does not have to fill a pill box or try to remember the date and time because it is written down.
“So they will know if they took it or not,” said Laura Cudd, a board certified pharmacist and owner of Asbury Pharmacy.
Patients discharged from a hospital after 30 days with certain medical conditions such as heart attacks, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and other acute cardiac problems will sometimes find that Medicare will not pay the same hospital when they require a second visit.
They end up going to another hospital while the first hospital is docked by Medicare for not preparing the patient properly, Cudd said.
Cudd came to Asbury Pharmacy from the Oklahoma Heart Hospital where she served as the clinical pharmacy manager.
“When I was there, what I did was design programs,” Cudd said. “I did things for meeting Medicare requirements and pain management protocols and diabetes protocols and all this kind of stuff.”
One of the things she focused on was patient re-admissions, investigating if why patients come back has anything to do with their medicines. She found that many patients were having a lot of problems due to not taking their medicine correctly. Cudd realized the next step in her career would be to address that issue. However, she didn’t feel she could accomplish her goal within the walls of the hospital.
“It’s always that transitional period when the patient leaves the hospital that they have problems,” Cudd explained.
There are many things a pharmacist can do to help patients, but they cannot control every aspect relating to patient care, she continued. There remains the issue of whether the patient will have a drug-related error when sent home and begin taking their medicine.
“It’s pretty surprising when people don’t always know how to take their medicines,” Cudd said. “Or they think they know and then the accidentally mess up.”
Knowing this information led Cudd to purchase a Paratapass for her pharmacy. The adherence ratio in the United States averages being nine to 10 days late in filling a prescription, Cudd said. This adds up to two months a year for patients being without their prescriptions. So the Paratapass machine helps patients bridge that gap by providing an extra month and a half of medication coverage that are crucial to health and survival, Cudd said.
When a patient is taking their medication appropriately in a manner that negates confusion then they are not missing days being without it.
“You don’t have them accidentally missing doses because they are dated and timed,” Cudd said. Fleming understands the benefit of the Paratapass because she came to work at Asbury Durable Medical Equipment with a background in home health. She works as a wound care specialist. Fleming also keeps an active administrator’s license.
“When I saw that she was launching this, I was so happy because home health battles this on a daily basis,” Fleming said.
Physicians will see a patient and tell home health nurses to provide a med planner, something Medicare does not provide the patient.
“They don’t consider that a skilled nursing need,” Fleming said. “People 65 and older take five medicines. That includes pharmaceuticals for the prescriptions, vitamins, minerals and supplements.”
The first month of a patient’s discharge from a hospital is crucial. Fleming said Oklahoma has started a new care coordinator’s group that meets quarterly. The group examines hospital rates, taking into account the number of patients hospitalized in the last six months. Where do the patients go?
“13,000 were discharged home. So many thousand were discharged to home health. So many went to hospice and so many went to nursing homes,” Fleming said. “But Medicare has mandated that these are penalty diagnoses they’re not going to pay for. And these hospitals are already struggling that are facing several hundred-thousand-dollar worth of fines.”
They are in rural under-served areas, so it’s a crisis, Cudd said.
The Paratapass helps patients remain safe and avoid returning to the hospital because they are taking their medicines in the correct manner.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Growing up in the tiny borough of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, Bruce Heikes would travel most weekends and summers to nearby Hershey around midnight to don an apron.
