I he
P ortland O bserver • M ay
17, 1995
P age
Questions And Answers
F o r Social Security o r Supple­
m ental Security Incom e Assistance
telephone 1-800-772-1213.
l o r speech A hearing impaired
assistance, ca ll 1-800-325-0778.
Question: I heard there’s a form
available to stop having Social Secu­
rity tax deducted from wages. Is this
true? I f so, how does one go about
requesting it?
Answ er: No, there is no form to
stop having Social Security taxes
taken out o f your paycheck. Howev­
er, there are employers who do not
take Social Security taxes out o f
employee paychecks because the
work is not covered for Social Secu­
rity. Examples are railroad employ­
ment, covered under the Railroad
Retirement System, and certain fed­
eral employment, covered under the
Federal C iv il Service Retirement
System which were collecting taxes
from employees before Social Secu­
rity existed Ifyo u perform work that
is covered for Social Security, then
the employer should take Social Se­
curity taxes out o f your paycheck.
The Internal Revenue Service is re­
sponsible for making sure employers
are taking Social Security taxes out
o f every employee’ s paycheck and
substantial monetary penalties are
levied against any employer who does
not do so.
Question: How disabled must I
be to get Social Security Disability
benefits?
Answ er: To qualify for disabil­
ity benefits from Soc ial Security, you
must have a physical or mental im­
pairment that’ s expected to keep you
from doing any “ substantial” work
for at least a year or is expected to
result in your death. Generally, earn­
ings o f $500 or more per month are
considered substantial.
Question: On my next birthday,
I w ill be 65. Do I have to sign up for
medical insurance at Social Security?
Answ er: You are not required
to sign up for medical insurance, Part
B o f Medicare. However, i f you do
not enroll when first eligible, your
Medicare Part B premium w ill be 10
percent higher than the basic month­
ly premium for each year you are
eligible but not enrolled. Ify o u are
over 65 and not enrolled in Medicare
Part B, you can sign up during the
open enrollment period at the begin­
ning o f each year, from January
through March.
Q uestion: I ’m a homemaker,
but last year I worked as a beautician
in the basement o f my home. I want
to be sure I get credit for my earnings
for Social Security benefits. How do
1 do this?
A nsw er: You must report your
self-employment earnings on your
income tax return on Schedule SE i f
your net self-employment earnings
are $400 or more for the year and pay
the tax when you file the return, due
by A p ril 17. The Social Security self-
employment tax for 1994 is 15.3
percent on self-employment earnings
up to $60,000. I f your net earning
exceed $60,000, you continue to pay
the Medicare portion o f the Social
Security tax, which is 2.9 percent, on
the rest o f your earnings.
Question: I heard social Securi­
ty w ill be restricting benefits to peo­
ple receiving disability benefits based
on drug addiction or alcoholism.
Exactly what are the restrictions?
A n s w e r: B e g in n in g M arch
1995, all individuals receiving dis­
ability benefits based on drug addic­
tion or alcoholism must receive pay­
ment through a representative payee.
The payee must be an organization
or other person who w ill be respon­
sible for managing the individual’s
payments and see that his/her needs
are met. He/she must go for treat­
ment when it is available, and bene­
fits can be received for no more than
36 months.
Question: What about people
who are already receiving disability
benefits on the basis o f drug addic­
tion or alcoholism? W ill the new
restrictions on the receipt o f benefits
apply to them?
Answ er: yes. In early February,
the Social Security Adm inistration
sent notice s to a p p ro x im a te ly
159,000 beneficiaries which sum­
marized the changes. The notice in­
vited them to contact the Social Se­
curity office for further information.
They may also call Social Security’s
toll-free telephone number, 1-800-
772-1213.
Study Finds low-Fat Diet Is Safe For
Children And Reduces High Cholesterol
A National study that included
127 Portland-area children has found
that lower-fat diets can effectively
reduce cholesterol levels in children
without harming normal growth.
Kaiser Permanente’s Center for
■* Health Research in Portland was one
o f six clinical centers nationwide in­
volved in the study, which was fund­
ed by the National Heart, Lung and
Blood Institute, a division o f the
National Institutes o f Health. The
results appeared in the May 10 edi­
tion o f the Journal o f the American
Medical Association.
