We help, they don’t

We’re not the Times. Lucky for you

Dear John: My name is Shirley, and I’m 92 years old. I recently read your article in The New York Times regarding your services.

Presently, I am having a problem collecting my survivor’s benefits and Medicare. I need help guiding me through all the red tape before me.

Enclosed are the papers concerning these matters, which should give you an idea of what I’m up against. Please have your organization contact me as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance and kind regards. SH

Dear SH: Shirley, first I have to clarify two things. One, I’m here at The New York Post. If you had written to the Times you would shirley have been ignored. (That’s an old joke, but you are 92, so maybe you remember it.)

Second, my “organization” — as you put it — is only myself and those people I can reach out to for help.

In your case, I reached out to Craig Colley, a Social Security and Medicare expert who runs his own firm in Laguna Niguel, Calif., who told me that according to the information provided, you are already receiving benefits for both Social Security and Medicare.

He added, “Your Part D [drugs] is likely fluctuating in price due to increasing and decreasing prescription drug needs from year-to-year, which also indicates you may not have a prescription drug plan or have entered the so-called donut hole or coverage gap, where prices will be higher until you meet the maximum annual cap on the policy.”

Colley recommends that you review your Medicare supplement plan or advantage plan to make sure you have the right coverage.

“If you do not have a plan, contact medicare.gov or call (800) 633-4227 to discuss options.

“By enrolling in a plan you should be able to reduce your Part D Medicare costs for drugs. Subsidy coverage for both Part B & Part D may also be available by contacting ssa.gov, or call (800) 7721213 to see if you qualify,” Colley said.

Now, call the Times and see how much help the people over there will give you.

Dear John: In his letter to you on Sunday, MA made two incorrect assertions on the new federal tax legislation.

First, he mentioned the loss of tax dependency exemptions for children. This change is directly made up for by the increase in tax credits for dependent children, from $1,000 under the pre-2018 law to $2,000 per qualifying child for 2018.

Second, he mentioned the limitation of state and local tax deductions. He stated that this is hurtful to him as a New York state resident. This is offset by two significant changes: one, the reduction in tax rates for all brackets, and two, the virtual elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax (“AMT”) for most individual taxpayers.

Prior to the new law, most taxpayers [in high-tax states] who were subject to large state income tax and real estate tax liabilities found that the deductions for these taxes were severely limited by the AMT, so, in ef- fect, they had no state tax deduction that benefited them anyway.

I am a CPA working in New Jersey. Part of the tax preparation process we provide to our clients is to compare the results of 2017 with the same fact pattern under the 2018 tax legislation. The findings are more beneficial to taxpayers under the new law for approximately 80 percent to 90 percent of our clients. SW

Dear SW: Thanks for the input. This is why I don’t do my own taxes.

Dear John The Answer Man

TAKE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS: A reader is finding that prescription drug costs can cause fluctuations in Medicare Part D benefits, but this can be “cured” with the right Medicare supplemental plan.