Friday, December 26

Important Information for Seniors

1. Social Security, pensions, VA benefits and disability income are protected from collectors under federal law.
2. Persons on protected income can immediately stop paying credit card and medical debt they can’t afford to pay.
3. They can use this income to pay for their needs.
4. A person can continue paying one or two credit cards if they want and let the others default. It is expected that even if they default on other credit cards the ones they are current on will remain good as long as they are continued to be paid. This preserves some credit.
5. If you have a car you can’t afford you can simply let it go back. You may owe money but they can’t collect from you if you still owe money after it repossessed and sold.
6. If you have a house you can’t afford, with little or no equity, you can stop payments and live in the house without making payments.  Often you can be in the home for 1-2 years or perhaps even longer while it is going back in foreclosure.
7. Bankruptcy is almost always unnecessary for seniors on protected income with minimal assets. Their income and property is protected under federal and state laws.
8. Collectors cannot communicate in writing or by phone with persons represented by an attorney.
9. HELPS represents seniors and disabled persons on protected income for the purpose of having an attorney to prevent collector harassment.
10. HELPS send letters to collectors to stop harassment and is always available for questions.
11. The federal government has a program called Section 8 that assists persons, including seniors, on limited incomes with the cost of housing. There is normally a waiting period. HELPS has volunteers that can assist its members with the application process.
12. There are supplemental benefits available for veterans and surviving spouses receiving limited income. Six out of seven widows are estimated to be entitled to benefits they are not receiving simply because they don’t know about the benefit.  
 13. Probably the same percentage of veterans themselves are not receiving 
       these available extra benefits.     
       - simply because they don’t know about them.

14. Seniors on limited income can easily be placed on un-collectable status with the IRS for past taxes owed. HELPS assists persons in this regard.
15. State governments cannot garnish federally protected income like Social Security and pensions. Taxes or debts owed to state do not need to be paid.
16. Seniors who have student loan debt who are receiving protected income can often be placed on an income contingent repayment plan for the student loans with the amount being paid as zero per month.
17. HELPS assists seniors in all fifty states. Our number one source of clients is referrals from other HELPS members telling their friends, neighbors and relatives about HELPS .
18. The cost to enroll in HELPS is absolutely minimal. There is a suggested maintenance fee which at the most is less than a McDonald’s cup of coffee a day.
19. HELPS has never turned a senior away that qualified for our assistance.
20. A senior can enroll in HELPS over the phone. Money does not need to paid to enroll immediately. With HELPS you always have an attorney to talk with about these issues. There is never a cost. We are here to remove the stress of dealing with collectors.
21. We help seniors maintain financial independence on limited incomes. 

Friday, December 19

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
Do you owe old state taxes?

Did you know that Social Security and pensions are also protected from collection by states for old state tax debt? If you didn’t, you are in the vast majority. Nearly half of all seniors are classified as economically vulnerable. Many owe old state tax debt. State tax collectors generally don’t bother to tell seniors and disabled persons that their money is safe and protected under federal law- it can’t be garnished by the state. Instead they harass them to pay no matter how little their income. Many thousands go without basics like food and medicine to pay old state tax debt from protected social security and pensions. The IRS has a system in place to recognize this - its called uncollectable status - while states generally don’t. HELPS can assist its clients to get on a non collectable status with the IRS and also stop state collections. However State tax collectors continue to harass and intimidate other seniors, who don’t know their rights. They even garnish bank accounts with income protected under federal law.
 HELPS has recently been working with the state of Oregon to introduce state laws that will require the State Department of Revenue to advise these seniors and others that their income is protected. This legislation would provide a means so that seniors may be put in an uncollectable status. It would stop harassment by state revenue agents. It would protect seniors with limited income to have that income for basic needs. This proposed legislation is in the beginning stages in Oregon. It is called LC 1830 and will come before the legislature this spring. It will be sponsored by representatives Cliff Barnhart, Democrat from Eugene and John Davis, Republican from Portland and others. HELPS believes this is truly bipartisan legislation. We are asking The AARP and others to join in this effort. Below is a copy of the draft legislation (LC1830 DRAFT 2015 Regular Session).



If there are any HELPS clients that have been intimidated by the Oregon Department of Revenue or other state collectors either in writing or by phone, we would like to hear from you. Please contact HELPS by email (info@helpsishere.org)  or give us a call at 1-855-435-7787 (toll free). We need more persons willing to share their story and perhaps testify before the legislature.
This legislation is badly needed everywhere, not just in Oregon. Low income seniors have never had a voice to speak for them in this regard. This is your chance to make a real difference in the future lives of thousands of seniors. We hope to have one state set the example and expand from there.