Faithful service ■
From fundraisers to wedding receptions, St. Michael’s Altar Society is there to lend a helping hand
By Ann Bailey
Special Features Staff Writer
Throughout the year, St. Michael’s Altar Society members cook up ways to make money for their church. The group of church women hold bazaars, suppers and luncheons to raise funds, which they donate to the St. Michael’s Church general fund. The altar society members also serve at wedding receptions and funeral lunches. There is a fee for the wedding receptions but no charge for the funeral lunches. All the women who belong to St. Michael’s church are considered members, said Bernie Altendorf, Altar Society president. Although the altar society’s active members include a few women who are in their 40s and 50s, the majority of them are aged 60 and older. Altendorf has been an altar society member since 1964 when she joined the parish. Besides raising money for the church, altar society members also are responsible for keeping the church neat, Altendorf said. St. Michael’s Church has a janitor to do the heavy cleaning, but the St. Michael’s Altar Society members do the light, dayto-day tidying up. The members have a feeling of pride for their church. “It’s one of those old traditional churches you always hear people talking about,” Altendorf said.
Fundraisers
When it comes to raising money for the church, one of the altar society’s most popular fundraisers is the annual soup and pie supper held in February. More than 200 attended the one held last month, which featured chicken noodle, vegetable beef and chicken dumpling soup. The day before the supper the women cut up fresh vegetables, including cab-
Fit feet
It’s time to junk unwanted mail ■
Elderly and retired people are finding themselves deluged with junk mail
By Ann Bailey
Special Features Staff Writer
Jackie Lorentz, Special Features staff photographer
Working in the basement of St. Michael’s church, the St. Michael’s Altar Society ladies make three kinds of soups for their annual homemade soup supper held in February. Some of the Altar Society members that head up the soup supper are JoAnn Brown, left, Sharon Paschke, middle and Angie Anderson, right. bage, carrots and potatoes for the 10 gallons of beef barley vegetable soup. They also make 15 gallons of chicken noodle and 25 gallons of chicken dumpling. “Chicken dumpling is our biggest seller,” said JoAnn Brown, who was in charge of the supper. Brown, who has belonged to the Altar Society for 54 years, is a veteran chef and cooked at restaurants for many years. Altar society members also donate about 45 pies, including berry, apple and various types of cream, for the soup supper. When the altar society hosts its annual fall dinner in October, the number of pies more than double. “When we have our fall supper we have over 100 pies coming,” Alterndorf said. During the past two years the members also have sold homemade donuts at the supper. They make the donuts in the church basement from a recipe of
Stop junk mail before it starts. That’s the advice of Grand Forks Senior Citizens Association outreach coordinator Joyce Austin. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by junk mail because it piles up quickly, she said. Statistics show that on average, each person in the United States receives between 40 and 50 pounds of junk mail annually. Some elderly people receive much more mail than that and Austin has witnessed piles of it in people’s homes. It can include magazine subscription requests, political party polls, appeals from religious organization, solicitations and even requests for donations from senior organizations. Much of the junk mail is the result of direct marketing campaigns, and the senders get people’s names in a variety of ways. One of the most common is warranty cards shoppers fill out after they purchase a
new product, Austin said. When people fill out the cards they share personal information that includes their names, income levels and addresses. In most cases, the sales receipt is the only piece of paper needed for the product warranty, she said. Besides warranties, other places junk mail senders obtain a person’s name is when he or she buy cars or houses or uses shopping cards, signs up for credit cards, subscribes to magazines gives money to a charity or purchases an item from a catalog, according to the Web site of the Privacy Rights Clearing House, a private consumer organization based in California, located online at www.privacyrights.org
Keeping junk mail at bay
To avoid getting on lists, people should write: “Please do not rent, sell or exchange my name or address MAIL: See Page 2
Jackie Lorentz, Special Features staff photographer
Sister Annella Miller, left, waits to be served vegetable beef soup from Judy Jahnke, right, during St. Michael’s annual soup and pie supper. Jahnke is a member of the Altar Society, along with Posy Byers, middle, and Donna Baldock, far back. Brown’s. “We made 83 dozen,” Brown said. Besides raising money and filling a parish need, the altar society fundraisers are a fun social activity, said Sharon Paschke, a 25-year St.
