rally
In This Issue
On-line and In-Office Workshops
April Activities for Autism Awareness Month
Program Highlight
It's Time To Register!
Tax Deductions and Credits for Special Needs

In-Office Workshops:

 

SPECIAL NEEDS TRUSTS WORKSHOP FOR FAMILY MEMBERS    

Presentation  

Two dates to choose from:

 

Wednesday, April 17 or Wednesday, May 29

 

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 pm

 

The Dale Law Firm, PC  

Conference Room

127 Aspen Dr.,  

Pacheco, CA  

 

(conveniently located at near the 4/680 Interchange between Martinez and Concord, CA) 

 

Register by contacting [email protected]  

or by calling (925) 826-5585

 

-----------

 

WebinarIntroducing 

Free and Informative  

On-line Workshops

  AA woman and computer

April 23:   Is It Time To Review Your Estate Plan?

 

April 30:  Updating Your Special Needs Trust      

 

June 11:    How Does Your Special Needs Trust Affect Housing?  

 

Each workshop is from 

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

 

Pre-registration is required!

 

In order to expand our outreach and support families with disabilities in our community, The Dale Law Firm, PC is introducing on-line one hour workshops.  We will hold three one hour workshops in the next three months through GoToMeeting.  You only need to register and then download a simple application before the workshop begins.  

 

Register by contacting

[email protected]

 or by calling  

 

(925) 818-4245   

 

For more information on these and other workshops

 

CLICK HERE!


Celebrate Autism Awareness Month
The California Autism Foundation is recognizing April as Autism Awareness Month with the following three events:

Wednesday, April 10th 
CAF's ABC School Open House 
4:30 to 7:40 pm 
4138 Lakeside Dr., Richmond, CA

Friday, April 19th 
Round Up Saloon 
6:00 - 9:00 pm 
3553 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette

Wednesday, April 24th 
iPads and Pizza at Patxi's 
5:00 to 7:00 pm 
3577 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette

for more information, go to www.CalAutism.org
A Great May Activity!

 

Saturday May 4, 2013

    

Festival: 9:00 - 4:00

Lunch: 11:30 - 2:00

 

WATSONVILLE AIRPORT

 

FREE ENTRY, 
FREE ACTIVITIES

 

The 8th Annual Day in the Sky is a FREE Accessibility Expo featuring up to 100 nonprofit groups, educational interactive displays, and vendors of assistive technologies & STEMA (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, & Aviation).   


The festival will also include a static plane display, on the ground air school, a hot air balloon, music provided by a local DJ, face painters, Snoopy, accessible sports equipment demos, and visits with live animals.   
 
Register at: 

or call:  
831-459-7210

* Volunteers needed!  Register on-line.

 
In Office
Promotional Special

    steve at stetson     

New clients will receive a discount on their special needs trust estate planning if they attend a full on-site workshop, or watch an on-line video,  

or view a free educational DVD from the Dale Law Firm, PC.   

 

For more information, go to the

 

 "Educational Workshop" 

  

section of the

 Achieving Independence 
website
(www.achieving independence.com)

There are two applicable videos to view. The first video is listed under "Special Needs Trusts" and is 1 hour, 40 minutes long. 

The Limited Conservatorship workshop is listed in 5 sections under "Limited Conservatorship".

  

The Dale Law Firm is at
127 Aspen Dr., Suite 100

Pacheco, CA  94553 


conveniently located between Martinez and Concord

Click HERE for Larger MAP   

  

Map

 

(925) 826-5855

 

AI Logo
A Newsletter for People with Disabilities and Their Families
March, 2013    
This issue's focus:

Prepare Now!

 

Dear Reader:

 

It's Spring!  You know what that means, right?  Tax time, spring activities, and just around the corner....Summer! 

 

We know that today's families with special needs have a lot on their plates.  The Achieving Independence Newsletter has always worked to provide our readers with tools that will help them. This edition melds some important and useful information to help plan for both immediate and long term needs.

 

Look for our great announcement to the left regarding a new on-line Special Needs Trusts webinar series, free of charge, that will cover the issues of housing, benefits and planning.  These webinars will be held in three one-hour segments.  You can sign up for one, two or all three  presentations. 

 

For those getting ready for summer, we are providing some updated information on available summer camps for children with disabilities within the Bay Area. 

 

We are also providing, just in time for tax season, a guest article from The Special Needs Alliance that details five deductions families with disabled loved ones can take when filing their yearly federal income tax.

 

Achieving Independence is accomplished through information and support.  We are committed to providing both.

 

Do you have more questions or comments? Contact me at [email protected]

 

Nina S. Jones, Editor 

The Achieving Independence Newsletter

 

SummerCampIt's Time To Register for
Spring and Summer Programs
in the Bay Area
 

*Article originally developed by Laura Schumaker,  

 

1) CAMP KREM  

 

Provides year-around recreational activities and summer camping for children and adults with developmental disabilities.   

