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Clausen: Want help with prescription costs? Apply now
| Monday, Sep 11 2006 6:20 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Sep 11 2006 6:28 PM
Our local Social Security office is very concerned about people who may be eligible for extra help paying for their Medicare prescription drug costs but haven't yet applied.
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Thousands of application forms were sent out late last year. The response, for whatever reason, was minimal. The window of opportunity to apply is closing as time runs out. So, new letters with enclosed application forms were mailed in August to all area residents the local office thinks might be eligible.
It's not too late to file, says Elaine M. Lanza, Social Security assistant district manager in Bakersfield, and she is urging people to fill out the application even if they don't think they're are eligible.
An approved application does not enroll a beneficiary in a drug prescription plan, you have to do that yourself. Let Social Security tell you how once you've turned in your application.
To make it really easy, call 1-800-772-1213 and ask for a representative to help you fill it out over the phone. Or, take it to one of Kern's Social Security offices for help. A relative, friend, or client, can complete the form if the applicant is unable to do so.
The next annual drug plan enrollment period opens Nov. 15 and if you are eligible for the extra help, you can join a plan without paying a late enrollment penalty. The extra help can pay some or all of your Part D premiums, deductibles and co-payments, Lanza advises. She says the extra help could be worth an average $3,700 per year.
Also, notes Lanza, if you became eligible for Medicare any time after February this year, you can enroll in a drug plan during your initial enrollment period of seven months: three months before and three months after the month you become eligible for Medicare.
For faster service, if a computer is available, go to this Web site and make an online application: www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp. You can always turn to the HICAP office of Kern's Aging and Adult Services Department for help of any kind when it comes to questions about Medicare and its many facets. Give them a call at 868-1000: no button pushing, no recorded messages, real live people will talk with you!
HEARD ABOUT OLLI??
College students should have it so good: Aimed at persons age 50, OLLI, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, classes are actually open to persons of any age. Be on the Cal State campus for these Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offerings for a yearly fee of $25 and pay only $2 for an entire 10-week course! Now that's a super bargain for those who aren't interested in full time academic challenges, but just like to learn things.
There are no pop quizzes, no term papers, and no finals in these once-a-week classes which offer a "unique educational opportunity." And you don't get penalized if you miss a class.
The fall schedule of mostly 10-week classes opens today: Jazz Appreciation, 1 to 3:15 p.m. and Meet the World, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Here's more opening dates: Sept. 14, The Beatles, 3:30 to 5 p.m.. Sept. 18, Dirt of Western Civilization, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Some classes meet on a different schedule: One day only, Oct. 14, Watercolor: Stop and Smell the Roses, 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
Five weeks, starting Oct. 18, Screening the Sacred, 6 to 9 p.m.
Eight weeks, starting Oct. 23, Legacy in Life Stories, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
And one day only for The Magic of Wine, Saturday, Sept., 30, a trip to Central Coast to visit wineries with Mike Stepanovich. Depart CSUB 8 a.m. and return at 6 p.m. Cost to OLLI members $99.
If you're a CSUB 60 Plus Club member, OLLI's yearly fee is waived. You can join 60 Plus and your $30 annual membership fee includes free membership in OLLI. Talk about bargains!
It's not too late to enroll in classes starting this week. You can find course descriptions on the university Web site: www.csub.edu.
At the top of this home page is Quick Links, where you scroll down to OLLI. On the OLLI site click on Fall Classes. You can also register for classes with an online form.
For info by phone, you may call 654-6832 to get informational material sent you on course descriptions and a registration form. However, you may have to leave a phone number for them to return your call. Student helpers are manning the phones. The hours are not specific.
CSUB's School of Humanities and Social Sciences is "home" to OLLI and they'd love to hear from you. Better enrollments make for more offerings and lots of fun for all, say my friends at CSUB.
Back to school isn't just for kids, you know. OLLI offers more than just a learning experience. It lets you expand your social circle, make new friends who also just like to learn.
COMMISSION MEETS MONDAY
Kern County Commission on Aging meets from 1 to 3:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 18 at Bakersfield Senior Center, 530 4th St. Meetings are open to the public and all interested persons are welcome to attend.
On the day's agenda will be reports from service providers of Public Health, Parks and Recreation, Veterans Services and Mental Health. Information reports will be made on coming events: Senior Celebration/Luau, Oct. 24; and Seniors Day, Sept. 22, at the Kern County Fair. Time is allowed for questions and comments from the audience.
For further information, contact the Commission at 868-1002.
Judy Clausen's column appears every other Tuesday. Questions or information for Vintage Years may be -directed to Judy Clausen at 325-0267, or e-mail at Vintgyears@aol.com.