As part of their Corona Virus response efforts, Walmart Online Grocery Pickup has reserved the 7-8 a.m. pickup slots in most Walmart locations for seniors, customers with disabilities, first responders and those considered by the CDC to be at high risk from COVID-19.  These pickup slots will be available beginning 4/14/2020. 

• Click here for the Walmart Online Grocery Slot Reservation information.
• Click here for the Walmart 7-8 AM Questions and Answers

Hot off the press!

https://patch.com/massachusetts/medfield/new-guidance-covdi-19-economic-impact-payments

For anyone that has received Social Security benefits of any kind and did not file taxes in 2018 or 2019 and they have dependent children under age 17, they need to go to the link https://patch.com/massachusetts/medfield/new-guidance-covdi-19-economic-impact-payments and follow the instructions for nonfilers. This will be the easiest way for them to get the $500 payment for each child. It says this should be done as soon as possible. This is includes individuals receiving SSDI, SSI, and retirement who have dependents.

If they receive SSDI or retirement benefits and do not have dependent children under age 17, they will not have to do anything. The payment will be deposited just like their monthly check.

Everyone will receive a letter from the IRS within 15 days after the check is deposited.

As for individuals who receive SSI and do not have dependent children, the Treasury department is still working on the best way to get payments to them.

Please read the article and information at the IRS link.

The IRS is committed to helping you get your Economic Impact Payment as soon as possible. The payments, also referred to by some as stimulus payments, are automatic for most taxpayers. No further action is needed by taxpayers who filed tax returns in 2018 and 2019 and most seniors and retirees.
Click here for more information and forms.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorized payments to be made to many people. These are referred to as “economic impact payments”.

There has been a lot of confusion about exactly how this will work. Because people with disabilities are facing increased costs during the pandemic and because our community is disproportionately poor to start with, NCIL and other advocacy organizations have been working to ensure that the confusion is cleared up and that everyone who is entitled to a payment can access it.

Last Friday, the Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul released a statement. He has cleared up some of our questions, but not all of them.

Individuals who make up to $75,000 a year, and married couples who file joint tax returns who make up to $150,000, are eligible to receive the full payment of $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples. There is also a $500 supplemental payment per child. People with higher incomes will receive smaller payments.

If you are required to file taxes, the government is requiring 2018 or 2019 tax returns in order to receive your economic impact payment. If you have filed taxes for 2018 or 2019, you have already done what you need to do. The IRS will automatically generate economic impact payments.

Read more about payment amounts, how the IRS will send payments, and additional information at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) web page Economic impact payments: What you need to know.
If you are required to file taxes but have not done so yet, you must do so in order to receive a payment.

Many people receiving Social Security benefits are not required to file taxes. The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that Social Security beneficiaries who are not typically required to file tax returns, and who receive an SSA-1099 form, will have the information on their SSA-1099 form used to determine their eligibility and automatically generate their economic impact payment. Therefore, if you are not required to file taxes and have received an SSA-1099 form, you have already done what you need to do.

If you would like to obtain another copy of your SSA-1099, read about how obtain your SSA-1099 without visiting a field office.

People who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Veterans Affairs (VA) Disability Compensation or Veterans Pension do not get an SSA-1099 or similar form. While Commissioner Saul’s statement clarified that SSA is working with the Department of the Treasury to address questions regarding SSI recipients, there still is not a clear process from the government on how people who are not required to file taxes but do not receive SSA-1099s will receive their economic impact payments.

Earlier this week, the Social Security Advisory Board sent a letter to Commissioner Saul urging action related to relief payments for SSI recipients. NCIL also signed on to a Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities letter (PDF) to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, Social Security Commissioner Saul, and VA Secretary Wilkie urging them to work together to ensure people receiving SSI or VA Disability Compensation or Veterans Pension benefits can also receive their payments automatically, without being required to file taxes. We are still waiting for a process to be finalized.

Lastly, many people on means-tested programs like SSI and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have wondered whether the economic impact payments will put their benefits at risk. Because the economic impact payment is structured like a tax refund, it will not count as income, and recipients will have 12 months to spend the payment before it counts toward resource limits. The American Taxpayer Relief Act excludes Federal tax refunds and advance tax credits from resource counting for 12 months and applies to benefits or assistance “under any Federal program or under any State or local program financed in whole or in part with Federal funds”.

NCIL is following this all closely, and we will send an updated alert when we have additional information. The Commissioner has indicated that the IRS will provide additional information at www.irs.gov/coronavirus .

By Nancy G. Holman 

PARSONS, Kan. - People with disabilities are at higher risk for catching the Corona virus, but their risk may be even higher for being discriminated against when seeking medical treatment for the virus in Kansas, said Shari Coatney, President/CEO of the SKIL Resource Center.

“Based upon the guidance recently released by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in their “Toolkit for COVID-19” of February 28, 2020, disabled people in Kansas will be subject to medical treatment rationing protocols, including rationing ventilators that can save their lives,” Coatney said.

On March 27, 2020 the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, Topeka Independent Living Resource Center, Inc. and Tessa Goupil, a 49-year-old disabled mother who uses a ventilator, filed a discrimination complaint against the State of Kansas with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, alleging discrimination of federal law regarding the guidance protocols, said Coatney.

“Some of our disabled citizens seeking medical treatment in Kansas would lose their lives if this was enforced,” she said. “Even though KDHE has pulled this horrific discriminatory protocol from their website, it was already sent out to medical and healthcare facilities. The fact is, if they don’t send out a formal notification, the medical and healthcare facilities will not know that it has been withdrawn.”

“Because of this deeply flawed guidance protocol, people’s lives are at even bigger risk than from the virus,” Coatney said. “Such blatant and cruel discrimination, especially during a time the entire world is experiencing the deadly Corona virus pandemic, is enormously frightening and absolutely inhumane and illegal.”

“It’s a dangerous world we live in, when we start trying to put one person’s life above another based upon any type of classification,” she said. “I have many customers who have disabilities, and also co-workers and friends. The State of Kansas must value the lives of all people.”

View the Complaint online at: https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kansas-OCR-complaint-3.27.20-final.pdf

SKIL is a multi-faceted center for independent living that serves all people with disabilities, or those whose environment is disabling. Headquartered in Parsons, SKIL has branch offices in Chanute, Columbus, Fredonia, Independence, Pittsburg and Sedan.

For more information, call Parsons SKIL at 1-800-688-5616 or contact any SKIL office. On the web at: www.skilonline.com .