Legal priorities in WA: Is this an April Fool's Day prank?

I'm having a nausea-inducing sense of deja vu right now, and I wonder if I'm somehow getting punked on April Fool's Day (a.k.a. the first day of Autism Awareness Month). Beware, because a rant is a' comin'...

Scheduled today in my state's capitol of Olympia, Washington, is a Senate Health Care Committee hearing to discuss an abortion mandate, known as the "Reproductive Parity Act."

This is the same exact type of Senate hearing that I testified at when I was working to enact "Autism Insurance Parity" in the State of Washington. Shayan's Law, as it was commonly known, never saw the light of day because it got shut down by the Health Care Committee every time it was presented.

We had a HUGE grassroots effort, and it was standing room only at our particular Senate hearing. Autism families and our various supporters joined together for rallies at the capitol. Hundreds of us were knocking on the doors of our legislators' offices, scheduling meetings with them, sending emails, and making phone calls to voice our opinion about the importance of autism insurance parity for Washington.

For what?

Nothing.

Autism doesn't matter enough to the law makers in Washington State to do anything about providing mandates for coverage like so many other states in our country have already done.

It appears now that abortions could be more important than autism.

Pardon me while I vomit.

The fight for autism continues. Small strides are being taken through the work of some dedicated attorneys and an organization that is working to sue every insurance company that operates in Washington State, until autism coverage is mandated for everyone. God bless them for continuing the carry the torch of autism for all of us!

And, they are winning!

People are starting to get coverage for necessary autism therapies in drips and drabs. Unfortunately, my family's insurance company has not entered the court room yet, but their day is coming. I only wish it would come faster!



Image Source

Until then, my kids will continue to be denied coverage, and we will continue to not get the therapies they need so much, all due to the fact that we are not wealthy enough to pay for it all out of our own pocket.

It is SO WRONG.

It saddens me to think that abortion mandates are more important than autism mandates. Our kids with autism need help. Families are suffering under the financial burden of autism. Children are not getting services that could help them in both the short and long-term. The people who could enact meaningful change that would better the lives of so many of our state's citizens choose not to.

This is not what I consider to be a good start to Autism Awareness Month.


(Please note: This is my opinion about the importance of one issue over another, and I am entitled to feel the way I feel. Negative comments that seek to engage me or any of my readers in a bitter political debate are not welcome.) 

Flashback Friday: Tax day approaches!

In less than 2 months it will be Tax Day on April 15th. Have you even started gathering together your receipts yet? I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend working on updating all of my records. I was horribly behind in scanning my receipts into my software program. Once I completed that task and got to the nitty gritty of figuring deductions, my mouth dropped open when I learned how much I had spent in the past 6 months on getting my nonprofit off the ground. Holy cow do things add up quickly!

Are you aware of all of your deductions you can take that are directly related to your child's care,  like GFCF food, mileage to doctor's appointments, etc.? Do you volunteer for a nonprofit? You get to take that mileage, too! I know my volunteer mileage is at an all-time high!

I wrote a post last year about some great tools and tips for filing taxes when you have a child with autism or other special need. There are some great resources about deductions you should consider. Since tax time is getting closer, now is the perfect time to review some of this information. Maybe it will help you get a bigger refund!

Check out my post about tax deductions for autism!

  

Tax Deductions for Autism

If you’re like me, you dread tax day. Gathering receipts and tracking deductions can be a real chore. Did you know that there are some deductions you can take related to autism and other special needs diagnoses? If you’re like me, you want to deduct everything you possibly can because caring for a child with autism (and in my case, 2) is VERY expensive!

Over the past couple of years I have been tracking and itemizing things like allergy-free groceries, prescribed supplements, workshops and classes, mileage, etc. It can really add up! If you spend a reasonable amount on any of these things, you know how much sticker shock there can be. Well, you can potentially off-set some of those expenses! Keep in mind that your medical costs have to exceed 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income in order for you to take any deduction.

Since today is April 15^th, I know that this post is too late for you to benefit from this year. But, there are some great resources I would like to share with you so that you are better prepared for next April. These will provide you with some ideas on possible itemized deductions you can discuss with your tax professional. It’s never too early to prepare for the next tax season! I may balance my checkbook to the penny and know how to operate a financial calculator, but I am most definitely not an expert in this area. The following links have helped me personally, so I thought they were worth sharing! I hope you get as much help from them as I did.

An excellent place to start is at TACA. Their article on Tax Strategies is a great overview on various types of deductions. You will quickly realize that there are many things you may have been overlooking.

Another great article is from the wonderful educational advocacy organization, Wrightslaw.

The Arc Michigan created a 28-page Income Tax Guide that is downloadable in PDF format. It has a lot of detail and is well worth the time to review.

Once you know what you should be tracking, set up a system to tabulate these costs during the year rather than trying to crunch all the numbers at once and getting overwhelmed and stressed out. This can be easily accomplished by using a spreadsheet. I created one that I’ve used for the past couple of years, and I try to diligently enter costs as they occur. I have gotten quite detailed with mine, but in its most simple form all you have to do is create a spreadsheet with the following columns:

·         Date

·         Cost (only add up the deductible items from each receipt)

·         Place (Doctor’s office, grocery store, etc.)

·         Mileage

If you want more specifics, add in a Purpose column, which can be an informative way to sort your data for overview or to spot trends in your spending. At the end of the calendar year, add a Sum Function at the bottom of the spreadsheet and you’re good to go. Make sure you keep the receipts from anything you enter into the spreadsheet so that you have proof for your numbers.

This past fall I purchased some new software that will help me in this endeavor. I hate having zillions of receipts everywhere that can get disorganized and lost. A way for me to get some control over this problem was to purchase a NeatReceipts system. It’s a small receipt scanner that comes with built-in software to help you file and manage the paperwork you scan. If applicable, you can select a specific tax deduction category for your receipt. Those items will be tracked and you can easily run an end-of-the-year report. I also purchased Quicken software. I like that all of my financial information is in one place and is easily sorted in lots of different ways. I’m a spreadsheet junkie, so I love having all of this information at my fingertips and being able to run different reports. It gives me a nerdy thrill! I know I’m weird…

Both Quicken and NeatReceipts save me time and frustration, which made them a worthwhile investment for our family. Unfortunately, since I only purchased them in the fall, I didn’t get the full effect of how they could help me with my 2010 taxes. But, I can tell you that for the months that I had data entered, they did help to streamline my process. I’m looking forward to a much simpler preparation of my taxes next year!

With the resources and information shared here, I hope you are able to have less tax-related stress next year. I also wish you MANY deductions! J



NeatReceipts system

Quicken software



April is Autism Awareness Month! A group of mommy bloggers have joined together to help spread the word about autism. Please visit these wonderful blogs!

Organizing Made Fun
Earth Monkey Moms
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Goodbye House, Hello Home
Pieces of My Heart

Caffeinated Autism Mom
Mom's Flight School
Helping My Boys
My Thirty One
Life with Lissy
Frou Frou Britches
This Journey Through My Life
Endless Crafting
Loving This Life with 5
Snails & Puppy Dog Tails
Me, You, Wine, Cheesecake, and Autism

Join us, won’t you?