At age 15, he worked for Louis Memmi, who owned G. Memmi and Sons Bakery.
“Man you roll down the window on the way there and you can just smell the chocolate,” Heikes said. “It’s overpowering it smells so good.”
It was in the shadow of the Hershey’s Chocolate empire that Heikes’ career began to rise.
More than 40 years later, Heikes continues to pour his artistry and love for what he does into everything he bakes at Johnnie’s Sweet Creations in Oklahoma City.
The shop at 8419 S Western is not only Heikes’ livelihood, it’s his life.
It’s easy to see when children walk into the shop and a big smile spreads across his face.
“Who wants a cookie?,” he says, with a grin that’s always returned with one just as big.
IN IT FOR THE DOUGH
Growing up, fresh-baked goods were the norm.
The bakery where Heikes learned to bake bread had a delivery truck that made daily rounds to all the supermarkets.
There were no plastic-wrapped, preservative-laden loaves that could sit on store shelves for weeks at a time.
“You’ve got to worry when you take a loaf of bread you just bought and put it on top of the refrigerator where the heat comes up from the back and it keeps for a month,” Heikes said. “They’ve got so many preservatives in there you could die and still keep going for weeks.”
His brother-in-law brought Heikes and his brother, Ron, to Oklahoma to work for Skaggs Albertson’s.
A move to Buy For Less as a bakery and deli manager followed as did a stint in Ingrid’s Kitchen.
He eventually became a food broker for a company that sold bakery products to the warehouse that sells to many Oklahoma grocery stores.
It was a Monday through Friday job, something Heikes never had.
But for some strange reason, he wanted to own a bakery.
Heikes knew the previous owner of Johnnie’s Sweet Creations, who purchased the store in 2000. An illness forced her to put the business up for sale in 2012.
She called up Heikes and he was sold.
A few weeks later so was the business.
Now he makes less money, works Monday through Saturday – Sundays, too now through Christmas this time of year.
“Sometimes I think, why do I do this?,” Heikes said. “But mostly there is so much pleasure in making something good for these people and when they taste it and their eyes roll in their head … that stuff makes it all worthwhile. It really does.”
A RISING BUSINESS
Heikes’ daughters work at the store. His brother’s daughter works there. Both his wife and Ron’s wife – who are registered nurses – come in just before Christmas or Valentine’s Day when the store really needs the extra hands.
“We get such huge orders and I don’t want to turn them down,” Heikes said. “I don’t want to turn them down because of the money but I also don’t want to turn them down because I want to be there for them.”
With more than 40 years manning the ovens Heikes can take a loaf of bread in his hands, give it a squeeze and a quick smell and tell you what’s right – or not.
It’s why his employees come to him when something’s not quite right.
It’s truly an art.
That’s one reason he cringes every time he walks past a grocery store “bakery” aisle.
“I used to sell that stuff as a broker. Those cakes come in a box. They have a year shelf life and all of the icing comes in a bucket,” Heikes said.
Every week Johnnie’s makes six to seven 55-gallon barrels of butter creme icing from scratch.
“I probably go through at least 100 sheet cakes and just multitudes of eight-inch rounds and cutouts – not to mention the weddings,” Heikes said.
Heike’s favorite sweet in the store is his butter pecan brownies. He’s made them for 20 years at home.
“I could not show up to Thanksgiving or Christmas without bringing those butter pecan brownies,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a real simple recipe but it’s so rich and so good and it’s unique. You just don’t find them any other place.”
Ten years from now Heikes will be 67.
He hopes his son, Justin, is working the ovens.
“I hope I could bring him in here – maybe even one of my other sons – and teach him the legacy of doing this and carry this on,” said Heikes, who has eight children.
But whatever the future holds, Heikes doesn’t see himself venturing too far from the ovens.
After all, who doesn’t want a cookie?

