WHAT’S HAPPENING PAST & FUTURE September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City 1

WHAT’S HAPPENINGPAST & FUTURE

September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City 1

Regional Meeting August 2013

Inputs from National Meeting

TY 2012 RESULTS National MAFederal Returns 1.57 M 28,000People Helped 2.60M 41,149Number of Sites 5624 239

IRS Focus for Coming YearIntake Sheets Audits found problems!Quality Review Audits found problems!Fraud Reduction

No more One Person Sites AnywhereWill cause site closures in about half of our Districts

Computers/SoftwareNo use of XP after April 15, 2014Limited use of hot-spots allowed to facilitate TWO conversionSome computers/printers available for new sites/diversity sites

2September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City


Inputs from National Meeting - 2

TrainingDOMAChanges to Intake Sheets, TestsSeveral changes to ScopeNew detailed Scope Document

Attrition

National average last year: approx 15%MA about average – 98 total; 55 were first year.Could better mentoring reduce this number?Discussion!



Inputs from National Meeting - 3

Tax-Aide Diversity NumbersHispanic 5%AA/Black 7%Asian/Pacific Is 2%Other Minorities 4%White 82%

WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO BETTER REACH MINORITIES

AARP WILL PROVIDE GRANTS OF HARDWARE & DOLLARS TO GROUPS WILLING TO UNDERTAKE START-UP OF A NEW MINORITY SITE

MORE INFO COMING!


Tax-Aide Strategy Setting

2014 Tax-Aide National GoalsGrowth •Increase Federal Returns Prepared by 4 percent (IRS counts via CCH and self reported paper returns)

Quality (SPEC QSS and other reviews/observations)

•Maintain a 90% or higher accuracy rate of tax returns, through

1. 100 percent Quality Review of tax returns

2. Thorough client interview and utilization of Intake form by all counselors and for QR

Multicultural/Diversity (MME) Outreach•Multicultural (MME) Taxpayers to 19% (CSS), through

1.Mini MME grants received from TA volunteers for opening new TA sites; Multicultural Outreach to TPs and Vols

Volunteers/Volunteer Workload/Security•TaxWise Online usage to 80% Tax Season 2014 (Software Orders and EFIN use - CCH)

• Goal for MA – 90%

•On Line Counselor Reimbursement Submission 100% TS 2014 (Portage Usage/Paper submissions)

•Reduce number of 1st and 2nd year Counselor drop outs by 5 percent

Funding•At least one new or significantly increased funding source (focus on donations pilot). MA will not participate


NEW SPEAKERS

DEAN STRACK - TECHNOLOGY SUBJECTS

FOLLOWED BY BREAK



ONE PERSON SITES

In spite of extra efforts, recruiting results have been disappointing.

At current time about half of our Districts will be closing sites—about 15 site closures anticipated.

Hopefully, most volunteers at one person sites will stay with program.

Districts need to start informing high risk sites that we don’t think we’ll be able to staff their site for the coming and advising them of nearest site that will be open.

Reason to be given: AARP and the IRS have determined that in order to provide acceptable accuracy, all returns need to be reviewed by a second volunteer while the Client is present.



ONE PERSON SITES -2

TRADITIONAL SOURCE OF NEW VOLUNTEERS

Another AARP Volunteer 29%

Local Paper or Poster 25%

AARP Website/Magazine 30%

AARP E-mail/Snail Mail 8%

CONSIDER SPECIAL HANDLING OF TRAINING FOR LATE VOLUNTEERS WHO

WOULD NORMALLY BE DEFERRED UNTIL FOLLOWING YEAR


TAX-AIDE

IRS & AARP Site Reviews

● TIGDA Secret Shopper Reviews not covered – will be discontinued for TY 2013)

● IRS did Shopping Reviews in TY2012 and will continue 52% of returns reviewed were correct

● IRS also did QSS Reviews and informal Site Visits in TY2012 92% of returns reviewed were correct

● AARP did 4 MA Site visits on TY2012

Regional Meetings– 2013 9

TAX-AIDE

IRS Shopping Reviews*


TAX-AIDE

IRS QSR Reviews* (Tax Law)

● QSR Site Reviews – 10 regions

(87 sites, 184 returns)

● 170 returns correct – 92%

● Areas that caused most errors: Interest, stock income, self employment income reported on

line 21 Missed information or transposed data not picked up by QR


*IRS employees present ID when arrive at site; observe 2-3 returns as prepared then correct any mistakes made in front of taxpayer. Review consists of accuracy score for returns as well as rating score on all ten Quality Site Requirements (new).