Begun in 1987, the three-year
Dietary Intervention Study in C hil­
dren is the first large, randomized
clinical study to look at the long-term
safety and effectiveness o f super­
vised lower-fatdietsonchildren with
cholesterol levels above 175 m illi­
grams per deciliter o f blood. Nation­
ally, 663 children participated in the
study. Results showed that the ch il­
dren who were given nutritional guid­
ance to reduce total fat intake to 28
percent o f calories showed a signifi­
cant decrease in L D L cholesterol lev­
els compared to a control group o f
sim ilar children. Both groups re­
ceived adequate nutrition and posted
equivalent growth and psychologi­
cal well-being scores.
A fter three years, children who
leceived nutritional counseling and
supervision o f their diet showed a
lower intake o f total fat, saturated fat,
and cholesterol than children who
did not. Their L D L cholesterol levels
were also 3.?mg/dl lower than the
other children. Children in both
groups were between 8 and 10 years
old when they joined the study.
V ictor J. Stevens, PhD, princi­
pal investigator for the study at the
Center for Health Research, said the
study is important for two reasons.
“ First, it shows that a well-balanced
diet low in fat is not harmful to school-
age children. And it shows that such
a diet does work to achieve modest
reductions in harmful L D L choles­
terol levels. That should help these
children decrease their chances o f-
developing early atherosclerosis - a
clogging o f the arteries by fatty de­
posits that can lead to heart attacks
and strokes.”
Southeast Portland resident Bar­
bara Eichom ’s daughter, Sarah, had
a cholesterol level over 200 mg/dl
when she enrolled in the study six
years ago. “ It ’s amazing how even
minor changes like broiling instead
o f frying and switching to skim m ilk
instead o f whole have made a d iffe r­
ence in Sarah’ s cholesterol,” says
Oregon Repertory Singers Children’s Choir
95-96 Season Auditions
program and to charter with National
PA, Inc, as a state office.
Currently, Parents Anonymous o f
Oregon is 17 groups strong, all sport­
ing a structured play group for PA
parents’ children. Sixty percent o f PA
gioups are in the tri-county metro area,
with additional groups in the counties
o f Josephine, Jackson, Coos,
Deschutes, Marion. We are serving
approximately 900 families per year.
A ll PA direct services are provided by
volunteers.
In addition to our support groups,
we provide a statewide, toll-free 24
hour Parent helpline which is totally
staffed by volunteers.
A parent education series is avail­
able to parents in the tri-county metro
area which is entitled, “ Discipline That
Doesn’t Hurt". It is offered for free to
parents in our programs and serves as
an auxiliary class for CSD mandated
clients.
PA o f Oregon also conducts a
parent-planned, parent-led statewide
Convention each year as an opportuni­
ty to develop parent leadership, net­
work with other PA parents, and to
celebrate our families.
We currently conduct 50 public
awareness presentations to the com­
munity each year; provide profession­
al training to agencies on a staff o f
unpaid volunteer advocates providing
services every day to Oregon families
(approximately 230 individuals state­
wide volunteer their energy and time).
Parents Anonymous of Ore­
gon is supported by W averly
Childrens Home, and receivesoth-
er small grants:
• Oregon Childrens Trust Fund
($12,500 annually)
• Clackamas County Commis­
sion on Children & Families (CCF)
($9,000 statewide)
• For the entire state o f Oregon,
we have 2.5 FTE. Our revenue is
approxim ately $60,000 annually,
dependent on W averly’s success at
private fundraising for the agency as
a whole.
What Parents Anonymous
Can And Cannot Do For
Families
W hat Parents Anonymous
Can Do:
• Provide supportive listening and
adult contact for isolated parents.
• Provide a place to freely dis­
cuss d ifficulties in raising children.
• Have as a resource a profes­
sional in the group to identify further
help in the community.
Provide information about
child rearing:
• C hild Development (Expecta­
tions)
• Alternatives to Corporal Pun­
ishment (Positive Parenting)
• Ideas on building children’s
self-esteem
• In most locations provide a
program fo r children that is struc­
tured to w ork on self-esteem, friend­
ship, and confidence building.