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

Christmas is coming. All you have to do is close your eyes and listen.
Amid all the hustle and bustle and mall parking lot tussles you can can hear the ringing of a familiar bell.
Some 127 years ago the Salvation Army started hanging kettles from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
Legend has it it first began as a fundraiser to feed people on Christmas Day.
A San Francisco Salvation Army officer remembered that during his days in the Navy a pot was kept on the dock.
The pot had a sign on it that read “Keep the pot boiling.”
“It started a tradition and it spread quickly across the United States,” said Maegan Dunn, development marketing manager for the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command.
And for the last quarter century, John Dobson has manned his post and rung that bell.
Full disclosure – Dobson serves on the group’s board of directors.
But it’s more than an obligation.
“Twenty five, twenty six, thirty – I don’t keep track of it. It’s just an act of love,” Dobson said of how many years he’s run that familiar bell and worn that red apron.
Dobson credits his volunteer spirit to a former boss.
“He told me I needed to take a look at life,” he said.
So as an accountant by trade he started picking up the annual financial reports of the various charities.
“Salvation Army just stood out there all by itself,” Dobson said. “It doesn’t pay its national president $2 million a year. It’s because they’re committed to Christ.
“Literally, it’s a church.”
Dobson quickly learned that every one of those employees wearing the military-looking uniforms are ordained ministers.
It speaks volumes.
Dobson rings for two organizations each season. The first is the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City. The second is as a Salvation Army board member.
“I promise, give me someone for an hour and I’ll make believers out of them,” Dobson said of the annual campaign. “The people you just know because of your life’s issues you just think these people can’t pay and they put these pennies and nickels in these kids hands and they come running up. You pick them up so they can drop them in there.
“They just thrive for that and they remember from year to year.”
Dobson always rings the bell at the same location each year – the Belle Isle Wal-Mart.
“It’s significant but it’s nothing close to everything we need,” Dobson said. “The Salvation Army goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week 365 days a year. A lot of people just think of us as just Thanksgiving and Christmas but it’s full time for everybody.”
At any time during the holiday season the Salvation Army literally has thousands of bell ringers at the nearly 80 locations.
Rotary groups, businesses, churches – there’s groups that come out of the woodwork to get their hands on a bell.
But some of those positions can’t be filled with volunteers so some positions are paid.
“It’s not only to man the kettle but it’s also a ministry for us,” Dunn said. “There are individuals who have seasonal jobs where they don’t have work in the winter and it helps give them a little extra money. We also have some homeless individuals and it makes extra cash for them to help keep them through the next few months.”
It’s in his nature to be a bottom-line type of guy, but Dobson knows there’s much going on here than nickels, dimes and spreadsheets
“It’s a life-altering experience,” Dobson says. “It is amazing.”
There will be several volunteer opportunities this month with the Salvation Army including:
• Angel Tree Workshop: You can come help prepare each Angel’s gifts at the distribution center. For ages 13 and up. Dates: December 5-17
• Angel Tree Distribution: Help Angel Tree families collect their gifts and assist them to their vehicles. For ages 13 and up. This is a great opportunity for corporations, businesses and individuals. Dates: December 19-23
• Ring the Bell: Schedule your family, club or business to ring the bell at one of the red kettle locations for a four-hour shift or adopt a whole a day. This raises funds for The Salvation Army’s programs like the food pantry, senior centers, homeless shelter, youth and after-school programs, and soup kitchen. Dates: Through December 24.
To volunteer, contact Lt. Kyle Madison at kyle.madison@ uss.salvationarmy.org or 405-246-1063.
To find out more about how you can get involved, visit www.salvationarmyokcac.org/volunteer today. Questions about volunteering can be answered by contacting the volunteer coordinator, Liz Banks, at 405-246-1107 or liz.banks@ uss.salvationarmy.org.

What do you hope to find under the Christmas tree? Salvation Army Central Oklahoma

I hope to find a new cast iron skillet with a lid.  Jeff Lara

Just to be home. That will be my only day off. Maj. Carlyle Gargis

Really, I’m not looking for gifts. I’m just the type of person who enjoys serving and doing for others.

James Dixon

I have everything I need. God has blessed me with everything. Meiing Ong

The Oklahoma Insurance Department is joining forces to spread a life-saving message to drivers: “Move over. It’s the law.” The message is part of an initiative by the Oklahoma Traffic Incident Management Steering (TIMS) Coalition. The Coalition also includes representatives from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Oklahoma Sheriffs Association, Oklahoma Emergency Management and many more.
“As the holidays approach and more people will be on the road, we’re asking Oklahoma drivers to be more mindful behind the wheel,” said Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. “Not only is moving over the law, it will help save the lives of first responders and lower the number of costly traffic delays.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 52 law enforcement officers were killed in traffic-related incidents last year. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Nicholas Dees was hit and killed last year along I-40. His mother is featured in a new public service announcement which began airing this month. It can also be viewed here.
“Half of me died because of one man that did not move over for emergency vehicles,” said Shelley Russell, Dees’ mother.
Oklahoma’s Move Over law requires drivers approaching a parked emergency vehicle with flashing lights, including wreckers, to move over to the next lane. If the driver cannot move over, he or she is required to slow down. Troopers suggest drivers reduce speed to 15-20 mph or slower. The penalty for failing to slow down or change lanes is a ticket with a fine of more than $200.
Another benefit of drivers abiding by the Move Over law is a reduction in the number of costly traffic delays. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, for each hour a vehicle is stuck in traffic $21 is wasted per vehicle in time and fuel.
One way to ease the burden of traffic is for drivers to move over if they are involved in a non-injury car accident. This allows drivers to safely exchange insurance information and not block the flow of traffic.
“Many drivers seem to think that moving over is just an optional courtesy when they see flashing lights or have a minor wreck,” Doak said. “It’s not optional. Move over. It’s the law.”

