Adding It Up
Tax Assistance Program Helps Families
 |
|---|
| In 2004 Cincinnati Children's became one of the only pediatric hospitals in the country to be a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site. |
By every calculation, local families are losing millions of dollars when they file their state and federal income taxes. In Cincinnati alone, an estimated $9 million in tax credits go unclaimed each year.
The reason for this discrepancy? Many low- and moderate income families do not know they qualify for special benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Child Tax Credit: tax relief designed to put money back into the pockets of working people.
In 2004 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center became one of the only pediatric hospitals in the country to be a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. By helping families get the correct refund, Cincinnati Children's is expanding the traditional concept of health care to include financial well-being.
"Cincinnati Children's is an organization that cares about families, not only the medical aspects, but all parts of life," says Terresa Adams, child and community advocate at Cincinnati Children's.
An Investment in the Community
Becoming a VITA site did not happen overnight. The process was rigorous with mandatory training and specific technology requirements for filing returns. But the advantages for participants are clear and the results are measurable. "I saved money and got a bigger return, and it was so convenient," says Stephanie Nguyen, an employee at Cincinnati Children's who has filed her taxes with the VITA program for the last two years.
"Since returns are prepared free of charge, participants get all their money. They don't pay anything for the service," says Roberta Ackley, senior tax specialist with the Internal Revenue Service. "And with electronic filing, they get their refunds much faster," she adds.
Calculating the Impact
| Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Statistics for Cincinnati Children's |
|---|
 |
In 2006 volunteers at Cincinnati Children's doubled the number of returns they filed from the first year – bringing the total to 372. Remarkably, in the last two years alone, VITA volunteers at Cincinnati Children's secured refunds totaling almost $400,000 for low- and middle-income workers. "Cincinnati Children's is one of the highest producing VITA sites in Cincinnati," Roberta notes.
Reaching Out to Families
Securing tax refunds for families at Cincinnati Children's is another way to make a difference. "Taking the initiative to become a VITA site shows me that Cincinnati Children's is a place that cares about people. It says the organization looks for and supports programs with value for its employees, its patient families and the community," says Brian Wildman, director of the outpatient centers in Anderson and Eastgate and a volunteer with the program since it began. "It feels good to save people money by helping with their tax returns."