• Provide a network o f other
parents to assist the parent in child
care, phone contact, support and car­
ing.
• Enable parents to take better
care o f themselves so that they can
take better care o f their children.
• Assist parents who want to
improve their parenting by provid­
ing models, information, and ongo­
ing support while learning new child
rearing techniques.
• Provide support to families as
they grow towards health and non­
violence.
W hat Parent Anonymous
Cannot Do....
• Provide therapy, counseling
for parents.
• Serve parents who are under
the influence o f drugs/alcoho!
• Provide help for sexual perpe­
trators
• Serve parents who are mental­
ly ill and not able to function in
groups.
• Parents Anonymous Works
Best For Parents
• Who Are Seeking Changes In
Their Lives
Office: (503) 238-8819; 24 Hour
Parent Helpline: 2 38-88/8 o r !-
(800) 345-5044
PCC Board Member Resigns
A tkin s’ term and could seek election
in March 1997.
The PCC board is responsible
for the budget and overall policy
direction ofthe college. Board meet­
ings are held twice a month, general­
ly the first and third Thursday eve­
nings. Members receive no pay.
Those interested in being nomi­
nated should send a letter stating why
they would like to serve on the board
and a resume to PCC, Public Affairs
Office, P.O. Box 19000, Portland,
OR 97280-0990 by Friday, June 16.
The board w ill interview candidates
during June and July.
a n d c o ld h a r d
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ffljc ^Jortlanh OPbarruer
Wishes You A Happy New Year
As We Begin
Our 25th Anniversary
O f Publication.
Since 1974, Parents Anonymous
has been a presence in Oregon for
strengthening families and preventing
child abuse.
In 1984, Waverly Childrens Home
was asked by the non-profit Board o f
Oregon PA to umbrella the statewide
BLOOD
SWEAT
Concert Choir ages 11-15; Prep Choir ages 7 -1 1
Welcome to the 1st Annual Miss Petite Teen International Pageant.
This exciting new pageant system features petite teens as there center
focus! Kathy Wheatley, owner o f Elite Productions, Inc. o f Houston,
Texas, has developed a unique new pageant system designed exclusively
for teens who are under 5’6", single and between the ages o f 13 to 17.
The Miss Petite Teen International Pageant provides the opportunity
for petite teenagers to showcase their personal attributes, intelligence and
inner beauty as well as developing personal growth. G irls from all over the
United States and Internationally w ill be vying for the title o f 1995 Miss
Petite Teen international.
The Miss Petite Teen International Pageant w ill be held at the
beautiful Doubletree Hotel in Houston, July 5th-9th, 1995. The prize
package consist o f $30,000 in cash and prizes which includes jew elry,
clothing a cash scholarship and much, much more!
There w ill be three areas o f competition: Personal Interview, Evening
Gown and Sportswear. The contestants w ill have their weekend filled with
fun activities, dinner parties and rehearsals.
Parents Anonymous Of Oregon
Hope For Families
Portland Community College is
Eichom. “ Today, at age 14, Sarah’s seeking applications to fill a vacancy
cholesterol level is normal.”
on the board o f directors.
Because o f these encouraging
Marcia Atkins, who represents
results, Stevens says youngsters in Washington County in college zone
the study w ill be tracked until age 18 6, is resigning because o f relocation.
to see i f the dietary intervention ben­ The person selected to replace her
efits them throueh adolescence
would fill the two years remaining on
ORS Children’s Choir meets at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church
every Wednesday afternoon, 2828 SE Stephens, 2 blocks south o f Haw­
thorne. Auditions are being taken for children who love to sing. Call
audition coordinator Mary Ann Kelley 246-8989 for audition information.
Scholarships are available.
The goal o f Oregon Repertory Singers Children’s Choir is to create a
m ulticultural, multiethnic singing group which represents the diversity o f
the greater Portland area. Our choices o f music w ill be taken from all styles:
classical, American folk and gospel, jazz, blues and world folk music.
Linda Noah, Artistic Director
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