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

Integris Canadian Valley Hospital is using technology to make a giant leap forward in improving outcomes of its stroke patients.
And thanks to a computer screen on wheels with high resolution cameras patients are getting the help they need anytime day or night.
Christine McMurray, RN-PCCN, serves as an administrative supervisor at Canadian Valley, and has served as the clinical coordinator for getting the new telestroke program off the ground.
“It’s kind of like a fancy-FaceTime where the physicians we have, the neurologists can beam in on the screen … and lenses can zoom all the way into their pupils and check pupil responses,” McMurray said.
Attached is a wired stethoscope that allows both the onsite clinician as well as the remote clinician to hear lung and heart sounds in real-time for those patients presenting with stroke symptoms.
The robot is controlled remotely and can be moved around the patient. The 360-degree microphone also captures sound from all directions inside the room.
The attached monitor screen allows both patient and doctor to have a face-to-face conversation as well as examination even if the doctor is hundreds of miles away.
“We were taking all of our stroke patients that required tPA to Southwest Medical and Baptist,” McMurray said. “Now what we can do after they are seen in the ER with telestroke we can give them tPA on a stable patient and bring them here for a neurology consult.
“Now, rather than shipping them out of Yukon they can stay here in town, in the community and neurology will beam in if there are no complications within 24 hours … they can prescribe the discharge medications, change any anti-coagulations medicines without physically being here but being present.”
Integris Canadian Valley Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Teresa Gray, RN, BSN, MBA said the technology offers immediacy for both doctor and patient.
“The doctor can basically do a full assessment from any device – iPhone, iPad, computers from anywhere anytime,” Gray said. “This technology allows for when you may not have services 24/7 in your facility and the patient has a change in their condition or you need a different level of care we have immediate access.”
“When you talk about neurology in the state of Oklahoma and there is a shortage of neurologists, this allows them to provide access to smaller communities that may not normally have neurologists and various high-level specialities that are hard to recruit. This gives the opportunity to bring that kind of service back to the smaller communities.”
Stroke is the fourth-leading killer in the United States and the leading cause of long-term disability.
Approximately 800,000 people experience a stroke each year in the US. Successful management of acute ischemic stroke is extremely time-dependent.
According to the American Heart Association, ideally, the only Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke should be administered within 3 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
The American Heart Association estimates that only 3% to 5% of ischemic stroke patients are treated with thrombolysis (a clotbuster known as tPA).
“They don’t have to be transferred out anymore. They don’t have to wait for a bed,” McMurray said of the major benefits of telestroke. “Baptist and Southwest have both been on delay several times. Then they have to go to the ER and they are put on hold there or are waiting in a hallway. Where here we’ve got eight ICU beds and they can come right over. They are treated with the same protocols and the same order sets. Everything is the same. If there is any problem all the physician has to do is come in over (Telestroke).”
The program is done in collaboration with the hospital’s hospitalist program which follows the plan of care throughout the course of a patient’s stay.
McMurray said the technology has already been used by the hospital’s two hospitalists to dial in remotely to check on other non-stroke patients who are experiencing changes in condition or acuity.
On average, Gray said Canadian Valley transfers out 7-8 stroke patients per month with lower-level patients not requiring tPA kept.
Gray said Canadian Valley continues to evolve its service offerings as it becomes the mainstay for healthcare for those living in Western Oklahoma.
“This is something cardiology and nephrology can use – any of our services that are not onsite 24/7,” Gray said. “That’s what we hope to expand is increase our complexity of patients, add additional services to the community we haven’t had and incorporate new technology.”

Today, the Social Security Administration announces the launch of a new Health IT initiative with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that enables all Social Security disability case processing sites to receive medical records electronically from all VA facilities. Veterans will receive a faster decision on their Social Security disability claim, speeding them and their dependents through this new process. Both agencies will save time and money with an automatic request through the eHealth Exchange.
“President Obama has said, ‘we must maintain the sacred covenant we share with our veterans by ensuring they have the care and benefits they deserve,’ and I could not agree more,” said Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “We are committed to providing our veterans with the world class service they so richly deserve and improving the speed and efficiency of our disability program.”
The new Health IT program was tested successfully at Social Security locations around the country. On Veteran’s Day, November 11, the eHealth Exchange will go live, nationally, to all Social Security disability case processing sites.
Social Security requests nearly 15 million medical records annually from healthcare providers and organizations to make medical decisions on about three million disability claims. Medical documentation is essential to make a disability determination. Historically, the agency obtained medical records through a manual process (mail, fax, secure mail). This new national initiative puts in place an automated process to obtain medical records electronically without human intervention.
“VA is currently improving quality of life by enabling Veterans to share their health information with federal partners and integrating their data into a safe and secure health-related consumer application,” said Dr. David Shulkin, Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs. “Currently, when eligible Veterans apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits the average wait time for Social Security to receive paper records from VA can take months; this partnership allows Social Security and VA to share the Veteran’s health information electronically in minutes. The Social Security and VA partnership allows VA to continue to be a leader in interoperability efforts among federal partners while improving overall quality of life for our Veteran patients.”
This partnership adds the VA to Social Security’s more than 50 other Health IT partners, including the Department of Defense, in approximately 7,000 facilities across the United States providing electronic health records. Social Security’s goal is to continue expanding the number of healthcare organizations and federal agencies providing electronic health records within a safe and secure environment.
To learn more about Health IT, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityssi/hit.
Social Security offers two other programs to expedite disability claims filed by veterans. Wounded Warriors and veterans with a VA disability compensation rating of 100% Permanent & Total have their Social Security disability claims treated as high priority and receive expedited decisions. For more information about these programs, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/people/veterans.

