 Volunteer Anniversaries
The following volunteers are celebrating their one-year anniversary in February:
- Theresa Baldus-Kokontis – Linn Manor Care Center (Marion)
- Barbara Buchanan – Living Center West (Cedar Rapids)
- Pat Kerr – Heritage Nursing & Rehab Center (Cedar Rapids)
- Andrea Lewerenz-Norris – Mercy Medical Center (Cedar Rapids)
- Nancy Schade – Hiawatha Care Center (Hiawatha)
The following volunteers have served with us for two years or more:
- Margo Jarosz – Meth Wick Health Center Community (Cedar Rapids)
- Judy Staack – All American Care; Lutheran Living (Muscatine)
- Jane Welch – Calvin Community (Des Moines)
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 Continuing Education Opportunities & Events
Statewide VOP Conference Call
Join AmeriCorps VISTA VOP Seygbai Kai,
Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman for South-Central Iowa Melanie Kempf and your
fellow Volunteer Ombudsmen for our VOP Statewide Conference call on Wednesday,
March 16 at 2 p.m.
Melanie and Seygbai will discuss
strategies for building and maintaining healthy relationships with staff,
families and residents and will engage everyone in a discussion about your
experiences.
All VOP Volunteers have the option to
participate in-person or via phone. Check the March issue of VOP Voice for call-in
information!
Managed Care Ombudsman Program
Many of you have expressed a desire to learn more information about the
transition to Medicaid managed care and the Managed Care Ombudsman
Program (MCOP). We will offer presentations from the MCOP at the
upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Month seminars in April. If residents or facility staff approach
you with questions or concerns about Medicaid managed care, please have them
call 866.236.1430 to speak with the
Managed Care Ombudsman.
2016
BrainWorks Annual Conference
The Alzheimer’s Association will be hosting
its Annual Conference on Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias in Des Moines on
April 19 and in Davenport on April 20. The day-long educational events are
appropriate for professional caregivers, family caregivers, individuals in the
early stages of Alzheimer’s and those in the community wanting to learn more.
> Register
The VOP offers limited scholarship
opportunities for statewide and annual conferences that charge a registration fee, such as the BrainWorks Conference. Click here to apply for a
Continuing Education Scholarship.
Webinar: Anxiety in
Parkinson’s
Last month, The Parkinson's Disease
Foundation presented on coping with adverse symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. >View the recording
Webinar: "Legal
Remedies to Financial Exploitation of Property: Let’s Get Grandpa’s House Back"
This webinar provides an overview of elder financial
exploitation related to fraudulent real estate transactions experienced by family members,
prevention measures and strategies to successfully handle cases and recover
assets. >View the recording
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 Possible Tax Deduction for Mileage
With tax season underway, we want to remind you that you may
qualify for tax deductions for out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., gas expenses)
related to your volunteer duties. Since the VOP is considered a
"qualified organization" by the IRS, but does not currently reimburse
volunteers for their mileage, your out-of-pocket expenses in service to our
program may qualify as a charitable contribution for tax purposes.
IRS Publication 526 on Charitable Contributions states:
Although you cannot deduct the value of your services given
to a qualified organization, you may be able to deduct some amounts you pay in
giving services to a qualified organization. The amounts must be:
- Unreimbursed;
- Directly connected with the services you performed;
- Expenses you had only because of the services you performed; and
- Not personal, living or family expenses.
Regarding car
expenses, the publication states:
You can deduct as a charitable contribution any unreimbursed
out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of gas and oil, directly related to
the use of your car in giving services to a charitable organization. You cannot
deduct general repair and maintenance expenses, depreciation, registration fees
or the costs of tires or insurance. If you do not want to deduct your actual
expenses, you can use a standard mileage rate of 14 cents a mile to figure your
contribution. You can deduct parking fees and tolls whether you use your actual
expenses or the standard mileage rate.
For more information or determine if your expenses qualify
for a tax deduction, contact your tax preparer or consult IRS Publication 526.
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