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Caregiver News Winter 2004
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FREE MONEY FOR YOUR FAMILY!! Claim tax credits File your federal and Minnesota tax returns Get free help The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Working Family Credit are just two of the many tax credits available for working families.
You may be eligible if
you have: On your federal return, look for the Earned Income Credit The earned income credit is a tax credit for people who have earned income below certain amounts. It can reduce your tax and may even result in a refund. You may get money from the earned income credit even if you don’t owe any tax! To learn more, call 1800-829-1040. On your Minnesota return, look for the Working Family Credit The working family credit is Minnesota’s version of the federal income credit (see above). If you qualify for the federal credit, you also qualify for the state credit – the requirements are exactly the same. To learn more, call 651-296-3781. Don’t miss these other tax credits:
Also, check Minnesota Property Tax Refund. Free tax help available Feb. 1, - April 15, 2004 After Feb. 1 people with low incomes can get help from volunteers. To find a location near you call:
Fulfill A New Year’s Resolution Thousands of people enter the new year hoping to better themselves and the community in which they live. Noble intentions can be turned into life altering realities by taking that first step and telling someone of your New Year’s resolution. If your resolution was to become involved in a charitable cause, then consider joining the MKCA’s board of directors. As an organizational value, MKCA strives to have 50% of its directors be kinship caregivers or adults raised in a kinship family. Professionals having expertise that can contribute to MKCA’s mission to provide education, support, advocacy and information and referrals to kinship caregivers are also encouraged to apply. Begin the new year right by picking up the phone and calling me at 651-917-4641 or email lynn@mkca.org. Best wishes for a prosperous New Year!
High Marks Given To Unplanned Parenthood II Nearly 170 people attended MKCA’s statewide conference, Unplanned Parenthood II on October 6, 2003. Co-sponsored by the UM’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, the conference addressed custody laws, the legal system, public benefit changes, and families’ emotional needs. Conference attendees strongly agreed that the day was highly informative and reported a greater need for education on kinship caregiving issues. Raffle drawing donations included: two Wild Hockey tickets, two Timberwolves tickets, one pound of Caribou Coffee each month for a year, and one night’s lodging with four water park passes at The Depot, Minneapolis. AARP – Minnesota sponsored lodging and registration scholarships to qualifying kinship caregivers. The MKCA wishes to thank all sponsors, presenters, volunteers and attendees for their participation in this successful event. Kinship Care Study Reveals Concerns and Needs The number of Minnesota children raised in grandparent-headed households rose by more than 100 percent from approximately 23,000 in 1990 to 47,679 in Census 2000. Results of a new study conducted by UM researchers and assistant professors Priscilla Gibson and Yat-sang (Terry) Lum were released at a press conference September 7, 2003. The study was sponsored by the Minnesota Board on Aging and Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association. Participants had to be age 60 or older; caring for grandchild under age 18 where the biological parent was absent from the household; and the arrangement initially was informal, among family members. Following are some key Grandparent concerns: · quality of their caregiving, and grandchildren’s education, emotional or mental health and getting appropriate discipline; · their own health and financial state; · grandchildren’s antisocial behavior; and · lack of knowledge and information on available services. When asked to rate their quality of life, Grandparents rated theirs as having decreased but the grandchildren’s as having increased since coming into their care. Grandparent needs:
BUSH SIGNS LEGACY BILL AS PART OF AMERICAN DREAM DOWN PAYMENT ACT. LEGACY will
provide HUD housing support for relatives
raising children in recognizing them as a
family unit. Kinship caregivers save
taxpayers 6.5 billion dollars a year by
keeping children out of formal foster care.
Minnesota Launches RxConnect™ Service RxConnect™ is a valuable new service designed to help Minnesotans of all ages meet the high cost of prescription drugs by tapping into the more than 100 free or discounted drug programs offered by manufacturers. Many low and middle income residents will meet the income requirements of drug manufacturer programs, but even those who don’t will receive sound advice on how to purchase and manage their medications. The Legislature has given the Minnesota Board on Aging the responsibility of implementing the RxConnect™ service statewide, in cooperation with the regional Area Agencies on Aging and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Calls to the toll-free RxConnect™ number will go to the Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433 where trained specialists will walk the person through the application process and fill out forms for the individual to submit. Patients are required to sign the application and have their doctor sign the form before sending it to the drug manufacturer. “We estimate more than 70,000 people might qualify for help in paying for their prescription drugs,” said Jim Varpness, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging. “Most of the manufacturers’ patient assistance programs have higher allowable income levels than publicly funded drug programs.” People who take part in Minnesota’s Prescription Drug Program are asked to call RxConnect™ and receive covered medications through the drug manufacturers programs. Those prescriptions not covered will still be provided through the Prescription Drug Program. Olson Attends Grand Rally on the Capitol Ask Sharon Olson, the Grandma with a mission, about the Grand Rally on our nation’s capital and she will tell you about the precedent-setting event that gave grandparents and relative caregivers a national voice and visibility that can not be ignored. The Grand Rally on the Capitol was held October 15, 2003. Over a 1000 grandparents, relative caregivers, service providers, and organizations involved in the issues of relative caregiving joined forces to make a statement to our legislators, the press, and citizens about the important role these selfless caregivers play in protecting children. The Rally, organized by Generations United, AARP, Child Welfare League of America, National Committee of Grandparents for Children’s Rights, and Children’s Defense Fund was an opportunity to recognize the role of caregivers in our society today. Standing on the platform with the National Organization of Grandparents for Children’s Rights, Olson said, “I felt a special bond and sense of belonging and acceptance. There was no need to explain why or how I came to care for my children’s children.” Looking at the crowd she realized she wasn’t just a lone voice, but now, part of a national force that proclaims their message for legislators to hear… “We are providing a service for the nation as we step-up to care for the next generation, now what will the nation do to help us as we care for these children?”
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