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

For nearly 35 years now Sheila Swearingen has been involved in advocacy.
And for the last 15 years the president of the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma has been deeply involved in helping Oklahomans take full advantage of one of their most precious civil rights – the right to vote.
“I’m very interested in advocacy and getting more people involved in what happens after voting to be honest,” Swearingen said. “I think it’s incredibly important for people to get themselves registered and vote but that’s not the end of it. As citizens we really do, in a democracy, say that we the people are the ones upon who the government rests.”
As Oklahomans get ready to vote in the coming days, Swearingen wants to make sure everyone has the information they need before they head to the polls.
PLUGGED IN
MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, CNN, and hundreds more online – there’s no shortage of media outlets from which to receive information. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week voters are bombarded with a non-stop barrage of political information, covering candidates’ every single move.
While the access to information may be unprecedented, Swearingen says it’s not always a good thing.
“It comes back to the individual to take it upon themselves to get non-partisan information,” Swearingen said. “I think people are plugged in but the problem with being plugged in all day is not pulling back and getting the overview, not listening to both sides of the issue and not being able to discern. They may be plugged in and often the media, whether you’re listening to NPR or Fox News it’s appealing to our emotions. I think we need to be using some logic and think deeply about the issues when we go vote.”
GET INFORMED, GO VOTE
The League of Women Voters provides a wealth of information online at www.lwvok.org as well as on Facebook.
The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes any particular candidate.
The message simply is always be informed and exercise your right to vote.
“Take any opportunity get information that is nonpartisan and unbiased,” Swearingen said.
To that end, the League was part of a broad coalition that produced the Oklahoma Voter Guide which is available at libraries across the state.
Online you can go to www.vote411.org fill in your address and it will automatically pull up all the races that will appear on your ballot down to state representative.
The League of Women Voters has chapters in Lawton, Tulsa, Stillwater, Norman and Bartlesville. The group is also in the process of reforming the Oklahoma City Chapter.
“In the Oklahoma City area we have members who are my age, and I’m definitely AARP generation, and we also have millennials,” she said. “What we’re finding is those groups can work really well together if they listen and find out that sometimes they’re on the same page about issues but they may have different ways about communicating those issues.”
Swearingen was recently trained as a precinct official.
“One of the interesting things that was reaffirmed is that you don’t have to vote every single race,” Swearingen said. “If you have a strong preference for a candidate running for county commissioner and you just can’t make up your mind who you want to choose to be the next president you don’t have to vote for president but you can vote for county commissioner.”
“We have a wonderful system in Oklahoma. Our scanners can scan whatever races you choose to vote in. You don’t have to vote the complete ballot. You can pick and choose.”
Volunteers are always needed in helping across the 77 counties and municipalities in getting ballot information. You can go online to the group’s website to learn more.
Starting November 9 Swearingen said the attention will turn to the 2017 legislative session and what issues will likely appear.
Social events are also scheduled throughout the year as well as candidate and issue forums.
Beginning in January school board elections will come into focus and the League will begin pursuing candidate forums.
“We think that school boards are just as important, and in some cases more important than whose going to Oklahoma City,” Swearingen said.
And no matter what party you belong to or whom you support, Swearingen says it’s important to do your part in keeping America great.

