TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR SENIORS Join 2 Community Centers for an informative panel discussion on various options for transportation for seniors in Johnson County followed by a question-and-answer sessions. Oct. 9, 10-11:30am Roeland Park Community Center 4850 Rosewood Dr Roeland Park, KS Oct. 10, 6:30-8pm Jewish Community Center Campus 5801 W 115th St Overland Park, KS PAGE TO STAGE: FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING MEMORY LOSS Oct. 15, 10:30am This is a new community outreach program incorporating creative arts therapies for those experiencing memory loss. Using the children's book, Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool, participants share in storytelling and theater-based activities triggering positive memories. For questions, call 913-851-0215 Blue Valley Library CARING FOR THOSE WITH ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA Nov. 3, 2-3pm Hear Esther Kreek's touching story of caring for her husband who had Alzheimer's disease. Learn about resources, organizations and support groups in the Kansas City area available to caregivers of those with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. This free event is cosponsored by Jewish Family Services. Jewish Community Center Campus Heritage Center
The Homestead Refund is a rebate program for the property taxes paid by homeowners and renters. The refund is based on a portion of the property tax paid on a Kansas resident’s homestead. If you own your home, the refund is a percentage of your general property tax. If you rent your home, 15% of the rent paid for occupancy is used as the property tax amount. The maximum refund is $700.
To qualify you must be a Kansas resident, living in Kansas the entire year. Your total household income must be $30,800 or less.
You must also meet one of the following requirements:
You were born before January 1, 1956; OR
You must have been totally and permanently disabled or blind during the entire year of 2010, regardless of your age; OR
You must have had a dependent child living with you all of last year who was born before January 1, 2010, and was under the age of 18 the entire year 2010.
You are a disabled veteran (50% or more disability) or the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran who has not remarried or the surviving spouse of an active duty military personnel who died in the line of duty and not remarried.
Homestead Refund Advancement Program
This program provides eligible homeowners with the opportunity to apply a portion of their anticipated Homestead refund to help pay the first half of their property tax.
There is a question on Form K-40H asking the homeowner whether they want their next year’s homestead advancement sent directly to their County Treasurer. If the box is checked on the 2010 K-40H, the 2011 homestead advancement will be sent directly from Kansas Department of Revenue to the County Treasurer. This eliminates the need for the homestead claimant to physically deliver the homestead eligibility letter to the County Treasurer.
If you do not check this box, you can not participate in the homestead advancement program, and none of your homestead refund will be used to pay your 2010 property taxes.
SAFE SENIOR - Kansas Property Tax Relief for Low Income Seniors
SAFE SENIOR is a property tax refund program administered under the provisions of the Kansas Homestead Act (property tax refund). SAFE SENIOR is also referred to as, "Kansas Property Tax Relief for Low Income Seniors".
The refund is 45% of the 2010 general property tax paid or to be paid - as shown of the 2010 real estate tax statement for the residence in which the claimant lived in 2010. The 2010 property tax consists of the 1st half which is due December 20, 2010 and the 2nd half which is due May 10, 2011. The property tax is the total of both the 1st and 2nd half taxes.
A claimant may receive either a Homestead or a SAFE SENIOR refund but not both.
You must meet all the following requirements for the SAFE SENIOR refund:
Kansas resident all of 2010,
Owned a home in Kansas during 2010,
Aged 65 years or older for all of 2010 (born before January 1, 1945) and
Where can I get help with my Homestead or Safe Senior claim? Customers who need help are encouraged to visit the various sections of our website or call the Kansas Tax line at 1-785-368-8222.
The Kansas Department of Revenue also provides free assistance in Topeka, on the first floor of the Docking State Office Building at 915 Southwest Harrison. The state office hours in Topeka are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Volunteer Income Tax Preparation (VITA) Sites In Kansas
The VITA Program offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income (generally, $40,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Certified volunteers sponsored by various organizations receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country. VITA sites are generally located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and other convenient locations. Most locations also offer free electronic filing. To locate the nearest VITA site, or call 1-800-829-1040.
Short-term tests lasting just two or three days should not be conducted during unusually severe storms or periods of unusually high winds. Severe weather will affect the measurement results in several ways. First, a high wind will increase the variability of radon concentration because of wind-induced differences in air pressure between the building interior and exterior. Second, rapid changes in barometric pressure increase the chance of a large difference in the interior and exterior air pressures, consequently changing the rate of radon influx. Weather predictions available on local news stations can provide sufficient information to determine if these conditions are likely. While unusual variations between radon measurements may be due to weather or other effects.
AAA Radon Solutions Daniel Rodriguez 816-454-5885 www.aaaradonsolutions.com
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) —For many homeowners, remodeling a kitchen or bathroom can lead to many sleepless nights. Not only do worries abound about picking the right tiles or cabinets, but there are few resources to let you know if you're paying the right amount
But now homeowners can compare costs of similar remodeling jobs based on the size and type of the room, where they live and the materials they want to use with a new tool from real estate web site Zillow.
