THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 4, 1994 TAG: 9410040009
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
I'm ashamed of the manner in which Virginia is handling the refund of wrongfully withheld state income taxes of civil-servant annuitants' pensions.
Multiple mailings are being sent to elderly people who are oftentimes confused about the correspondence, or possibly may reside in nursing homes, etc.
Basically, the state is asking the following questions in these multiple mailings:
First mailing - Do you agree with the amount of the proposed refund, and are you sure you want the money?
What a silly question; who wouldn't want the money?
Second mailing - Do you still agree with the amount of the proposed refund, and are you really sure you want the money?
Still a silly question. If the state was told the first time that an annuitant wanted the money back, why does the state think an annuitant would change his mind?
Third mailing - If you're really, really sure you want the money, the state will send it to you after March 1995, depending on the amount determined (after everyone says he/she wants the money) in one payment or maybe more depending on the size of the refund check.
Why didn't the state just refund to all annuitants the amount owed and then allow a one-year window for appeals if annuitants were in disagreement with the amount of refund?
It appears that the state of Virginia is trying to wear down elderly annuitants with its bureaucratic runaround in hopes that they won't respond.
JOAN ROYSE
Chesapeake, Sept. 21, 1994 by CNB