Elder Law Task Force

Social Security is closing many local offices nationwide, perhaps as many as 125 since 2000. This makes it more difficult for the elderly and people with disablities to access services and get information.

Read more at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-social-security-office-closing-20180516-story.html

TAX CONTROVERSY TRAINING FOR ATTORNEYS, LAW STUDENTS, CPAs and EAs

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

9am - 1pm

Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Office

201 N. Charles Street, #1400

Baltimore, MD 21201

Note: This training is also available for remote viewing by webinar

Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service invites interested attorneys, law students, CPAs and EAs to attend a free training session on handling IRS and Maryland tax controversy cases for low-income taxpayers on Tuesday, May 8, 2018 from 9am to 1pm, at MVLS' office at 201 N. Charles Street, #1400. This class will also be available for viewing by webinar at the same time.

The course will be taught by experienced tax attorneys, Gerald Kelly and Cheri Wendt-Taczak; IRS Local Taxpayer Advocate, James Leith; and Assistant Director, Compliance Division, Comptroller of Maryland, Jay Maschas. While the training will cover handling tax cases generally, the focus of this session will be on the mechancics of advocating for the taxpayer who is battling with tax collection issues.

There is no fee to attend but each participant will be asked to accept one tax controversy case over the next six months. Please register at jshih@mvlslaw.org or contact Janice Shih at 443-451-4061 or jshih@mvlslaw.org for more information.

Continental breakfast will be served.

Location

Location Name: 

MVLS

Address1: 

201 N. Charles Street

Address2: 

#1400

City: 

Baltimore

State: 

MD

Zip: 

21201

Contact

Name: 

Janice Shih

Phone: 

443-451-4061

Trump Signs Bill Adding Protections For Social Security, SSI Recipients

by Shaun Heasley | April 17, 2018

Individuals tasked with handling Social Security payments for people with disabilities will be subject to greater scrutiny under a new law signed by President Donald Trump.

The president signed the measure known as the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018, or H.R. 4547, late last week after it was unanimously approved by Congress.

The legislation will impose greater oversight on representative payees who manage Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for those who need assistance.

Specifically, the law bars people with certain types of criminal convictions from acting as representative payees and prevents individuals who have representative payees themselves from serving in that capacity for others. And, it will give beneficiaries more say in who handles money on their behalf by allowing Social Security recipients to make a list of their preferred payees in order of preference.

Meanwhile, the legislation will require that protection and advocacy groups in each state — federally-mandated organizations that provide legal assistance and advocate for people with disabilities — conduct more reviews of representative payee performance on behalf of the Social Security Administration.

In addition to enhancing oversight, the measure will also eliminate a requirement that parents or spouses living with a person with a disability complete an annual accounting form for representative payees.

“This new law is great news for the millions of Social Security beneficiaries who rely on a representative payee to help them manage their benefits,” said U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who sponsored the legislation. “Not only will it provide much-needed accountability for the representative payee program, but it also puts measures into place that ensure newly selected representative payees are qualified and trustworthy.”

According to the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, some 6.2 million individuals or organizations act as representative payees on behalf of about 8 million beneficiaries. Such representatives are assigned if the agency determines that a person’s mental or physical condition prevents them from being able to manage their benefits.

Proponents of the legislation cited concerns from the Government Accountability Office, the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, the National Academy of Sciences and the Social Security Advisory Board about how Social Security officials have administered the representative payee program.

“For too long dishonest representative payees have exploited and abused people with disabilities without fear of being discovered,” said Curt Decker, executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, an umbrella group for the nation’s protection and advocacy organizations. “That stops today. We are thrilled to see that Congress has acted to protect the more than 8 million Americans who currently have representative payees.”

ISSUE BRIEF -  Good Overview of issues for III-B advocates:

http://www.justiceinaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Supporting-Olde...

