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January-February 2015
North Dakota News
Tax-Aide Sites Open Across N.D. in February
Volume 13 Issue 1
How To Contact Us:
107 West Main Ave.
Suite 125
Bismarck, ND 58501
Call toll-free: 866-554-5383
E-mail: [email protected]
 Janis Cheney, State Director: 701-355-3641 or
[email protected]
 Josh Askvig, Associate
State Director - Advocacy:
701-355-3642 or
[email protected]
 Doreen Riedman, Associate
State Director - Community
Outreach: 701-355-3643 or
[email protected]
 Lyle Halvorson, Associate
State Director - Communications: 701-355-3653 or
[email protected]
 Debbie Best, Senior Operations Associate: 701-3553648 or [email protected]
For the latest news:
www.aarp.org/nd
AARP Tax-Aide sites across
North Dakota are open and
ready to help people prepare
their 2014 tax returns. This
service is available to middleand low-income taxpayers of
all ages with special attention
to those 60 and older.
You do not have to be an
AARP member to take advantage of this free service.
IRS-certified volunteers are
trained to assist in filing accurate returns and help taxpayers receive all of the benefits,
credits, and deductions to
which they are entitled. All
AARP Tax-Aide sites e-file
returns, also at no cost, which
helps taxpayers get refunds
quickly. Every taxpayer’s
return is quality reviewed and
all information is kept confidential.
Last year in North Dakota
8,209 people were helped
with their federal and state tax
returns. This year more than
100 volunteer preparers and
client facilitators will staff 11
sites across the state.
Like us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/aarpnd
Communities with Tax-Aide
offices are:
Follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/
AARP_ND
Bismarck - Senior Center, 9
a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday,
Friday and Saturday; 1-7 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday, and
1-5 p.m. Wednesday, beginning Feb. 2.
Devils Lake - A new AARP
Tax-Aide site will open at
Christ Free Lutheran Church.
Watch for dates and times in
the local newspaper.
Dickinson - Public Library,
1-4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, beginning Feb. 3.
Fargo
 Olivet Lutheran Church,
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday
and Friday, beginning Feb.
2.
 Hjemkomst Center
(Moorhead), 9 a.m.-3:30
p.m. Thursday, beginning
Feb. 5.
 Christ the King Lutheran
Church (Moorhead),
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday,
beginning Feb. 2.
Grand Forks – Campbell
Library (East Grand Forks),
1-4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday,
beginning Feb. 3.
Mandan - Public Library,
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday;
5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, beginning Feb. 2.
Minot – American Red Cross,
2021 4th Ave. NW, 10 a.m.3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday,
Friday and Saturday by appointment only, beginning
Feb. 2. Call 701-509-1446
only between 5-7 p.m. weekdays to make an appointment.
Wahpeton - Senior Center,
8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday and
Thursday beginning Feb. 10
by appointment only. Call
701-642-5746 to make an
appointment.
West Fargo – Faith Lutheran
Church, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday; 68:30 p.m. Tuesday, beginning
Feb. 3.
Individuals should ensure that
they have all of the documents they need to file before
coming to a Tax-Aide site,
including Social Security
cards, a photo ID, and a copy
of last year’s tax returns.
Please visit www.aarp.org/nd
to view the recommended list
of forms to bring with to the
Tax-Aide office.
Volunteer tax counselors are
not trained to handle all tax
forms. If your return is determined to be too complex, you
may need to seek another
qualified counselor or paid
tax assistance.
AARP Tax-Aide sites will
remain open through the April
15 tax deadline.
AARP Tax-Aide began in
1968. It is the nation’s largest,
free, volunteer-run tax preparation service, where volunteers commit their time and
talents to help their neighbors.
The AARP Foundation administers AARP Tax-Aide in
cooperation with the IRS.
Page 2
Join the Team at Legislative Halftime Reports
The North Dakota Legislature
will reach its midpoint at the
end of February and AARP
North Dakota will conduct
“halftime reports” in Fargo
and Grand Forks on March 2,
Minot on March 3, and Bismarck on March 4.