Michael’s Altar Society member. “JoAnn and I enjoy coming down (to the church) and the fellowship with the girls,” Paschke said.
The Grand Forks Senior Association offers foot care options for seniors ■
By Ann Bailey
Special Features Staff Writer
Sometime’s it’s a feat to convince seniors not to neglect their lower extremities. But foot care is an important part of overall health, said Nathalie Dickson, a registered nurse who works for the Greater
Grand Forks Senior Citizens Association. At best, long toenails are uncomfortable and Dickson at worst can become ingrown and get
FEET: See Page 2
Jackie Lorentz, Special Features staff photographer
Jackie Lorentz, Special Features staff photographer
Peggy Kirk, a registered nurse, trims the nails of a senior citizen at Grand Forks Senior Center. Nurses at the center will trim and file nails and provide free general foot care for seniors.
Roger Thomas, a certified physician assistant, joined Dr. Sunny Kim of the Central Minnesota Spine Center and is currently seeing patients at RiverView Clinic in Crookston and East Grand Forks. Roger has over 25 years experience in orthopaedic care, focusing primarily on low back care for the last ten years.
www.riverviewhealth.org
Joyce Austin, outreach specialist for the Greater Grand Forks Senior Citizens Association, helps senior citizens find someone to sort through their mail. Austin holds a couple of weeks’ worth of mail collected by a Grand Forks County resident.
East Grand Forks 1428 Central Avenue NE
Crookston 323 S Minnesota Street
‘What is the best age to start SSA retirement?’ 2 Grand Forks Herald/Sunday, March 7, 2010
By Howard I. Kossover
Often heard at Social Security is the question “What is the best age to start SSA retirement?” The answer is that there is no one “best age” for everyone. Ultimately, what works best for you, is your choice based on individual and family circumstances. Consider current and anticipated financial needs, health and family longevity, post-retirement work plans, other retirement income, desires of your spouse or partner and, of course, the amount of your Social Security benefit. For you, is it better to begin receiving Social Security Administration retirement earlier with a smaller monthly amount or wait for a larger monthly payment later that you may not receive as long? A Social Security Administration retirement can start as early as age 62, but, although, uncommon, you can wait to age 70 because benefits delayed past full retirement age (www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/age reduction.htm) increase up to age 70. The online SSA retirement planner has tools to help estimate benefit amounts at different ages. Use them at www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2.
MAIL/
Continued from Page 1
with anyone else,” whenever they fill out an information form or card, Austin said. Contacting the Direct Marketing Association and registering with the Mail Preference Service can also help people reduce the amount of junk mail they receive, according to the Privacy Rights Clearing House Web site. People can register by mail by sending a check and a $1 check or money order to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Associa-
FEET/
Continued from Page 1
infected. Meanwhile, people with diabetes may lose feeling in their feet and not be able to feel it. They can end up with badly infected toes and possibly lose a toe, Dickson said. Taking proper care of their feet can be difficult for seniors because the shape of their feet have changed, making it hard for them to trim their toenails, Dickson said. Seniors also have vision, mobility and strength problems, which makes toenail trimming difficult. The Grand Forks Senior Association offers foot care options for seniors. They can make an appointment to come into the office, participate in one of the foot care clinics offered at locations throughout Grand Forks County or make an appointment for a home visit by one of the association’s registered nurses. The home visits are available only to seniors who are homebound, Dickson noted.
Foot care
Appointments at the Grand Forks Senior Center
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Howard Kossover
Retirement may be longer than you think. You could live much longer than “average” and women generally tend to live longer than men. About one out of every four 65year-olds today will live past age 90, and one out of 10 will live past age 95. Social Security retirement benefits continue as long as you live and have costof-living increases. Does your other retirement income?
Benefits
Current and future Social Security benefits for your family might be an issue. Do you have children eligible to receive monthly SSA benefits on your record? You might if they are under age 18, to age 19 if a full-time student in high school, or if they have a severe disability that began before age 22. For them to receive, you must be getting benefits too. When you start retirement, will your spouse be eligible on your work record or just on his or her tion, PO Box 643, Carmel, N.Y,. or online at www:dmachoice.org/dma/m ember/regist.action. There is no charge for online registration with the Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service, the Privacy Rights Clearing House Web site said.
