Age Spots-by Jackie Dover

Making Changes for the New Year

As we welcome a New Year, Aging Matters wishes Ruth Dockins much happiness in her retirement adventures. Ruth has been an amazing advocate for seniors for over 20 years and has been a mentor to me for the last 10. I know there is no way to replace her, but I will do my best to make her proud.

This is a very busy time for us at Aging Matters and one of the most important things we do is helping those who qualify for the “Circuit Breaker” program, also known as the Missouri Property Tax Credit (MOPTC).  This credit returns a maximum of $750 for renters and $1,100 for owners who owned and occupied their home. The actual credit is based on the amount of real estate taxes or rent paid and total household income.

To qualify for the Circuit Breaker you or your spouse must be 65 as of December 31, 2015 or 100% disabled. Also, those who are 60 or older and receiving surviving spouse social security benefits could qualify. You must be a Missouri resident with total household income of $27,500 or less for a single renter, $29,500 or less for a married couple who rents. If you own your home your income must be below $30,000 if single and $34,000 for a married couple. If you are veteran with 100% service connected disability, your VA payments are not counted as income.

Forms can be downloaded from the MO Department of Revenue website www.dor.mo.gov or by calling our office at 335-3331 or 1-800-392-8771.

Special Note:  Jackie Dover is the new Public Information Director for Aging Matters.  She is a mom of four boys and has worked at Aging Matters for over 10 years.  Aging Matters serves 18 counties in Southeast Missouri.