Information for Long-Term Care Consumers
Consumers of long-term care services know — perhaps better than anyone else — how hard their caregivers work, and how little they make in wages and benefits .
You can help your caregiver keep more of her or his hard-earned money at tax time by:
- Educating yourself about the direct-care workforce in Michigan (pdf) and the important issues facing this workforce.
- Getting more informed about the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) [link to EITC page] programs, and how these programs could help your caregiver.
- Finding out about the free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites in your area, and the free I-CAN E-file web-based tax preparation software available— and passing that information along to your caregiver.
- Providing encouragement, if you are able, in helping your caregiver take the “next step” by encouraging her to learn about the program.
- Becoming active, and consider becoming a volunteer IRS-certified tax preparer for the 2009 tax season. Contact the VITA site nearest you to find how you can become a volunteer next year.
For more information, contact Tameshia Bridges, Senior Workforce Advocate at tbridges@phinational.org or 517.372.8310.