Getting rid of it
But what’s a person to do if junk mail in their mailboxes are overflowing and the mail is piling up around the house? Get rid of it, Austin said. If that seems too overwhelming for people to do by themselves, ask family or friends to help. If peo-
are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. People seeking an appointment can call (701) 772-7245 and ask to speak to one of the association’s nurses. It takes about a half an hour to do the foot care, which includes a foot soaking, a cleaning around the nail and cuticle, toe nail clipping and a moisturizing with lotion. Nurses also check people’s feet for skin breaks, corns and calluses. Depending on the severity of the breaks, corns and calluses, nurses will treat them or refer the people to a physician for treatment. All equipment used for foot care is sanitized after each patient Dickson said. Foot care is available to both men and women. Private rooms are available for people who are hesitant to have their feet cared for in front of others. Besides the Grand Forks Senior Association, there are clinics sponsored by other senior centers at locations throughout Grand Forks County. “There is no reason not to get it done,” Dickson said.
own? Know that SSA life and survivor benefits are computed differently. If you die first, your spouse may be eligible for survivor benefits on your record, particularly if you had the higher lifetime earnings. Survivor benefits are partially based on your age when starting retirement. You can keep working while receiving SSA retirement. When younger than your full retirement age, some of your benefits during the year will be withheld if your earnings from gross wages or net self-employment exceed certain dollar amounts due to the annual earnings test (www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/whileworking.htm) Earning restrictions end at full retirement age. Additional earnings have the potential of increasing your monthly benefit. Estimate your Social Security retirement amount and learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2. Information: Call the SSA national toll-free number, (800) 772-1213 (TTY (800) 325-0778), or contact your local office. When ready to start your SSA retirement, apply online at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline or with your local office.
Q: Do you become eligible for Medicare in 2010? A: Hospital Part A coverage does not have a monthly premium, but Medical Part B coverage does, and this year introduces changes in some people’s premiums. The government pays about 75 percent, of the Part B premium for most beneficiaries, with the person paying the remaining 25 percent. Using the standard 2010 Part B monthly premium of $110.50 for people newly eligible, this means that for every person paying the $110.50, the government pays about three times that amount. The Medicare Modernization Act changed how Part B premiums are calculated for some higher income beneficiaries. Since 2007, higher income beneficiaries have been paying a larger percentage of their Part B premium based on income as reported to the Internal Revenue Service. In 2010, higher income beneficiaries will pay a monthly premium equal to 35, 50, 65 or 80 percent of the total cost, depending on what they reported to the IRS. This affects less than 5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries. Most people newly en-
ple request it, Austin or other outreach coordinators at the center also will meet with people and suggest to them other people who will help them dispose of the junk mail. After people get rid of the junk mail, they should resolve to throw the stuff that’s still coming in away as soon as they receive it, she said. Austin suggests keeping a waste basket in
the area where the mail is read and immediately dropping the junk mail into it as soon as they sort it from their “real” mail. “Don’t think, ‘I’ll take care of it later,’” she said. If people do that the junk mail begins to quickly pile up, she cautioned. “When it’s overwhelming, then it’s too hard to deal with,”
premium details are available on the Social Security Administration website, www.socialsecurity.gov. Follow either the Medicare button or “Forms and Publications” link from the homepage. From the publication index, located directly at www.socialsecurity.gov/pu bs/index.html, select Medicare to see several publications about Part B premiums. Some including Medicare Part B Premiums: Important Information For People Newly Eligible For Medicare (Publication No. 05-10162,) contain a chart showing Part B premium rates based on different modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) amounts. Go to www.medicare.gov to learn about the coverage Medicare provides.
rolled in Medicare will pay the standard $110.50 Part B monthly premium without an income-related adjustment.
