dental - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Managing Partner John Jones Leads Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary on Nicaragua Eye Care Trip

Today 1344 eyes are smiling, seeing “mas claro” in 672 very grateful Nicaraguans in the Rio San Juan Region of southern Nicaragua. Many of the those same people are equipped with both distance and near pair of glasses and protective sunglasses, “gafas” to keep damaging UV rays off their eyes. In addition, 103 mouths are “mucho mas limpio”, reflecting improved oral health and a shift in treatment from extraction to restoration and prevention.

This year, the returning Nicaraguan Couple-Dentists Javier and Ana from the 200 km north capital Managua again worked with a Dental Hygienist from the Sabalos Regional Clinic to treat patients from pre-teen to “viejo”, senior citizens. Peter Hoberg accepted the crucial role of instrument sterilizer, earning himself the unenviable evidence of chemically stained orange fingers. Fortunately he did not exhibit any apparent cognitive lapses while on duty.

Over the course of three days, Sunrise Rotarians and some of their family focused on improving people’s visual acuity. Steve “Grandpa” Zwick was the third generation in his family represented and remarkably both his daughter Jennifer and granddaughter Alessa brought valuable Spanish language and organizational skills. Steve’s español is well known! Alessa, just 12, quickly established […]

Claiming a Tax Deduction for Medical and Dental Expenses

Your medical expenses may save you money at tax time, but a few key rules apply. Here are some tax tips to help you determine if you can claim a tax deduction:

You must itemize. You can only claim your medical expenses that you paid for in 2014 if you itemize deductions on your federal tax return. If you take the standard deduction, you can’t claim these expenses.
AGI threshold. You include all the qualified medical costs that you paid for during the year. However, you can only deduct the amount that is more than 10 percent of your adjusted gross income.
Temporary threshold for age 65. If you or your spouse is age 65 or older, the AGI threshold is 7.5 percent of your AGI. This exception applies through Dec. 31, 2016.
Costs to include. You can include most medical and dental costs that you paid for yourself, your spouse and your dependents. Exceptions and special rules apply. Costs reimbursed by insurance or other sources do not qualify for a deduction.
Expenses that qualify. You can include the costs of diagnosing, treating, easing or preventing disease. The […]