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Greetings!
Have you heard about the first mass-produced vehicle
to accomodate wheelchairs that is being made in the
U.S.?! Push a button, a ramp rolls
out. And it starts around $30,000. Meanwhillle, back in
D. C., the Social Security Administration is working on
a program called "Ticket to Work". Check it out as well
as the new PBS film starring Neil Patrick Harris about
service dogs and the bond they have with their
owners. That and so much more...
As always,
we at Monroe wish
you a
great month and if you have a
need or a question, we are
here for you!
| Neil Patrick Harris goes to the dogs for PBS film |
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Neil Patrick Harris is the narrator of a PBS
documentary exploring the bond between service
dogs and those they help.
Harris recorded the narration this week for "Through a
Dog's Eyes," which is set to air next month.
The film details how dogs learn to serve people with
disabilities and how animals and humans are paired.
An Iraqi veteran who became a quadriplegic after a car
accident and a 6-year-old with cerebral palsy are
among those featured in the film.
The "How I Met Your Mother" star says he was
impressed by the strong emotional connection
between the service animals and those who rely on
them. He owns two dogs.
"Through a Dog's Eyes" debuts April 21 on PBS
stations.
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| The world's first and only mass-produced mobility vehicle coming soon in the U.S. |
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Late last year, The Vehicle Production Group LLC
(VPG) announced that volume production of the MV-1,
the first factory-built and assembled wheelchair-
accessible vehicle designed to meet the unique
needs of the paratransit, taxi and consumer market,
will commence in October 2010. The new vehicle will
be powered by the Ford 4.6L 2V EFI V8 and the Ford
4R75E Electronic 4-speed automatic transmission
and will be available in either gasoline or dedicated
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) models.
The MV-1 is the first and only vehicle built from the
ground up in the United States to meet or exceed the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) vehicle
guidelines. Unlike other wheelchair-accessible
vehicles, it is not a conversion or aftermarket retrofit.
The MV-1 production will commence at the AM
General plant in Mishawaka, Indiana with volume
production beginning in October and will retail from
$30,000. Thousands are already pre-sold!
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| Helping Beneficiaries Make Informed Choices About Work |
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The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program is an
employment program for people with disabilities who
are interested in going to work. The Ticket Program is
part of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives
Improvement Act of 1999 - legislation designed to
remove many of the barriers that previously influenced
people's decisions about going to work because of
the concerns over losing health care coverage. The
goal of the Ticket Program is to increase opportunities
and choices for Social Security disability beneficiaries
to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation (VR),
and other support services from public and private
providers, employers, and other organizations.
Under the Ticket Program, the Social Security
Administration provides disability beneficiaries with a
Ticket they may use to obtain the services and jobs
they need from a new universe of organizations called
Employment Networks (ENs).
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| For All Your Mobility Needs, Call Monroe Wheelchair! |
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You can depend on all of us at Monroe Wheelchair for
the latest
technology in medical equipment and the highest
quality healthcare.
Our staff has a combined 300 years of experience in
the medical equipment industry and Monroe's on-site
owner, Doug Westerdahl, continually monitors and
works together with his staff to improve customer
service.
Call us at 1-888-546-8595
today!
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Get ALL Your Tax Deductions! |
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People with disabilities often have a much greater
range of potential expenses to deduct when tax time
rolls around.
As is the case for other taxpayers, medical expenses
must exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross
income (AGI) to be deductible. (For example, if you
have an AGI of $40,000, your annual medical
expenses must total $3,000 or more to be deductible.)
So, if your medical and dental expenses for the
year have exceeded the 7.5 percent requirement,
however, there are many items that qualify as
deductions.
For starters, consider these medical expenses:
· All expenses related to prosthetics
· Special equipment installed in the home
(includes widening and moving stairways, special
ramps/motorized ramps for homes with stairs)
· Special hand controls and other adaptive
equipment for car if taxpayer has a disability
· Chiropractor, dental, nursing, inpatient and long-
term care
· Crutches, wheelchairs, etc.
· Diagnostic services
· Service dogs and/or other animal costs
· Insurance premiums
· Lodging and meals at a hospital and/or
institution
· Therapy
· Mileage to and from treatment (at a rate of 20
cents/mile)
...And alot more
In addition to these medical and dental
expenses, you may also be able to deduct some
home improvement expenses if it is for medical care.
The cost is then offset by the increased value of the
home.
And what about car deductions? The expenses
incurred when retrofitting or adapting a vehicle can be
substantial, so it's wise to pay attention to the tax
impacts here.
Specifically, you may deduct the difference
between the cost of a regular car and a car designed
to hold a wheelchair (for example, if a regular van
costs $15,000 and you purchase an adapted van that
will hold your wheel chair for $26,000, you may deduct
the $11,000 difference between the two). Also
deductible is the cost of special hand controls and
other special equipment.
So, with all of the expenses that are deductible,
what is not deductible? A general rule of thumb is that
if something's a necessary part of your life and the
expense is recommended by a physician, it's a
deductible expense.
And remember: it's a good idea to always keep
and be able to produce all the documentation related
to any deductible expense. You may need to provide
this documentation during an audit; if you don't have
your receipts and other documentation, the expense
could be denied, resulting in having to repay the
original amount deducted plus penalties and interest
to the IRS.
For more detailed information, check out the IRS
information on deductible medical expenses!
Click here to read about all the medical deductions!
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