Board Wraps Up Busy Legislative Session
The Community Action Board engaged in numerous advocacy efforts during the Maryland legislative session. The board submitted testimony on eighteen state-level bills addressing a wide range of issues impacting lower-income residents. Many of these bills passed and have been signed into law. A few key highlights include:
- A new statewide Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (SB275)
- A pilot program at three Community Action Agencies to distribute feminine hygiene products (HB588)
- An Earned Income Tax Credit outreach program at the Comptroller’s Office that will send information and a form to filers who are eligible for the EITC but did not claim it (HB252)
- Increasing the minimum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amount for seniors from $30 to $40 per month (HB456)
- A sales tax exemption for baby/child diapers (HB 282)
The board also advocated for the inclusion of funding in the state budget to support whole family/"2-gen" programs at Community Action Agencies. The final budget includes $950,000 to support these programs, which aim to address the needs of entire families by breaking down silos and using a “no wrong door” approach.
At the local level, the board also participated in the County Council budget hearings. CAB Chair Tiffany Jones testified on behalf of the full board in support of increased funding for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, affordable housing, and designated nurses for elementary schools that have Pre-Kindergarten/Head Start classes. Read the full CAB testimony.
 Next month, twenty-one participants in the Community Advocacy Institute (CAI), the Community Action Board’s advocacy training program for lower-income County residents, will graduate from the program. Participants attended monthly workshops, learning about important advocacy topics such as working with elected officials, the legislative process, storytelling, key advocacy issues, letter-writing, preparing testimony, and public speaking.
For their final project, thirteen participants testified at County Council budget hearings and eight participants submitted written testimony to the County Council. Participants’ original testimony, which they developed throughout the course of the program, focused on a wide range of community issues, including early care and education, services for children with special needs, safety, and the environment. This year’s twenty-one graduates will join the eighty-four graduates from the first five years of the program, becoming members of the CAI alumni group. Congratulations to the CAI class of 2022!
 Community Action currently has six Navigators. Five positions are supported by federal CARES funding, and one position is directly with the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center. Our newest Navigator is Karey Bell. Welcome, Karey! In addition to English, several Navigators are fluent in at least one other language. Gabriela Salazar, Pamela Medina, and Ziel Luna speak Spanish; Ameha Dessie speaks Amharic; and Aminullah Hamidi speaks Farsi, Pashto and some Urdu. Several members of Community Action's Navigator and TESS team are pictured above with colleagues from the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS).
Under leadership by Monica Rivera-Goldberg, CARES Navigation Program Coordinator, the Navigators have been working hard in their training to work with service application systems within the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), including Care for Kids and Montgomery Cares. They have also received training from partner organizations such as the Maryland Office of Heating and Energy Programs (OHEP), the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), and Maryland Health Connection, and nonprofit partners with the Latino Economic Development Center, Community Health and Empowerment through Education & Research (CHEER), Jubilee, Identity, A Wider Circle, Manna Food Center, and Interfaith Works. They are now able to fully assist clients with trouble shooting application issues, applying for benefits, and assisting in crisis events by providing guidance to the client.
Outside of their normal client assistance roles the Navigators have assisted in three Mass Care emergency events: the Friendly Garden Apartments explosion, the fire at Willow Manor senior living facility of Fairland, and Bramble Bush fire in Gaithersburg. Among the forty-one households displaced by the Friendly Garden explosion, the Navigators have successfully rehomed thirty-six households, as well as assisting with referrals to A Wider Circle for furniture, the Interfaith Clothing Center, and Manna Food Center. The Navigators have also assisted in helping those who were hospitalized in applying for financial assistance with medical bills.
During the Willow Manor Fire recovery, Navigators provided case management to all twenty-eight senior households during their displacement, including weekly check-ins. Common service needs included clothing referrals, benefits checks, and utility assistance, and coordination with DHHS colleagues, particularly within the Division of Aging and Disability Services.