Called Zillow Digs, the free web service and app allows users to select the rooms they want to redo, the styles they want -- such as modern, Mediterranean, art deco -- and how much they want to spend. The site then returns a series of photos of real renovations that fit those criteria with estimates that are based on an algorithm that takes into account rates from local contractors, as well as material costs and regional labor rates.
The results include both an average cost estimate and an estimate range, which can vary quite dramatically. Users can input their location to better tailor estimates based on local labor and material prices. A homeowner living in Manhattan, for example, will get a much higher estimate for a kitchen renovation than someone living in Peoria, Ill.
Costs are broken down by materials and labor and further subdivided by each aspect of the job. For a bath renovation, for example, the estimate will include the price of a new bathtub and how much it costs to install it.
And when homeowners find something they like on Zillow Digs, they can use the site to connect with contractors, architects and designers.
Last year, $125 million was spent on home renovation projects, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. And, as the housing market continues to improve, spending is expected to rise by nearly 20% this year.
"Through the first three quarters of 2012, investment in the residential sector was responsible for one out of every six dollars added to our GDP," said Eric Belsky, the center's director. "Moving forward, home improvement spending is expected to make an even larger contribution."
Homeowners are also getting more bang for their remodeling buck. For every dollar spent on an overhaul of a midrange kitchen, a home's value rises by about 69 cents, according to Remodeling magazine's annual Cost vs. Value Report 2013. That's up from about 65 cents on the dollar in 2011-2012.
The Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors has released the October 2012 sales data, and the numbers continue to improve over last year. Below is a sampling of the area data. Citywide, prices and sales are up, but inventory is still on the decline. This data, combined with my own experiences from the year, indicates that it is a good time to sell because there are plenty of buyers who may not feel like they have enough choices. If you are thinking of selling, call me anytime – we need more good homes on the market.
Above: SALES PRICES: October 2012 average sales price for new & existing homes ($168,890) represents a 7% increase over October 2011 ($156,922):
Above: NUMBER OF SALES: October 2012 new & existing home sales (2,277) represent a 24% increase over October 2011 sales (1,829):
Above: INVENTORY: October 2012 inventory for new & existing homes (12,606) represents a 16% decrease from the October 2011 new & existing home inventory (15,013).
Confidence among U.S. homebuilders rose this month to its highest level in six and a half years, driven by strong demand for newly built homes and growing optimism that the housing recovery will strengthen next year.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Monday increased to 46, up from 41 in October. That's the highest reading since May 2006, just before the housing bubble burst.
Readings below 50 suggest negative sentiment about the housing market. The index last reached that level in April 2006. Still it has been trending higher since October 2011, when it stood at 17.
The survey is based on responses from 417 builders. The index sank to 8, its lowest point dating back to 1985, in January 2008.
Builders' confidence has improved this year as the housing market has shown signs of a sustained turnaround.
U.S. sales of new homes hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 389,000 in September, an increase of nearly 6 percent from the previous month and the highest level in more than two years.
All told, sales of new homes have increased 27.1 percent over the past year, although sales remain well below healthy levels. Data on new-home sales in October are due out next week.
Sales of previously occupied homes rose 2.1 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. The sales pace is roughly 11 percent higher than a year ago, though sales remains below the more than 5.5 million that economists consider consistent with a healthy market.
Home sales have been bolstered by the lowest mortgages rates in decades. The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage has been below 4 percent all year. And that's helped drive home prices higher in many markets.
Meanwhile, builders are starting to put up more homes.
Homebuilders started construction on new homes and apartments at the fastest pace in more than four years in September. They also requested the most building permits in four years, an indication that many are confident that gains in home sales will endure.
"In view of the tightening supply and other improving conditions, many potential buyers who were on the fence are now motivated to move forward with a purchase in order to take advantage of today's favorable prices and interest rates," said NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg, a homebuilder from Gainesville, Fla.
Even so, many factors remain a drag on the housing recovery. Many Americans, particularly first-time homebuyers, are unable to qualify for a mortgage or can't afford larger down payments.
And while foreclosures are slowing and homeowners appear to be doing a better job of keeping up with their mortgage payments, a trove of bank-owned homes remain a possible drag on home prices.
As of the end of October, lenders were sitting on more than 590,000 foreclosed homes yet to be sold, according to RealtyTrac. At the current sales pace, it would take about 15 months for those homes to be sold.
Though new homes represent only a small portion of the housing market, they have a disproportionate impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in tax revenue, according to statistics from the National Association of Home Builders.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a new report showing that the government’s health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered nearly $4.1 billion in taxpayer dollars in fiscal year (FY) 2011. This is the highest annual amount ever recovered from individuals and companies who attempted to defraud seniors and taxpayers or who sought payments to which they were not entitled.