Hear more about AARP’s
work on the CARE
(Caregiver Record, Advise
and Enable) Act, and the
STaRT (Save Toward a Retirement Today) Act. AARP
has put on a full-court press
advancing these issues, plus
ensuring current retirement
programs are preserved,
working toward property tax
relief, protecting vulnerable
adults, and supporting more
options allowing people to
live safely in their own
homes as they age.
Get involved and help us
keep the ball in play as we
move into the second half!
There is no cost to attend, but
registration is required. Reg-
©iStockphoto.com/Matt_Brown
ister online at www.aarp.org/
nd or call 1-877-926-8300.
Fargo
Monday, March 2
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ramada Plaza Suites, 1635
42nd St. S.
Grand Forks
Monday, March 2
5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Hampton Inn and Suites,
2985 S. 42nd St.
Minot
Tuesday, March 3
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Sleep Inn, 2400 10th St. SW
Bismarck
Wednesday, March 4
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Kelly Inn, 1800 N. 12th St.
We invite you to bring a nonperishable food item that will
be donated to the Great Plains
Food Bank.
Join Friday’s Legislative Update Calls
AARP North Dakota invites
members to join our weekly
legislative updates at 1:30
p.m. Central Time each Friday. You can join and follow
along on your computer using WebEx, or you can just
dial in by phone.
The 2015 session of the N.D.
Legislature is well underway
and two bills focusing on our
top priorities have already
been introduced.
Join other members every
Friday afternoon during the
session to hear from AARP
Associate State Director of
Advocacy Josh Askvig to
discuss the status of legislation and highlights from the
week.
For the link to the online
presentation, go to
www.aarp.org/nd. To join by
phone only, dial toll-free 1866-215-3402 and use conference code: 355-3642.
Page 3
Join Our Education and Outreach Team
AARP North Dakota is forming an Education and Outreach Team that will
strengthen our connections in
communities across the state.
Team members from eight
regions around North Dakota
will provide input and share
recommendations for educational programming and outreach activities, helping us
better meet the needs and
wants of the 50-plus, including our members.
Here is the proposed purpose
statement of the team:
The Education and Outreach
Team will provide vision and
foster AARP education and
outreach efforts in communities across the state, enhanc-
ing the quality of life for all
as we age.
Here are the responsibilities
of the team members:
 Participate in team meetings, sharing insights and
recommendations on educational programming and
outreach events.
 Serve as a community and
regional liaison, helping
to identify opportunities
for AARP education and
outreach around the state.
 Support educational programs, activities and
events that are consistent
with AARP state plan
objectives.
 Understand and support
AARP’s vision and mission, and comply with
volunteer policy guidance.
We are inviting those interested to submit their names
for this team. The team will
have its first meeting in late
February.
If you have any questions or
would like to submit your
name for the team, contact
Doreen Riedman at [email protected] or 701-3553643. (Please include your
name, email address, phone
number and a statement on
why you would like to be
involved.)
Sign Up to Receive Event Notices by Email
We encourage you to sign up
to receive an email newsletter
we publish once every two
months. You would also receive notifications of AARP
meetings and events in your
area by email.
If you are on Facebook, you can join
more than 5,400
others who have
“liked” our page at
www.facebook.
com/aarpnd.
To receive these emails from
AARP North Dakota, sign up
online on this website:
www.aarp.org/yes2emailND
Facebook also
gives you a way to
communicate
directly with the
AARP North
Dakota office, by
either posting to
our page or sending
us a private message.
We would also encourage
you to visit our state webpage
(www.aarp.org/nd) on a regular basis for the most recent
information.
And if you use Twitter, you
can engage with us
@AARP_ND.
ACA Open
Enrollment Ends
February 15
Open enrollment season for
the Health Insurance
Marketplace closes on Feb.
15. You can take advantage
of open enrollment whether
you’re insured and looking
for better coverage or if you
don’t have insurance.
The Affordable Care Act
makes obtaining health
insurance coverage possible
for millions of Americans.