 

2) CAMP COSTONOAN

 

Year-around recreational activities and summer camping for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

 

3) WALNUT CREEK SPECIALIZED RECREATION  

 

Activities and outings for the developmentally disabled. Their adult program operates from September to May. All activities and trips are designed specifically for developmentally disabled adults. Summer day camp program for ages 5 to 21.

 

4) EASTER SEALS CAMPS

 

Year-around recreational activities and summer camping for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

 

5) YOUNG LIFE

  

Young Life camp provides the opportunity and environment for young people with disabilities to open up and share their struggles, fears and faith.   

 

6) EXTREME SPORTS CAMPS

 

Specifically focused for campers with Autism.

 

7) CAMP AZURE

 

Four-week Summer Day Camp at Glen Canyon for San Francisco children.

 

8) SURFERS HEALING

 

Day camps at the beach where autistic children and their families can be exposed to a completely new experience of surfing.  

 

9)  CAMP ALTITUDE 

   

Two-week summer camp experience for boys and girls with social cognitive challenges (Asperger's, NLD, High Functioning Autism, PDD-NOS & ADHD) who are entering 6th through 11th grades. 

 

10) SAN RAMON THERAPEUTIC RECREATION

 

Excellent program with so much to offer year round. 

 

   

Provides camp for special needs children and grants to special education teachers.

 

12)  GEORGE MILLER CENTER - Richmond and Concord

 

Services for 11-22 year olds with intellectual/ developmental disabilities who would like to be involved in an active, social, recreational after-school experience. 

   

 MORE INFORMATION 


Please click here for a more comprehensive list of Camps in the Bay Area provided by Support for Families

For a list of camps across the U.S., go to:   

http://www.veryspecialcamps.com

 

And for a list of great vacation spots for the whole family that are special needs friendly, see:

 
TaxCredit5 Tax Deductions & Credits For Special Needs Families
by Bernard A. Krooks, J.D., CPA, LL.M, CELA 
 
Reprinted with permission from "The Voice", 
by The Special Needs Alliance (printed 2012/10/10)

Parents of children with special needs often have unique financial concerns, and one way to ease those concerns is to reduce their tax burden.
 

There are many tax deductions and credits available that parents may not be aware of. Parents of children with special needs should familiarize themselves with the deductions and credits and take care to document all expenses related to their children's medical expenses, development and therapy.

 

Here are 5 useful tax deductions and credits for parents of children with special needs.


1. Medical & Therapy Expenses

 

The first type of deduction to consider is for medical and therapy expenses. For income tax purposes, learning disabilities are a type of medical condition. This may include autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and other learning disabilities.

 

While these expenses are limited by 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, the limitation may be exceeded by certain types of out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Such expenses can include the following:

  • Special schooling such as: tutoring that is specifically intended to address the special needs of the child.
  • Regular education when it is intended to treat the child's special needs.
  • Aides that a child may require to benefit from education.
  • Exercise programs, if they are recommended by a medical professional.
  • Transportation to and from special schools or therapy sessions.
  • Equipment, devices and supplies necessary to treat or alleviate a medical condition, including technology items such as communication devices.
2. Specialized Foods

 

A gluten-free, casein-free diet can be used as a deduction provided it is medically recommended. Generally, only the additional cost of the specialized foods over and above what would be paid for similar items is deductible.

 

3. Legal Expenses

 

In some cases, legal expenses related to your child's special needs may be deductible, for instance if you hire an attorney to help you prove that your child's medical expenses are legitimate.


Tax Credits

 

Even more helpful than a tax deduction is a tax credit, which applies directly to the amount of tax you owe. The tax credits most helpful to parents of special needs children are the Child and Dependent Care Credit and the Earned Income Credit. In both cases, a credit that is normally only available for children may also be used for an older child with special needs.


4. Child and Dependent Care Credit

 

The Child and Dependent Care Credit may be applied when you pay someone to care for your dependent, and it provides a tax credit of up to $3,000 per dependent, to a maximum of $6,000 for all dependents.  Child-care, after-school programs and day camp qualify for the credit.

 

The credit is available for children under the age of 13, but the age limit does not apply to older children with special needs.


5. Earned Income Credit

 

The Earned Income Credit can also be useful for parents of children with special needs. The credit generally may be applied by families with a low to moderate income and children under the age of 19, or up to age 23 for full-time students. However, for adult children living with their parents, the age limit does not apply.

 

In Conclusion

 

Parents of children with special needs know that there are unique challenges involved, including financial hurdles. However, with careful planning and the assistance of an experienced attorney who is sensitive to special needs issues, you can make sure you do what is necessary to reduce your tax burden and protect your child's interests.

SNA
Proud members of
The Special Needs Alliance
learn more at:

meeting
The Dale Law Firm sponsors the achievingindependence.com website as a service to the community at large.  Our website contains the Achieving Independence for Persons with Disabilities newsletter as part of our law firm's commitment to providing vital information to persons with disabilities and their families. This website also serves as a resource for the Achieving Independence Practice System which develops Special Needs Trusts and services to support those Trusts to assist persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible, free from abuse and neglect.