Figuring the cost
To determine if you will pay a higher Part B premium, the IRS sends Social Security information from your most recent tax return. A sliding scale based on your modified adjusted gross income is used to adjust the Part B premium. Your MAGI is a combination of your adjusted gross taxable income and tax exempt interest income. For example, if in 2010, you file your taxes as “married, filing jointly” and your MAGI is more than $170,000, you will pay a higher Part B premium. For all other taxpayer filing statuses, if your MAGI is more than $85,000 in 2010, you will pay a higher Part B premium. If you will be paying a higher Part B premium, a letter is sent explaining the determination and what your new premium will be. Appeals are possible if you disagree with the decision. Again, higher premiums affect fewer than 5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries. Information: More Medicare Medical (Part B)
Howard I. Kossover is the Social Security Public Affairs Specialist for North Dakota and western Minnesota. Based in Grand Forks, he works with organizations, government agencies and businesses concerning all aspects of the Social Security programs. Questions of general interest can be sent to him at howard.kossover@ssa.gov.
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Unemployment, baby boomers cut into Social Security surplus 4
Grand Forks Herald/Sunday, March 7, 2010
By Tony Pugh
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON – A surge of early retirements and a decline in payroll tax revenue caused by the recession have begun to cut deeply into Social Security’s surplus funding. Led by aging baby boomers and older workers frustrated by the tough job market, record numbers of eligible Americans started receiving Social Security retirement benefits in 2009. According to government figures, more than 2.7 million new beneficiaries were added to the rolls in 2009, up 20 percent from 2008. The one-year increase was the largest since at least 1975. “Much of that surge is coming from the weak economy,” said Richard Johnson, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. “The fact that many people can’t find work is forcing them to retire and collect benefits early.” Annual jobless rates for men and women age 55 and older were higher in 2009 than at any time since the government started collecting the data in 1948, Johnson said. That forced many to claim retirement benefits at 62, their first year of eligibility, instead of waiting to collect at the full retire-
McClatchy Tribune
Arlie Collins, a retired plumbing contractor from Greensboro, Ga., was one of a record number of older Americans who began collecting their Social Security retirement benefits in 2009. The increase in new beneficiaries was fueled by a tight job market for seniors and a wave of 3.4 million baby boomers who turned 62 years old last year – Collins included.
ment age of 66. Also fueling the increase was the leading edge of the baby boom generation, more than 3.4 million boomers who turned 62 in 2009, Johnson said. That was 9 percent more than in 2008 – the first year that any baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, were eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. Because of the recession, trustees of the Social Security trust fund warned last year that the diminished 2009 surplus would “stay about constant in 2010 because of the economic recession” and “rise only briefly before declining and turning to cash flow deficits beginning in 2016 that grow as the baby boom generation retires.” The program’s shaky finances were one reason that Arlie Collins, a retired plumbing contractor from Greensboro, Ga., applied for his benefits three months before he turned 62 in December. Collins was among 1.3 million men age 62 and older whose retirement benefits began in 2009, according to Urban Institute research. That was up 20 percent from 2008 and the most new male beneficiaries in any year since Social Security payments began back in 1940, Johnson said.
An ibuprofen a day could keep Parkinson’s disease away
Special Features Staff Reports
New research shows people who regularly take ibuprofen may reduce their risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study released that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010. The research involved 136,474 people who did not have Parkinson’s disease at the beginning of the research. Participants were
asked about their use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. After six years, 293 participants had developed Parkinson’s disease. The study found regular users of ibuprofen were 40 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than people who didn’t take ibuprofen. Also, people who took higher amounts of ibuprofen were less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than
people who took smaller amounts of the drug. The results were the same regardless of age, smoking and caffeine intake. “Ibuprofen was the only NSAID linked to a lower risk of Parkinson’s,” said Xiang Gao, MD, with Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. “Other NSAIDs and analgesics, including aspirin and acetaminophen, did not appear to have any effect on lowering a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s. More research is needed as to