Regardless of your health
history, you can’t be turned
down for coverage.
To find local help in North
Dakota and to learn about
affordable healthcare
options, visit
www.getcoverednorthdakota.
org or call toll-free 800-2331737. Enrollment specialists
provide free assistance and
connect you with resources
that help you get covered.
Get Covered North Dakota
also offers online tools to
help locate in-person
assisters, schedule
appointments directly, find
primary care locations, and
view a calendar of
enrollment events.
Finally, to receive the advocacy updates we email, such
as periodic updates and alerts
on the state legislature, sign
up at www.aarp.org/
getinvolved.
The Marketplace is not for
people who have Medicare.
Medicare has a separate
open enrollment process
that started on Oct. 15 and
ended Dec. 7.
Page 4
Get Your Winter Driving Tune-up!
Is it time to brush up on your
driving skills?
Take AARP’s Smart Driver
Course and learn the current
rules of the road, defensive
driving techniques, how to
operate your vehicle more
safely in today’s increasingly
challenging driving environment and how to manage and
accommodate common agerelated changes in vision,
hearing and reaction time.
AARP’s four-hour driver
safety class is taught by
trained AARP volunteers.
There are no tests.
The cost is $15 for members
and $20 for non-members.
The course is open to people
of all ages. Those who complete the course are eligible
for a discount on their auto
insurance premiums of at least
five percent. (The discount
varies by company.)
You can always find the most
up-to-date class schedule at
www.aarp.org/nd.
Pre-registration is required.
For help with locating a class
in your area or to register for a
class, call toll-free 1-877-8463299. A class locator can also
be found online at
www.aarp.org/driversafety.
Here are upcoming Smart
Driver classes:
 Feb. 4, Senior Center,
Minot
 Feb. 4, Senior Center,
Grand Forks
 Feb. 11, Ed Clapp Senior
Center, Fargo
 Feb. 11, Dakota Community Bank, Bismarck
 Feb. 12, Sanford Health,
Bismarck
 Feb. 13, Senior Center,
Jamestown
 Feb. 23, Volunteer Center,
Devils Lake
 Feb. 26, St. Alexius, Bismarck
 March 4, Senior Center,
Grand Forks
 March 4, Senior Center,
Minot
 March 11, Ed Clapp Senior Center, Fargo
 March 16, Altru Psychiatry Center, Grand Forks
 March 26, Am Vets Club,
Bismarck
 March 30, Volunteer Center, Devils Lake
 April 1, Senior Center,
Grand Forks
 April 1, Senior Center,
Minot
 April 8, Ed Clapp Senior
Center, Fargo
 April 9, Sanford Health,
Bismarck
 April 23, Faith Lutheran
Church, Bismarck
 April 23, Volunteer Center, Devils Lake
 May 5, Senior Center,
Grand Forks
 May 6, Senior Center,
Minot
 May 12, Capitol Credit
Union, Bismarck
 May 13, Ed Clapp Senior
Center, Fargo
 May 19, Volunteer Center,
Devils Lake
 May 21, Altru Psychiatry
Center, Grand Forks
 May 21, St. Alexius, Bismarck
Take the Course Online
AARP offers the safe driving
course online as well, where
you can take it at your own
pace in the convenience of
your home. The fee is $17.95
for members and $21.95 for
non-members. For information on the online course,
go to www.aarp.org/drive.
Volunteer of the Month
Allen Dockter of Bismarck
has been named AARP Driver
Safety Volunteer of the
Month for December 2014.
Thank you, Allen, for your
continued participation and
support of AARP’s Driver
Safety program in North
Dakota. Your efforts are
greatly appreciated.
Become Involved as a
Driver Safety Volunteer
AARP Driver Safety is looking for volunteers to teach the
AARP Smart Driver Course
in North Dakota. Learn more
about what it’s like to volunteer for AARP Driver Safety,
or sign up now at
www.aarp.org/driversafety.
You can also call Duane
Bergeson, the state Driver
Safety program coordinator,
at 701-258-2534 or email
[email protected].