The Waterline

Page 1

The Waterline

January 31, 2013

Vol. XXX No.3

www.cnic.navy.mil/ndw

www.facebook.com/NavDistWash

waterline@dcmilitary.com

NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

TaxesMadeEasy:VITAProvidesFreeIncomeTaxAssistancetoPersonnel By Patrick Gordon NDW Waterline writer

U.S. Navy photo by Patrick Gordon

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance/Electronic Filing (VITA/ELF) program helps active duty service members and their dependents, DoD personnel serving with military units, military retirees and others in filling out their taxes at no cost.

With the new year comes a new tax season and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance/Electronic Filing (VITA/ELF) program is in place to ensure that service members and their dependents get the support they need to file correctly and on time. “The primary purpose of the Navy VITA/ ELF program is to ensure that Sailors and their dependents receive basic Federal and state tax assistance at no cost, so they can focus on mission execution and spare themselves the cost of expensive commercial tax-filing services,” said Lt. Audrey Koecher, Navy VITA/ELF Program Manager at Naval Support Activity Washington. “Navy tax assistance centers are located at Region Legal Service Offices, select Fleet and Family Support Centers, and select Fleet units located around the globe and afloat.” Koecher explained that the VITA/ELF program provides free tax-filing assistance to active duty service members and their dependents, retirees and their dependents with adjusted gross incomes of less than $57,000, DoD civilians overseas or deployed with the U.S. Armed Forces, and - in limited cases -military reservists.

Navy tax assistance centers aided in the filing of over 37,000 federal and state tax returns in 2012, saving service members and their dependents more than $2.2 million in commercial tax preparation fees, and expediting over $20 million in tax refunds to individual customers. More than half of the customers consisted of enlisted Sailors in the pay grades E1-E6. Koecher said that following the successful stateside transition to self-service assistance at region legal service offices tax centers last year, Naval Legal Service Command (NLSC) will expand selfservice assistance to E-7 and above customers at RLSO tax centers overseas this year. According to Koecher, the NLSC self-service program promotes financial accountability and teaches Sailors how to prepare their own taxes, a skill they can use throughout their careers. “Under the self-service program, Sailors and their families file their own tax returns using free tax filing software on computers established in Navy tax centers with the assistance of IRS-trained volunteers,” Said Koecher. “Taxes are submitted electronically and refunds are deposited directly into a Sailor’s bank account on an average of two

See Taxes, Page 5

Qualified Recycling Program Turns NDW Trash into Cash

By Patrick Gordon NDW Waterline Writer

Naval District Washington’s (NDW) Qualified Recycling Program (QRP) is dedicated to conserving natural and financial resources by diverting recyclable materials from the waste stream. But in addition to providing an ecological benefit through limiting waste and energy usage, the QRP also works to save NDW money. Since the program’s introduction in 2012, managers have been working to make the program as self-sufficient as possible, and to do that, they rely on the personnel it serves. “We can recycle about 90 percent of waste material from most of our work spaces here in NDW,” said Lt. j.g. Darren N. Moore, facilities maintenance and facilities sustainment branch head for Public Works Department (PWD) Washington. “NDW already has this contract in place, and we pay the contractor to recycle our recyclables for us. Within that contract there is an outstanding

opportunity to make a return on that material; money can be saved. That’s competency in action.” Moore explained that the recycling contract that NDW has with Melwood pays dividends through use; the recyclable material collected from NDW is processed and sold to a broker, with the money coming back to NDW and being taken off the cost of the contract. “In short, the more we recycle in NDW, the more economical the program becomes,” said Moore. Further benefits come from increased use of the QRP in the region. As outlined in CNICINST 7300.1, sale of the recyclable materials are first used to cover the costs directly attributable to installation QRPs. After costs of the QRP are recovered, installation commanding officers may use up to 50 percent of the remaining proceeds for pollution abatement and prevention, as well

See Recycling, Page 10

Around the Yard, Page 2 Link directly to www.dcmilitary. com /waterline on your Smart phone

U.S. Navy photo by Patrick Gordon

Patrick Moran, Qualified Recycling Program (QRP) manager for Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington, left, and Bernard Dinicola, an employee of Melwood recycling, discuss the benefits of recycling in the region. NDW hopes to achieve a goal of recycling 40 percent of all waste in the region, further decreasing the cost of the QRP.

INSIDE

Organizations Reach Out to Help Youth, Page 7


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