The fire on Bramble Bush Court displaced five households, from a family of seven to single adults. Key partners in response to these residents are the Housing Initiative Partnership and DHHS Services to End and Prevent Homelessness. Navigators have worked to help rehouse these families, apply for health insurance and SNAP, and guide them through the recovery process.
Community Action is grateful for the many ways our Navigators assist County residents in obtaining the services they need to live in safety and dignity.
 Community Action's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) team is highlighting two recent articles from the IRS and the Comptroller of Maryland.
Here’s how taxpayers can resolve common after-tax-day issues
From the IRS: COVID Tax Tip 2022-63
This year’s deadline to file and pay federal income taxes has passed for most people. If a taxpayer is due a refund, there is no penalty for filing late. However, those who owe and missed the deadline without requesting an extension should file quickly to limit penalties and interest. Here are some tips for taxpayers handling some of the most common after-tax-day issues.
Check refund status Taxpayers can check on their refund using the Where's My Refund? tool. It is available on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go app. To use this tool, taxpayers need their Social Security number or ITIN, tax filing status and the exact amount of the refund claimed on their tax return. The tool updates once daily, so there's no need to check more often. Taxpayers without access to a computer can call 800-829-1954.
Check withholding All taxpayers are encouraged to check their withholding using the Tax Withholding Estimator on IRS.gov. This will help them make sure their employers are withholding the right amount of tax from their paychecks. Doing this now will help avoid an unexpected amount due and possibly a penalty when they prepare and file their taxes next year.
Taxpayers can use the results from the Estimator to help complete a new Form W-4 and adjust their income tax withholding with their employer. Taxpayers who receive pension income can use the results to complete a Form W-4P and submit to their payer.
Review payment options Taxpayers who owe taxes can review all payment options online. These include:
Carefully consider if they need to amend a tax return
After filing their tax return, taxpayers may find they made an error or forgot to enter something on it. The IRS strongly recommends taxpayers use the Interactive Tax Assistant, Should I File an Amended Return? to help determine if they should correct an error or make other changes to the tax return they already filed. Common errors taxpayers should fix are those made about filing status, income, deductions, and credits. Taxpayers usually do not need to file an amended return to fix a math error or if they forgot to attach a form or schedule. Normally, the IRS will correct the math error and notify the taxpayer by mail. Similarly, the agency will send a letter requesting any missing forms or schedules.
Taxpayers expecting a refund should not file an amended return before their original return has been processed The IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days for taxpayers who filed electronically and chose direct deposit. However, some returns have errors or need more review and may take longer to process. Things that can delay a refund:
- The return has errors, is incomplete or is affected by identity theft or fraud.
- The time it takes a taxpayer's bank or credit union to post the refund to the taxpayer's account.
The IRS will contact taxpayers by mail if it needs more information to process their return.
HOW TO PAY STATE TAXES USING A PAYMENT PLAN
From the Comptroller of Maryland.
If you are unable to pay the full amount due, you should still file a return and request a payment arrangement. The State will process your return and then send you an income tax notice for the remaining balance due for nonpayment of taxes.
You should pay as much as possible with your tax return and continue making payments while waiting for your return to be processed. To ensure proper credit to your account, be sure to note on your payment your Social Security number and the tax period for which the payment is intended.
When your return is processed, a Personal Income Tax Balance Due Notice will be sent to you. If you are unable to pay the notice in full at that time, you may indicate your preferred payment term on the notice and mail it back using the enclosed envelope. If the requested term is not listed, or if you need additional assistance, please contact the Collection Section by phone at 410-974-2432 or 1-888-674-0016 or by email at cdcollectionind@marylandtaxes.gov. If you are emailing us, please include your name, address, the last four digits of your Social Security Number, case number or notice number and your phone number in your message. This will help us generate a quick response to your inquiry. If you prefer, you may request a payment arrangement online.
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