TAX-AIDE

IRS QSR Reviews (Quality Site

Requirements)

71 of 87 sites (82%) met all 10 QSRs 15 of 87 sites either didn’t use the intake form

or used it incorrectly 10 sites did not have sufficient QR to catch

errors 7 sites didn't ask for photo ID or verify SSN 7 sites didn’t have poster adequately displayed 2 sites prepared OOS return 2 sites had non-certified Client Facilitator assist

in QR


TAX-AIDE

IRS Reviews by Mass SPEC

● 2 QSR Reviews

● 11 Field Site Visits

● Visited 9 of 12 MA Districts

● Significant Findings

No QR – 4 sites

No Poster – 6 sites

Inadequate use of Intake Sheet – 1

Out of scope return - 1

Minor Findings

Didn’t ask for ID, no 3189, no intake sheet,


TAX-AIDE

QSR Background

● Quality Site Requirements (QSR) are used by SPEC to evaluate if a site meets all Grant requirements

● SPEC reviews in 2013 observed volunteers preparing returns without having a discussion with the taxpayer or reviewing Form 13614-C.

Shopping Reviews: 56% used; 49% accurateQSS Reviews: 84% used; 91% accurate

Quality Review often was not sufficient to catch errors made on return!

Regional Meetings – 2013 14

TAX-AIDE

QSR Background - 2

● 10 QSR elements: prior year reviews determined “met or “not met” for each site reviewed

● Starting in 2014 a site will be given up to 10 points for each correctly followed QSR

● QSR’s need to be included in training – 6 have updates from last year!


TAX-AIDE

What You Need to Know

QSR #2

Intake and Interview

All volunteers must take annual awareness training on the Intake/Interview & Quality Review Process

Mandatory Training module and test embedded in IRS Ethics test.

All Volunteers, including Greeters and Client Facilitators, will train and test on this information.


TAX-AIDE


QSR #3

Quality Review Process

Quality Reviewers must be certified to the same level required to complete the return being reviewed.

QR should be in front of taxpayer with full review of Client Intake Form

QR should ask “probing questions” not just verify name and numbers


TAX-AIDE


QSR #7

Title VI

Sites must provide information to taxpayers regarding their Civil Rights.

New Language on AARP Poster

*trash or re-cycle old posters!

Must display at “first point of contact between volunteer and taxpayer.”


TAX-AIDE


QSR #10

Security, Privacy and Confidentiality

Volunteers must identify themselves to the Taxpayer

All Volunteers must wear name badge with first name/last initial (not full last name

Remind LC’s to order enough Name Tags from AARP


TAX-AIDE


QSR #10


Taxpayers must identify themselves to the Volunteers

All taxpayers must present photo ID

*Deters Identify theft

*eliminates perception of preferential treatment

Exceptions by LC only under “extreme conditions”


TAX-AIDE


QSR #10


Social Security Numbers must be verified for everyone listed on return

All taxpayers must present SS cards or tax ID numbers for all

Exception: Validations permitted through approved documents

SS cards, letters, income statements and “other documents issued by SS”



NEW SPEAKER OR LUNCH



CORI

1. The Problem2. Sites Role & Constraints3. MA Tax-Aide Role & Constraints4. What MA Tax-Aide proposes to do5. Summary of the MA Tax-Aide CORI Policy6. Appendices

Actions for MA Tax-Aide Leaders



CORI – Actions for Tax-Aide Leaders

A. If your host site requires CORI or is proposing to CORI our AARP volunteers, review the supplied material with them and request that they consider accepting the Tax-Aide CORI

B. If they accept our CORI, there’s no problem and you can proceed to plan for the coming year.

C. If they do not accept our CORI, notify Tax-Aide State Coordinator and we will review with national

A. I do not expect that National will approve continuing our relationship with locations that insist on their own CORI

B. There a greater likelihood that National will agree to a one year extension of our relationship with sites with a long term history of CORI on our volunteers


Documents

WHAT’S HAPPENING PAST & FUTURE September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City 1