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WEEKLY E-MAILING

February 6, 2018

Table of Contents

ACL News & Information Link NASUAD State Technical Assistance Link IRS Video Tax Tip: Free Help Preparing Your Tax Return Individual and Community Preparedness Information from FEMA Alzheimer’s Foundation of America News ACL Update: CDC Funding Opportunity: State Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis Link to DARS Independent Living Monthly Newsletter

ACL News & Information

Here is a link to news & information from the Administration for Community Living (ACL):

https://acl.gov/

NASUAD Information

Here is a link to state technical assistance from NASUAD:

http://www.nasuad.org/state-technical-assistance

IRS Video Tax Tip: Free Help Preparing Your Tax Return

Kathy Miller, Director of Aging Programs

IRS Tax Tips February 2,2018

Useful Links:

IRS.gov

Help For Hurricane Victims

News Essentials

What's Hot

News Releases

IRS - The Basics

IRS Guidance

Media Contacts

Facts & Figures

Around The Nation

e-News Subscriptions

The Newsroom Topics

Multimedia Center

Noticias en Español

Radio PSAs

Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts

The Tax Gap

Fact Sheets

Issue Number: Free Help Preparing Your Tax Return

Inside This Issue

Here is a video tax tip from the IRS:

Free Help Preparing Your Tax Return English | Spanish | ASL

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and ASL.

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IRS Tax Tips

Armed Forces

Latest News

IRS Resources

Compliance & Enforcement

News

Contact Your Local IRS Office

Filing Your Taxes

Forms & Instructions

Frequently Asked Questions

Taxpayer Advocate Service

Where to File

IRS Social Media

Individual and Community Preparedness Information from FEMA

Cecily Slasor on behalf of Chip Stratton, Director of Safety & Risk Management DARS Good afternoon,

The following preparedness information from FEMA is provided for your benefit and may be shared with others.

Topics in this issue include:

Stay Safe Through Phil’s Winter Foreca

Cook Safely for the Super Bowl

Seven Steps to Protect Pets this Winter

Sharing Inclusive Practices and Approaches to Prepare Communities for Disasters:

Webinar: Help After a Disaster for Private Non-Profits and Houses of Worship:

Potential Sources of Financial Assistance

With pending hazardous weather for many of us be sure to check the National Weather Service and your local forecast for the most current conditions, alerts and advisories.

Chip Stratton, ECO Director of Safety and Risk Management, Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services

Individual and Community Preparedness eBrief

February 1, 2017

In this issue:

Stay Safe Through Phil’s Winter Forecast

Cook Safely for the Super Bowl

Seven Steps to Protect Pets this Winter

Sharing Inclusive Practices and Approaches to

Prepare Communities for Disasters: Core

Advisory Group Webinar

Webinar: Help After a Disaster for Private Non-

Profits and Houses of Worship: Potential Sources

of Financial Assistance

Important Dates to Remember

Stay Safe Through Phil’s Winter Forecast

Whether Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring or six more weeks of winter, it is important to be prepared for the weather.

Learn how to stay safe in severe winter weather with these tips from Ready.gov:

Stay indoors during the storm.

If you have to go outside, walk carefully on snowy, icy, walkways.

Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death in the winter. Use caution, take breaks, push the snow instead of lifting it when possible, and lift lighter loads.

Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.

Drive only if it is necessary. If you must drive, travel during the day. Do not travel alone. Keep others informed of your schedule. Stay on main roads and avoid back road shortcuts.

Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas, or charcoal¬burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, or any partially enclosed area. Locate the unit away from doors, windows, and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors. Keep these devices at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents.

Find more winter safety information in the How to Prepare for a Winter Storm guide. The Winter Weather Preparedness Social Media toolkit also contains winter weather safety and preparedness messages you can share on your social media channels. You can

either copy these messages directly or customize them to reach your audience.

Cook Safely for the Super Bowl

Keep your super feast for the Super Bowl safe. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Super Bowl Sunday is the

second largest day for food consumption in the U.S. after Thanksgiving. Enjoy the big game and stay fire safe with these cooking safety tips from the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA):

Keep an eye on what you fry.

Stand by your pan.

Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.

Wear short sleeves or rolled up sleeves.

Keep a pan lid or cookie sheet nearby to cover the pan if it catches fire.

The USFA says cooking is the main cause of home fires and fire injuries. Find more tips to stay safe on the USFA’s Cooking Safety page.

Seven Steps to Protect Pets this Winter

Keep your pets safe and warm throughout the winter. Never leave your animals outside. If it’s too cold for you, it is probably

too cold for your pet. Protect your pet with these seven guidelines from The Humane Society:

1. Keep your pets inside with you and your family. Under no circumstances should you leave pets outdoors, even if they roam outside during other seasons.

2. Put a sweater on your pet during extreme cold, even for short walks. Pets are also at risk for frostbite and hypothermia.

3. Rock salt and other chemicals used to melt snow and ice can irritate the pads of your pet's feet. Wipe all paws with a damp towel before your pet licks them and irritates their mouth.

4. If there are outdoor cats in your area, remember that they need protection from the elements as well as food and water. Learn how to give them a hand.

5. Warm engines in parked cars attract cats and small wildlife, who may crawl under the hood. To avoid injuring any hidden animals, bang on your car's hood to scare them away before starting your engine.

6. Be sure your horses have access to a barn or a three-sided run-in so they can escape the wind and cold. While not all horses will need to be blanketed, blankets will help horses keep warm and dry, especially if there is any rain or snow. If you have body-clipped your horses, keep them blanketed throughout the winter.