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how and why ibuprofen appears to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, which affects up to one million people in the United States.” The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Collins didn’t mind that down economic cycle,” Social Security would resaid Richard Fiesta, the diduce his monthly payments rector of government and by about 25 percent, or political affairs at the Alroughly $250, for starting to liance for Retired Americollect at 62 instead of 66. cans. After talking with an acMany older employees countant, Collins deterare continuing to work, mined that he was better however, despite the poor off getting less money now economy. In fact, labor parthan he would be if he ticipation rates for men waited for larger monthly and women age 62 and checks later. older increased last year. “I did the math, and if I Jason Fichtner, the chief had waited for my full reeconomist at the Social Setirement (at age 66), I curity Administration, said would have had to wait many are hanging on to reuntil I was 82 or 83 years coup losses that their old before I made up the 401(k) retirement accounts money I was getting besuffered during the ecotween 62 and 66,” Collins nomic crash. said. “To tell the truth, I “There are some who wasn’t really sure if Social said, ‘I was going to retire Security would be around this year or next year, but when I’m 82, or at least in my 401(k) is now a 201(k), so the same form.” I’m going to keep working Since Social Security aluntil I’m 68 or 70,’” Fichtlows retirees to earn up to ner said. $14,100 a year before their The accelerated pace of retiree benefits are penalearly retirements and deized, Collins plans to supclining payroll tax revenue plement his Social could turn the program’s Security payments with shrinking surplus into a some plumbing jobs and deficit this year by causing the $3,000 to $4,000 he even more benefits to be earns each year as the paid out sooner than exchairman of the Greene pected. County Board of EducaCurrent projections tion. show the program has sufMore older workers apficient funds to remain solpear to be following vent until 2037, but the Collins’ lead. trustees have warned that In fact, about 72 percent “long-run program costs of boomers will likely are not sustainable under claim their Social Security current program parameretirement benefits early, ters.” 0307 423518 (2x2)inSkips:Layout 1 2/24/2010 10:26 “which is expected a
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Couple has solid footing for retirement
Grand Forks Herald/Sunday, March 7, 2010 5
By Pamela Yip
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS – Rafael Flores has until the end of this month to decide whether he wants to retire from a 26-year career with the federal government. Retirement may have to be put on hold if Flores, an officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is called to help process Haitian refugees coming to the United States. Whenever he decides to pull the trigger, the 60year-old Richardson, Texas, resident will be entering retirement with a strong financial foundation, certified financial planner Tara Scottino said. Scottino, senior vice president at Carter Advisory Services in Dallas, gave Flores and his wife, Marielena, 66, a Money Makeover sponsored by The Dallas Morning News and the Dallas-Fort Worth Financial Planning Association. She said the pair are in good shape financially, primarily because “they did a phenomenal job of managing their debt.” “They have no (credit card) debt,” Scottino said. “That’s huge.” Flores has some straightforward advice about debt: “Avoid it like the plague.” “People get their wants and needs crossed,” he said. “Do you really need that big house? Do you really need another car?”
Mortgage
But a mortgage is different. Flores borrowed $2,000 in 1972 for a down payment on his first home. He and his wife, who works as a teacher’s aide, still owe $41,000 on their mortgage. “To me, that was good debt because I was going to get a house,” Flores said. “I knew the house would appreciate. I instilled that into my son when he graduated from college and got his first job.” Flores learned about the value of a dollar in his
McClatchy Tribune
Marielena and Rafael Flores had planned on retiring this year and have planned on traveling. Now they are taking a look at their investment plans to see if they have enough to retire. childhood, when he, his father and five siblings painted a church’s large recreation hall in exchange for a tuition-free year at the church’s school in Detroit. He saw his dad struggle financially, but “somehow he managed to put us through private schooling for quite a few years,” Flores said. When he was young, he would walk the alleyways and collect soft drink bottles to cash in. He collected enough to pay for a movie, which cost a quarter then. All of that has taught him to be frugal. Now, it’s time for him to enjoy the fruits of his financial prudence. “I’ve been eligible to retire, but it comes down to, can you afford to retire?” Flores said. “How do we make the money last with what I’ll be getting?”
Scottino delivered the good news. “You have enough money coming in so you don’t have to liquidate investments,” she said. “That’s very rare.” If the Floreses continue to manage their expenses as well as they have, they will be able to live off their Social Security benefits and pensions, Scottino said. It helps that Flores has benefits from the Federal Employees Retirement System, which includes a pension, Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan, a defined-contribution plan like a 401(k) for workers in private industry. Some advantages he has as a longtime federal employee: ■ The Thrift Savings Plan, which matches employee contributions dollar-for-dollar on the first 3
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percent of contributions and then 50 cents for each dollar on the next 2 percent. Flores has contributed the maximum to the Thrift Savings Plan and sings the praises of doing so to younger colleagues. “I say, ‘This is how much I have. You have more possibilities than I ever had, and you can have a lot more, but you have to put in the maximum amount,’” he said. ■ A federal pension, which many perceive as more secure than a private corporation’s pension. “The assumption is that they (the government) will never default on a pension obligation, so the risk is essentially zero,” said Thomas Murphy, certified financial planner at TEMAA Financial in Dallas. But that’s not the only perk about a federal pension.
