by Melanie Lavelle

Hello beautiful NYC Veterans community. First, thank you for your service.  Second, we know how hard you have had to fight even here at home for the benefits you’ve already earned. So pat yourselves on the back for all the hard work.  

We are in full-on tax season right now, and we at Benefit Kitchen wanted you to know that you can get your taxes done for FREE here in NYC if you meet certain criteria. General eligibility for most free tax-preparation sites is that you must have earned $54,000 or less in 2016, or you need help because you’re disabled or 60 years or older.

Why is it important to use these free services?  In America, two of the biggest tax preparers get 17 cents to the federal dollar we spend on the earned income tax credit.  Big fees and sometimes questionable expedited cash practices eat into the tax credits you have earned.  Please do yourself a favor and go find a site where kind volunteers trained by the IRS will do them for you--for free.

by Molly Pearl

Last summer I finally came up for air. Almost two years after my husband’s cancer diagnosis, and a year after his bone marrow transplant, I waded out of the most intensive and challenging period of caregiving I ever experienced. I began to focus my care inward. I went to the doctor and actually talked about my own health. I went to the dentist. I got a massage. I slowly willed myself to stop anticipating an emergency every time my phone rang with an unfamiliar number. I began thinking about what it meant to move forward into a less intensive, yet longer-term caregiving role. “Cancer-free” does not equal a clean bill of health, and all the veteran caregivers out there will nod in understanding when I lament that a decline in physical health often exacerbates underlying depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health challenges. Many veteran caregivers finally get their heads above water only to see that dry land is farther off yet. 

Moderator Phoebe Gavin discusses the current state of affairs for NYC veterans with panelists Lee Covino, Coco Culhane, Brett Morash, Tireak Tulloch, and Vadim Panasyuk. Topics include veteran homelessness, the need for cohesive programs acting as a social safety net for veterans, the needs of different generations of veterans, and how defining "veteran" limits access to services and programs.

Forum on NYC Veterans Policy

Presented by the NYC Veterans Alliance
July 28, 2015 - New York Public Library