Oklahoma City ballet dancers Valerie McDonald and Christina Wornick are the recipients of Watermark for Kids scholarship awards. The scholarships are presented by The Fountains at Canterbury and Watermark for Kids, a non-profit organization committed to empowering underserved kids, helping them pursue their passions and thrive. Watermark for Kids was founded by Watermark Retirement Communities, which manages The Fountains at Canterbury.
McDonald, a 17-year-old ballet dancer, will use the scholarship award to continue her Level 5 classes at the Dance Center of Oklahoma City Ballet. The school provides classical ballet technique instruction and prepares dancers for a professional role in the arts. McDonald hopes to pursue dance on the professional level after her formal training.
Wornick is a previous recipient of the scholarship award who has been dancing since the age of four. The 12-year-old dreams of becoming a famous ballerina. The Watermark for Kids scholarship will allow Wornick to continue her training at the Dance Center of Oklahoma City Ballet as a Level 4 student.
“Watermark for Kids is an amazing program that The Fountains of Canterbury is proud to facilitate in support of local students,” said Jim Story, liaison for Watermark for Kids at The Fountains at Canterbury. “Our community is passionate about Watermark for Kids because it provides children an opportunity to pursue their dreams. We are looking forward to watching our two recipients thrive while working towards their long-term goals.”
Residents and associates at The Fountains at Canterbury host fundraisers throughout the year to donate funds to the Watermark for Kids program.
For more information about Watermark for Kids visit www.watermarkforkids.org. To learn more about The Fountains at Canterbury please call (405) 381-8165 or go online to www.watermarkcommunities.com.

Eric Olsen Executive Director HELPS nonprofit law firm. www.helpsishere.org

Sometimes seniors with lower incomes find themselves owing past due income taxes. Taxes they can’t afford to pay. As the Executive Director of HELPS, a 501 c nonprofit law firm that assist seniors with debt problems, I regularly talk with seniors distressed about past due taxes owed. Seniors want to pay their taxes, but sometimes there simply is insufficient income. Seniors need to know that laws and regulations have been enacted to assist persons with lower incomes to protect them from tax collection.
Most seniors don’t understand that social security, pensions, VA benefits and other forms of retirement income are protected by federal law. This income cannot be garnished for old debts such as credit cards or past due loans. An exception is the IRS occasionally will garnish 15% of a senior’s social security for past due taxes. However this will not happen without the senior being first notified. Steps can be taken to prevent a garnishment by the IRS.
For seniors that can afford to pay their taxes if the sum is less than $50,000 they can arrange for monthly payments over five years almost automatically. Lower income seniors can often be placed on uncollectable status with the IRS and pay nothing. An existing garnishment by the IRS can even be stopped. Seniors can apply for uncollectable status with the IRS over the phone or online. The IRS website provides budget guidelines to qualify for uncollectable status. These budget guidelines are not normally volunteered when applying for uncollectable status with the IRS. If you say you can pay something each month, the IRS will gladly take your money. Many lower income seniors underestimate their needs and pay a monthly payment they can’t afford to the IRS because they think they have to pay something. When according to IRS budget guidelines they could pay nothing.
Almost all seniors don’t realize that their local state tax collector cannot garnish social security and retirement income for past due state income taxes. Even when this money is deposited into a bank account, as long as it is traceable to social security and pension income it is exempt. If an account is garnished a claim of exemption can be filed for the money to be returned. State taxing agencies unfortunately will never tell seniors their income is protected. Instead they often will badger and intimidate in order to collect from seniors who don’t know their rights. If a state tax collector calls, a lower income senior can simply advise his income is federally protected social security, pension, VA benefits, or disability and they can’t afford to pay the tax.
Sometimes seniors are worried when they receive a “tax lien.” Language in the written lien notice makes them worry they are going to lose their home, car and other possessions. Tax collectors are not in the business of selling peoples homes. It just doesn’t happen in real life. Many seniors have little or no equity in a home for a lien to attach anyway. The taxing agency files the lien and hopes the tax gets paid if and when the home is sold. Tax collectors do not go after personal possessions, especially persons with lower incomes.
Bankruptcy is generally unnecessary for lower income seniors because their income is already protected. However taxes often can be eliminated through bankruptcy. The general rule is that the tax must be over three years old and have been assessed for at least two years in order to be eliminated through bankruptcy.
Certainly we should strive to pay our taxes. However laws and procedures are in place protecting lower income and poor seniors from tax collection. America wants seniors to have the food and medicines they need. If there is a choice between basics and paying taxes, seniors can take steps to stop tax collection action. Seniors income is in almost all instances protected and available for their needs.