“Government pensions are inflation-indexed,” Murphy said. “Private pensions are not, with very rare exceptions.” The effect is that a federal pension is “far more valuable than many realize since, living on a fixed income in an inflationary world is often living in quiet desperation,” Murphy said. In either a government or private pension, enrollees have the option of selecting a higher pension benefit for themselves or a reduced benefit to provide survivor benefits for their spouse. Flores selected the reduced benefit. But a federal pension has what is called a “restoration of benefits” feature, which helps the retiree. In the event that the federal retiree’s spouse dies first, the pension benefit reverts back to the higher amount. “In a private plan, it does not revert back to the higher amount,” Murphy said. The Floreses are healthy, which is good, because “the one thing that can blow up the (retirement) plan is medical expenses,” Scottino said. Flores can continue to receive health insurance under the government’s plan when he retires, but he’ll have to foot the monthly premiums. To save Flores money, Scottino advised Marielena to come off his health plan, go on Medicare and buy a private Medigap policy to supplement Medicare’s coverage.
“This will allow Rafael to continue paying premiums for self-only coverage until he attains age 65,” and becomes eligible for Medicare, Scottino said. He also should purchase a Medigap policy when he turns 65, and the couple should look at purchasing long-term care insurance as soon as possible, as the cost rises with age, she said. Despite what they have going for them, the Flores need to take some additional steps, Scottino said.
Emergency fund
While they have a net worth of $472,356 and investments of about $336,000, they have only $15,000 in cash that they can tap for emergencies. “They don’t have a good emergency fund,” Scottino said. The Floreses are selling their current home to buy a smaller one, and Scottino said they should use part of the proceeds to boost their emergency fund. “There will also be a reduction in real-estate taxes and homeowner’s insurance premiums with this move that will also help free up additional cash flow in the future,” she said. The lessons to be learned from the Floreses are to live within your means and pay yourself first. And, Scottino said: “Save, save, save.” “Going into retirement with very little debt, or no debt, is critical.”
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A government genealogy service Seniors may need lets family history leap off the page to repay tax credit 6 Grand Forks Herald/Sunday, March 7, 2010
Special Features Staff Reports
By Anna Gorman Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES – At first glance, the photocopied documents simply looked like government forms and applications. But when Susanne Mori read more closely, she found the story of her grandfather’s life as he made his way in America more than five decades ago. Those 23 pages of facts and dates revealed how a young man, Jinbei Mori, left Japan and arrived in San Francisco the month after the 1906 earthquake, how he spent decades working for the Union Pacific Railroad, how his home was searched by the FBI during World War II. Mori said seeing her grandfather’s photographs and reading his words brought his immigrant experience to life. “We are all descendants from immigrants, and at some point our families decided to leave the place they called home for whatever reason and come to someplace new and start over,” said Mori, 52, of Santa Barbara, Calif. “Seeing in print the name of a ship and where (my grandfather) was born somehow makes it more real.” The documents came from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which runs a little-known genealogy service for relatives wanting to learn more about their family history. The records include naturalization files, visa applications and citizenship tests, and may reveal family secrets and mysteries, said Marian Smith, the agency’s historian. “The details of the story have been told over time, and the edges kind of wear off,” Smith said. With the documents, “there are a lot of ah-ha moments.” In the past, genealogy researchers had to file document requests under the Freedom of Information Act and sometimes waited years for a response. Under the genealogy program, which started in 2008, requests are usually completed within 90 days. For $20, the government will run a search of the name, as long as the person is deceased. If there are records available, the government charges additional fees for the files. In fiscal year 2009, more than 5,300 requests were made, fewer than expected. In addition to relatives, historians or researchers can also request files. Alan Latteri, 34, had a very practical reason for the document search. The Brentwood, Calif., man wanted dual citizenship with Italy and needed to know exactly when his grandfather was naturalized to complete the complex application. After requesting the documents,
McClatchy Tribune