These findings, released today in the annualHealth Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (HCFAC) report, are a result of President Obama making the elimination of fraud, waste, and abuse a top priority in his administration. The success of this joint Department of Justice and HHS effort would not have been possible without the Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), created in 2009 to prevent fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and to crack down on the fraud perpetrators who are abusing the system and costing American taxpayers billions of dollars. These efforts to reduce fraud will continue to improve with the new tools and resources provided by the Affordable Care Act.
“This report reflects unprecedented successes by the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services in aggressively preventing and combating health care fraud, safeguarding precious taxpayer dollars and ensuring the strength of our essential health care programs,” said Attorney General Holder. “We can all be proud of what’s been achieved in the last fiscal year by the department’s prosecutors, analysts and investigators—and by our partners at HHS. These efforts reflect a strong, ongoing commitment to fiscal accountability and to helping the American people at a time when budgets are tight.”
“Fighting fraud is one of our top priorities and we have recovered an unprecedented number of taxpayer dollars,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Our efforts strengthen the integrity of our health care programs, and meet the President’s call for a return to American values that ensure everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.”
Approximately $4.1 billion stolen or otherwise improperly obtained from federal health care programs was recovered and returned to the Medicare Trust Funds, the Treasury and others in FY 2011. This is an unprecedented achievement for HCFAC, a joint effort of the two departments to coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement activities to fight health care fraud and abuse.
The recently enacted Affordable Care Act provides additional tools and resources to help fight fraud that will help boost these efforts, including an additional $350 million for HCFAC activities. The administration is already using tools authorized by the Affordable Care Act, including enhanced screenings and enrollment requirements, increased data sharing across government, expanded overpayment recovery efforts, and greater oversight of private insurance abuses.
Since 2009, the Departments of Justice and HHS have enhanced their coordination through HEAT and have increased the number of Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams. During FY 2011, HEAT and the Medicare Fraud Strike Force expanded local partnerships and helped educate Medicare beneficiaries about how to protect themselves against fraud. The departments hosted a series of regional fraud prevention summits around the country, provided free compliance training for providers and other stakeholders and sent letters to state attorneys general urging them to work with HHS and federal, state and local law enforcement officials to mount a substantial outreach campaign to educate seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries about how to prevent scams and fraud.
In FY 2011, the total number of cities with strike force prosecution teams was increased to nine, all of which have teams of investigators and prosecutors from the Justice Department, the FBI and the HHS Office of Inspector General, dedicated to fighting fraud. The strike force teams use advanced data analysis techniques to identify high-billing levels in health care fraud hot spots so that interagency teams can target emerging or migrating schemes along with chronic fraud by criminals masquerading as health care providers or suppliers. In FY 2011, strike force operations charged a record number of 323 defendants, who allegedly collectively billed the Medicare program more than $1 billion. Strike force teams secured 172 guilty pleas, convicted 26 defendants at trial and sentenced 175 defendants to prison. The average prison sentence in strike force cases in FY 2011 was more than 47 months.
Including strike force matters, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against a total of 1,430 defendants for health care fraud related crimes. This is the highest number of health care fraud defendants charged in a single year in the department’s history. Including strike force matters, a total of 743 defendants were convicted for health care fraud-related crimes during the year.
In criminal matters involving the pharmaceutical and device manufacturing industry, the department obtained 21 criminal convictions and $1.3 billion in criminal fines, forfeitures, restitution and disgorgement under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. These matters included the illegal marketing of medical devices and pharmaceutical products for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the distribution of products that failed to conform to the strength, purity or quality required by the FDA.
The departments also continued their successes in civil health care fraud enforcement during FY 2011. Approximately $2.4 billion was recovered through civil health care fraud cases brought under the False Claims Act (FCA). These matters included unlawful pricing by pharmaceutical manufacturers, illegal marketing of medical devices and pharmaceutical products for uses not approved by the FDA, Medicare fraud by hospitals and other institutional providers, and violations of laws against self-referrals and kickbacks. This marked the second year in a row that more than $2 billion has been recovered in FCA health care matters and, since January 2009, the department has used the False Claims Act to recover more than $6.6 billion in federal health care dollars.
The fraud prevention and enforcement report announced today coincides with the announcement of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aimed at recollecting overpayments in the Medicare program. Before the Affordable Care Act, providers and suppliers did not face a deadline for returning taxpayers’ money. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, there will be a specific timeframe by which self-identified overpayments must be returned. The Obama Administration has made prevention and recollection of overpayments a government-wide priority. These announcements today are just the latest in a series of steps that the administration is taking to protect taxpayer dollars and keep money in the pockets of Americans.
The HCFAC annual report can be found here, oig.hhs.gov/publications/hcfac.asp. For more information on the joint DOJ-HHS Strike Force activities, visit: http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/.
Above: NUMBER OF SALES: October 2012 new & existing home sales (2,277) represent a 24% increase over October 2011 sales (1,829):
Above: INVENTORY: October 2012 inventory for new & existing homes (12,606) represents a 16% decrease from the October 2011 new & existing home inventory (15,013).