From Justice in Aging:

FY 2018 Omnibus Spending Bill Includes Increased Funding for Older Adult Programs

The FY 2018 omnibus spending bill (H.R. 1625), signed Friday by President Trump, included significant increases for vital Older Americans Act programs, as well as continued funding to support the administrative aspects of the Social Security Administration and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The bill included: Social Security: A proposed budget increase of $388 million for the Social Security administrative fund. $280 million is set aside specifically for modernizing the agency’s IT infrastructure, and $100 million for reducing the backlog of appeal hearings.   Housing: $678 million for the Section 202 program that provides assistance to older adults, including $105 million for new Section 202 construction and project-based rental assistance. It expands rental assistance for Section 202 Housing for the Elderly communities, provides funding for new construction for housing for people with disabilities, and increases funding for Housing Choice Vouchers, public housing, and homeless assistance, among other programs.  Health: $49 million in funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) for FY18, which is a $2 million increase from FY17, but still $3 million less than FY 2016. Energy Assistance: $250 million increase for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), for a total of $3.6 billion. Nutrition: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding at $74 billion, a $4.5 billion cut (nearly 6%) from FY 2017. The bill also allows for work requirements. Community Services: Level funding for the Community Services Block Grant at $715 million, and the Social Services Block Grant at $1.7 billion. The Community Development Block Grant received a $300 million (10 percent) boost to $3.3 billion. Legal Services and Elder Justice: $410 million for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), a $25 million overall increase from FY 2017 levels. The Older Americans Act, Title IIIB Supportive Services received a 10% increase, for a funding level of $385 million. Adult Protective Services (APS) and the Elder Justice Initiative received increased funding of $12 million, a $2 million increase. The package that passed did not include other health care bills that we were watching, such as the EMPOWER Care Act (S.2227, H.R. 5306), which would extend the Medicaid Money Follows the Person Program, and the BENES Act (S.1909, H.R.2575), which would simplify and improve the Medicare Part B enrollment process. Contact Us Justice in Aging (202) 289-6976 info@justiceinaging.org View as webpage

The Social Security Administration has announced that based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2017, monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase 2.0 percent in 2018.

The 2.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 61 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2018. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 29, 2017.

The monthly SSI Federal Payment Standard will increase to $750 for an individual and to $1125 for a couple.

The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) monthly threshold will be $1180. The Trial Work Period (TWP) monthly threshold will be $850.

One will need to earn $1320 in 2018 to receive credit for a quarter of coverage.

Here is a link to a fact sheet that contains more facts and figures for Social Security benefits in 2018: https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/colafacts2018.pdf

TAX CONTROVERSY TRAINING FOR ATTORNEYS, LAW STUDENTS, CPAs and EAs 9am - 1pm November 1, 2017 Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Office 201 N. Charles Street, #1400 Baltimore, MD 21201 The course will be taught by experienced tax attorneys, Gerald Kelly and Cheri Wendt-Taczak; IRS Local Taxpayer Advocate, James Leith; and Assistant Director, Compliance Division, Comptroller of Maryland, Jay Maschas. While the training will cover handling tax cases generally, the focus of this session will be on the mechanics of advocating for the taxpayer who is battling with tax collection issues. There is no fee to attend but each participant will be asked to accept one tax controversy case over the next six months. Please register at www.mvlslaw.org or contact Janice Shih at 443-451-4061 or jshih@mvlslaw.org for more information. Continental breakfast will be served.

Location

Location Name: 

MVLS

Address1: 

201 N. Charles Street

Address2: 

#1400

City: 

Baltimore

State: 

MD

Zip: 

21201

Contact

Name: 

Janice Shih

Phone: 

443-451-4061

From the Centeron Budget & Policy Priorities:

The Marketplace open enrollment period is the regular time each year when people can newly enroll in a qualified health plan or change to a different plan through the Marketplace. But certain events that occur during the year can trigger a special enrollment period (SEP), when a person may be able to newly enroll in a Marketplace plan or change to a different plan.

This SEP Reference Chart is a tool for those who are helping people enroll in health coverage through a special enrollment period. It focuses on the circumstances that trigger a SEP in the Marketplace, who can trigger a SEP, and the effective date of coverage once a health plan is selected.

http://www.healthreformbeyondthebasics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SEP-Reference-Chart.pdf