Susanne Mori found documents about her grandfather who was born in Japan, Jinbei Mori, through a new program at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Latteri learned that he was not eligible. But he did learn more about his grandfather. “Reading about him is really interesting,” Latteri said. “I don’t really have a connection to him other than seeing a few photos and hearing a few stories from my dad.” Mori was just a toddler when her grandfather died, and she wanted to find out more about his life. She heard about the immigration documents during a genealogy class and submitted a request early last year. Even though she knew some information, the documents completed the picture in her grandfather’s words. According to the immigration files, Jinbei Mori was born in Okugaita, Japan, on May 25, 1888, and came to the U.S. in May 1906 on the steamship Korea from Hawaii. Soon after, he started working for Union Pacific and became a section foreman. He married and had four sons and a daughter. The family lived in several states, including Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. During World War II, Mori completed an application listing his height as 5 feet, 3 1/2 inches and his complexion as “yellow.” A photo shows a stern man with a tall forehead who is wearing a dark suit. In April 1942, the FBI searched his home in Brigham City, Utah, looking for anything prohibited for “enemy aliens of Japanese, German and Italian nationalities.” The agents interviewed his wife, who said her husband had turned in a Spartan shortwave radio to the sheriff’s office. In 1953, Mori applied for naturalization and took the citizenship test just before Christmas. Though his an-
swers were in Japanese, a notation about the test said, “Apparently OK.” On March 9, 1954, he became a U.S. citizen. Susanne Mori said the documents confirmed a lot of family stories. She remembered her father talking about making that radio from a kit and how annoyed he was that his father turned it over to authorities. The papers also cleared up some confusion about dates. “What we know about our relatives is what they choose to tell us, and they don’t always tell you the truth,” she said. The files also gave her leads for future research. “It will be a treasure
chest for genealogists,” said Southern California Genealogical Society President Pam Wiedenbeck. “Oftentimes these files will have information on brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles that will help connect the dots.” For experienced genealogists, the files may open the doors to even more research, perhaps leading people to exact hometowns in their ancestors’ native countries. And for those new to genealogy, they may be just the beginning. “For every question you answer you come up with two or three more,” Wiedenbeck said.
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Confusing new tax rules, and an incorrectly administered tax credit, will cause major headaches for seniors who worked in 2009, who got a pension, or both, says The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan seniors groups. “An estimated 7 million seniors who received a little more money in their pay and/or pension checks due to the new ‘Making Work Pay’ tax credit may receive a smaller-thanexpected refund, or even wind up owing something at tax time,” states TSCL Chairman, Daniel O’Connell. For some, the tax surprise could be steep. The Making Work Pay tax credit is normally worth up to $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples who work and have earned income, meaning wages, salaries, tips and other employee compensation. The tax credit was incorrectly applied to pensions, which do not qualify for the credit. Seniors who have pensions may need to repay the extra money they received in 2009 at tax time. Complicating this year’s tax season even further, recipients of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement or Veterans benefits were also issued a one-time $250 Economic Recovery Payment in 2009. “But people can’t get both,” O’Connell notes. If a recipient of the $250 payment also worked, the Making Work Pay tax
credit is reduced by the $250 payment, leaving senior taxpayers with a lot less than they thought they were getting,” he observes. “The situation could be difficult for seniors who already spent their extra money trying to keep up with rapidly rising costs,” O’Connell says. “There are already indications that seniors and beneficiaries are confused about their tax filing requirements,” O’Connell says. “Based on the mail TSCL has received, some seniors either do not know or don’t remember if they have received the $250 Economic Recovery Payment,” he says. “It came in the form of an extra benefit payment, and they may not have realized what it was for,” O’Connell explains. Even though most workers already received the Making Work Pay tax credit in the form of higher paychecks, all taxpayers, seniors and younger workers, will need to file a new Schedule M in order to claim the credit. “Some seniors may not be aware of this requirement if their incomes are so low they aren’t normally required to file a return,” O’Connell notes. The IRS says that early tax filing trends indicate that some working senior taxpayers who received the one-time $250 payment are slowing down their tax refunds by not properly reporting the payment on their tax returns. Call (800) 906-9887 for more information.
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