7. If you encounter a pet left in the cold, politely let the owner know you are concerned. Some people genuinely do not know the risk that cold weather poses to their pets or livestock. If the owner raises concerns,responds poorly, or continues to neglect their pet, follow our steps on reporting wintertime neglect.

For more information, visit the Humane Society or the Pets and Animals page on www.ready.gov.

Sharing Inclusive Practices and Approaches to Prepare Communities for

Disasters: Core Advisory Group Webinar

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 2 and the FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Division invite you to a webinar on Monday, February 12, 2018, which will feature a discussion about best practices, lessons learned, and challenges for people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs during the response and recovery phases of a disaster. More specifically, it will feature Core Advisory Groups (CAGs), which consist of individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, FEMA personnel, local emergency managers, and other concerned stakeholders who work together to bring about change in how emergency services are provided. Title: Sharing Inclusive Practices and Approaches to Prepare Communities for Disasters: Core Advisory Group Webinar Date: Monday, February 12, 2018 Time: 12:00 – 1:00p.m. (ET) This webinar will feature CAG presenters from the following locations:

Central New Jersey

Long Island

Central New York How to join the webinar:

Please register for the event using the Adobe Connect registration web link.

Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting.

This webinar will offer captioning. We hope that you will be able to join us on Monday, February 12!

Webinar: Help After a Disaster for Private Non-Profits and Houses of

Worship: Potential Sources of Financial Assistance

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships and FEMA invite you to a webinar on Tuesday February 13, 2018, to learn more about potential financial assistance options for private non-profits and houses of worship after a disaster. This webinar provides faith-based and non-profit leaders as well as state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency managers, with an overview of FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guidance changes; the Small Business Administration disaster assistance options for non-profits and houses of worship; and recommendations to ensure applicant organizations retain current insurance policies on their properties. Additionally, this webinar will offer practical preparedness steps you can take now to mitigate future loss or damage. Title: Help After a Disaster for Private Non-Profits and Houses of Worship: Potential Sources of Financial Assistance Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 Time: 2:00 – 3:30p.m. (ET) This webinar will feature presenters from the following organizations:

DHS Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships

Small Business Administration

FEMA Public Assistance

Federal Insurance & Mitigation Administration How to join the webinar:

Please register for the event using the Adobe Connect registration web link.

Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting.

This webinar will offer captioning We hope that you will be able to join us on February 13!

Important Dates to Remember

February 12 at 12 p.m. ET: Sharing Inclusive Practices and Approaches to Prepare Communities for Disasters: Core Advisory Group Webinar

February 13 at 2 p.m. ET: Webinar: Help After a Disaster for Private Non-Profits and Houses of Worship: Potential Sources of Financial Assistance

RESCHEDULED May 21-25: E426 Building a Roadmap to Resilience course

Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster

preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products. Please let

us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters

by contacting citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov.

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America News

Devin M. Bowers, MPH, Dementia Services Coordinator

Attention AFA Member Organizations:

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE!!!

Alzheimer's Awareness

Scholarship

Essay Contest

Do you know a high school senior who has been impacted by Alzheimer's

disease? Perhaps a staff member's child, a student volunteer or someone from

the community? If so, please invite them to apply for a college scholarship

from AFA.

AFA's "Teens for Alzheimer's Awareness" college scholarship essay contest

is currently accepting entries from high school seniors who will be attending a

four year college or university next year. Applicants are asked to write an

essay about how Alzheimer's has affected their lives.

$25,000 in scholarships will be awarded!

Grand Prize Winner: $5,000

First-runner up: $2,500

Second-runner up: $1,500

Honorable mentions: $500

Application Deadline is March 26th

To enter the competition or learn more, click here.

January 30, 2018

CDC Funding Opportunity: State Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis

CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion announced a funding opportunity regarding state public health approaches to addressing arthritis. The purpose of this opportunity is to implement state-based approaches to increase self-management behaviors and improve the quality of life of adults with arthritis. The goal is to improve arthritis management and reduce arthritis burden.

Strategies and activities are expected to target adults with arthritis, address health inequities, have state-wide impact, and include the following:

· Sustainably disseminate and increase availability of and participation in arthritis-appropriate evidence-based interventions and other appropriate evidence-based interventions;

· Adopt innovative and systems-based approaches to help establish or enhance healthcare provider patient counseling about physical activity for arthritis management, including promoting walking and AAEBI referrals;

· Promote state walking initiatives addressing the unique needs of adults with arthritis;

· Raise awareness about arthritis burden and management. Promote AAEBIs, patient counseling, physical activity and

walking.

For information regarding this opportunity, the CDC will host a conference call on February 13, 2018 at 1:00 PM EST. The conference line is (855) 644-0029 with a Conference ID of 2922594. Applicants are requested to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to apply by February 19, 2018. Information that should be included in the LOI is described in the opportunity. Applications are due April 2, 2018 and notice of awards will be released on June 29, 2018.

To access the announcement and application package,

· Go to www.grants.gov

· Select Apply for Grants Using Workplace

· Click on Apply for Grants

· Click on Get Application Package

· Insert the Funding Announcement Number CDC-RFA-DP18-1803 in the appropriate search box.

Link to DARS Independent Living Monthly Newsletter

Rhonda Jeter, MS, CRC, Director of Independent Living

Past issues of IL News Notes are posted on the DARS IL Public Forms Cabinet:

https://www.vadars.org/formscabinet/Formscabinet.asp?pass=et1&t1=CIL&pg=