THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 10, 2019 Page 17 CLERK | FROM PAGE 3 offi cial records, including births, deaths, marriages, ordinances, business certificates and the minutes and decisions of boards and commissions. The city clerk also issues licenses and permits, including marriage licenses. And as the city’s chief election offi cer, the clerk is responsible for voter registration, absentee voting, running elections and maintaining campaign fi nance reports for candidates in local races. Sica said allowing herself and SALARY | FROM PAGE 1 also a practical move for the city. Employers who conduct reasonable self-evaluations and take steps to correct gender-based pay inequities can use those factors as a defense against lawsuits brought under the Equal Pay Act. Employers who have not done self-assessments and are found to have violated the equal pay law may be liable for double the amount of wages owed to an employee as well as attorney’s fees and court costs. “The self-assessment was not meant to cure every problem,” Chiccuarelli told the Finance Committee. “It was strictly based on correcting gender pay disparities.” Chiccuarelli did not name any of the six employees who are due raises, although he did mention that the group was made up of fi ve women and one man. Finance Committee members did, however, learn which city departments are in line for transfers from the city’s salary reserves. The Legal Department will receive $14,142 for a salary adjustment; $11,852 will go to an employee in Mayor Gary Christenson’s offi ce; and $9,939 will be added to the salary account for the Information Technology Department. An employee Chiccuarelli to conduct an initial screening would weed out applicants who are not the right fi t and move the process forward. And she assured fellow councillors that they could review all applications on fi le at the Human Resources Department and advocate for anyone who seems like the right choice. Councillors, including Ward 1’s Peg Crowe, who is chair of the Personnel Committee, supported Sica’s screening proposal. “We should let them read through and find the ones in the Planning, Inspections and Permitting Services Department will receive $9,905; the Public Facilities Department will have $3,738 to even out its salaries; and $2,785 will be used to adjust the salary of a Board of Health employee. who aren’t qualifi ed,” said Ward 5 Councillor Barbara Murphy. “We have someone who is paid to do this job,” she added, referring to Chiccuarelli. Councillor-at-Large Stephen Winslow agreed and stressed that councillors have the option of reviewing all applications and doing their own screening. “Individual councillors can do a double-check, and that gives me the confi dence that what gets to the Personnel and Appointments Committee will be a strong set of candidates,” he said. Chiccuarelli said the transfers will cover retroactive wages from July 1, 2018, the date the state’s Equal Pay Act went into effect. Moving forward, the adjusted salaries will be worked into the city’s annual budget. ~ LEGAL NOTICE ~ COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Probate and Family Court 208 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02141 (617) 768-5800 Docket No. MI19C0256CA In the matter of: Harriet Namubiru Kasozi CITATION ON PETITION TO CHANGE NAME A Petition to Change Name of Adult Harriet Namubiru Kasozi of Malden, MA requesting that the court enter a Decree changing their name to Harriet Joy Kasozi. IMPORTANT NOTICE Any person may appear for purposes of objecting to the Middlesex Probate and Family Court before of 06/04/2019. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline this proceeding. WITNESS, Hon. Maureen H. Monks, First Justice of this Court. TARA E. DeCRISTOFARO REGISTER OF PROBATE May 10, 2019 Malden Police Request Funding for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Jail/Arrest Diversion Grant Program (Malden) April 29th-The Malden Police Department is requesting funding from the Department of Mental Health to participate in the Jail/Arrest Diversion Grant The central goal of this program is to divert persons from arrest and to promote agencies to support citizens in need of support services to access care and navigate by ille The Long-Term Care Benefi t Many Veterans Are Missing Out On Dear Savvy Senior, I have heard that the VA has a benefit that can help veterans and spouses with long-term care costs. We recently had to move my 86-year-old father – who served in the army nearly 60 years ago – into an assisted living facility, and my mom isn’t far behind. Can the VA help? Seeking Aid Dear Seeking, The Veterans Administration does indeed have a little-known, underutilized benefit that can help wartime veterans and their surviving spouses pay for a variety of long-term care costs. This benefit, called “Aid and Attendance,” is a special pension that’s paid in addition to a basic pension. It pays a maximum of $2,230 a month to married veterans; $1,881 a month to single veterans; or $1,209 a month to a surviving spouse. The money is tax free, and can be used to pay for in-home care, assisted living and nursing home care. Today, only around 230,000 veterans and survivors receiving Aid and Attendance, but millions more are eligible and either don’t know about it, or don’t think they can qualify for it. Eligibility Requirements To qualify, your dad must have served at least 90 days of active military service with at least one day of service during a period of war, and not have been discharged dishonorably. Single surviving spouses of wartime vets are eligible if their marriage ended due to death. In addition, your dad will also have to meet certain thresholds for medical and fi nancial need to be eligible. To qualify medically he must be either disabled, or over the age of 65 and need help with basic everyday living tasks such as eating, dressing, bathing or going to the bathroom. Being blind or in a nursing home or assisted living facility due to mental disability also qualifi es him. Single surviving spouses have no age restrictions, but they must require help with basic everyday living tasks to be eligible. To qualify fi nancially, your parents must have limited assets, under $127,061, excluding their home, vehicle and personal belongings. And their annual income (minus medical and longterm care expenses) cannot exceed the Maximum Allowable Pension Rate (MAPR), which in 2019 is $26,766 for a veteran and their spouse; $22,577 for a single veteran; and $14,509 for a surviving spouse. To calculate your parent’s income qualifications, add up their income over the past year (including Social Security, pensions, interest income from investments, annuities, etc.), minus any out-of-pocket medical expenses, prescription drugs, insurance premiums and long-term care costs over that same period of time. If the fi nal tally is under the MAPR, and he meets the other requirements, he should be eligible for aid. How to Apply To learn more, or to apply for Aid and Attendance, contact your regional VA benefi t offi ce (see Benefi ts.va.gov/benefi ts/offi ces.asp or call 800–827–1000) where you can apply in person. You can also apply by writing the Pension Management Center for your state (see Benefi ts.va.gov/ pension/resources-contact.asp). You’ll need to include evidence, like VA Form 21-2680 (VA.gov/vaforms) which your dad’s doctor can fi ll out that shows his need for Aid and Attendance. If you need some help, you can appoint a Veteran Service Officer (VSO), a VA-accredited attorney or claims agent to represent your dad. See www.ebenefi ts.va.gov/ebenefi ts/vso-search to locate someone. If your dad is eligible, it will take between six and 12 months for his application to be processed, so be patient. You should also know that if your dad’s Aid and Attendance application is approved, the VA will send a lump sum retroactive payment covering the time from the day you fi led the application until the day it was approved. Then your dad receives monthly payments going forward. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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