Area July 28, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 15 Many local senior citizens have questions regarding the status of the Senior Freeze and the Homestead Rebate. An update from Trenton follows. The recently passed New Jersey state budget ensures that every current participant in the State’s Property Tax Reimbursement Program (Senior Freeze) whose 2009 income does not exceed last year’s income limit of $70,000 will receive a reimbursement this year if they continue to meet the eligibility requirements. Reimbursement checks for eligible senior and disabled residents who filed their 2009 applications (PTR-2 form) by the original filing deadline of June 1 were scheduled to be mailed on or about July 15. New applicants will not receive a payment in fiscal 2011, but should apply (PTR 1 form) anyway because doing so will establish a base year for benefits in future years. Further information about the PTR program and copies of applications can be obtained online at http://www.state. nj.us/treasury/taxation/propfrez.shtml or by calling 1800-882-6597. The deadline for filing has been extended to Aug. 2. Homestead Rebate applications are not being distributed this summer and fall because of the shift to a payment via direct credits on property tax bills, which will begin with the May 2011 quarterly property tax bills. Under the new Homestead Credit program, if you are 65 years of age or over at the end of the tax year or blind or disabled with a gross income of less than $100,000 in 2009, you are eligible for quarterly credits of one-quarter of 20 percent of the first $10,000 of property taxes paid or a maximum of $500 per quarter. For seniors and disabled with a gross income of $100,000 to $150,000 in 2009, the credit amount is one-quarter of 10 percent of the first Update on Senior Freeze and Homestead Rebate $10,000 of property taxes paid or a maximum of $250 per quarter. These monies will be directly deducted from your property tax bill beginning in May 2011. Applications for the new Homestead Credit will be distributed nearer to the May 2011 deadline. Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk explained, “The Homestead Rebate has traditionally been mailed to recipients in the form of a check sometime in August or September. Since the state runs on a fiscal year of July 1 through June 30, this put the rebate payment in the first quarter of the state’s fiscal year. Last year, then-Governor Corzine had to borrow money so that the rebate checks did not bounce. There simply was not yet enough revenue generated to the state in the first quarter of its fiscal year to cover the checks. This meant that the program cost the state the amount of the rebates, plus the interest on the debt of the borrowed monies, plus the cost of production and mail- ing of the checks. Beginning the program in May of 2011 and having the payment deducted over the four quarters of the state’s fiscal year allows for revenues to come into the state’s coffers to cover the cost of the credited monies and negates the need to borrow money. By having it as a credit on the tax bill itself, homeowners will see an immediate reduction in their property tax bill and will not have to wait a year for a rebated amount. “Because of the timing of the implementation -- going from the first quarter of the state’s fiscal year to the last quarter -- there will be no homestead rebate or credit monies issued within calendar year 2010. Unfortunately, this delay will be a very real problem for those who depend upon these monies coming at the end of the summer/beginning of the fall. However, once the conversion from a rebate to a credit program is in place, the new credit program should be faster, easier, and more timely.” Ready, Set, Kindergarten! Bergen Center for Children and Youth August 23 - 25 10 - 11:45 am Ready, Set, Kindergarten is a three day workshop designed to promote social and emotional competencies in pre-school aged children. The program is intended to prepare children entering Kindergarten in the fall 2010. The Valley Hospital is proud to announce that all four of its critical care units -- intensive care, coronary care, cardiac surgery, and intermediate care – have once again received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. This prestigious award, given by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, recognizes the extraordinary commitment to high-quality critical care standards and dedication to the exceptional care of patients and their families provided by the staff of Valley’s critical care units. Since the Beacon Award was instituted in 2003, it only has been given to an elite 242 of the nation’s 6,000-plus critical care units. This is the second time Valley’s critical care units have been recognized with the Beacon Award. As a Beacon Award recipient, Valley succeeded in the following areas, as measured against evidence-based national criteria in vital areas that impact patient care: • Recruitment and retention • Education, training, and mentoring • Research and evidence-based practice • Patient outcomes • Leadership and organization ethics • Healing environment The Valley Hospital is a fully accredited, 451-bed acute care, not-for-profit hospital serving more than 440,000 people in 32 towns in Bergen County and adjoining communities. Valley was the first hospital in the tri-state area to be recognized for service excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital ProgramSM. Valley has been honored twice with “Magnet” designation – the nursing profession’s highest honor – from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The hospital has also earned an impressive 10 Gold Seals of Approval for healthcare quality from the Joint Commission, placing it among an elite group of hospitals to achieve this number of diseasespecific certifications. Valley holds Joint Commission Disease-Specific Care Certification for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, knee replacement, hip replacement, stroke, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standard setting and accrediting body in health care. Valley earns Beacon Award During this workshop children will begin to develop the ability to:  Listen to stories without interrupting  Pay attention for short periods of time to adult-directed tasks  Begin to share with others  Participate in group activities  Start to follow rules  Control physical impulses and keep a still body  Begin to communicate feelings in words  Participate in other people’s games  Be able to get adult attention without whining, clinging, crying, screaming, or throwing things  Separate from parents without too much distress after a get-acquainted time For more information about the workshop or to register your child please contact Amy Barr at 201-934-1160 Ext 7212 or Alan Koenig at Ext 7243. The fee for the three day workshop is 150.00. West Bergen Center for Children and Youth One Cherry Lane, Ramsey, NJ 07446 7-28-10 janine WestBergenCenter4x9Color(7-28-10)