VA Benefits

It is that time of season again! While we fret over  getting gifts for our children or doing more cleaning than we have done all year because the in-laws are coming, we are forgetting one important thing this holiday: our health. I am sure you have seen the advertisements Pharmacies and Drug Stores put out about getting the flu vaccine, but how important is it?

The CDC says that, 'Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death.'  Even I have to admit, I did not think that the Flu was serious enough to cause death, but in reality it does. In fact, over a period of 31 seasons between 1976 and 2007, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people. That is not a small number.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is increasing the amount taxpayers can deduct from their 2013 taxes as a result of buying long-term care insurance.

Premiums for “qualified” long-term care insurance policies (see explanation below) are tax deductible to the extent that they, along with other unreimbursed medical expenses (including Medicare premiums), exceed 7.5 percent of the insured’s adjusted gross income. This threshold is rising to 10 percent on January 1, 2013, although it will remain at 7.5 percent for taxpayers 65 and older through 2016.