Livable Communities

Members of the Kansas Legislature are back in Topeka for the 2018 session and AARP volunteers and staff are also at the Statehouse meeting with legislators and advocating for AARP Kansas priorities and issues that are important to Kansans who are 50 and older.

It’s tax season once again.

In case you missed it, you can still listen to the AARP Kansas Teletownhall meeting about protecting yourself from holiday scams. AARP Kansas Director Dr. Maren Turner was joined by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Kristin Keckeisen (by phone) with the AARP Fraud Watch Network for a Teletownhall meeting on December 11, 2017 to talk about the latest scams and frauds in Kansas.

Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace runs through December 15 in Kansas and many other states. That makes it prime time for scammers to try taking advantage of unsuspecting consumers. Be wary of phone or email solicitations selling cheap health insurance that claim to meet all federal requirements. If you bite, you may end up without a plan, and with a tax penalty for not having qualifying coverage. Your best bet is to enroll or re-enroll by visiting healthcare.gov, where you can learn about ways to get help during open enrollment. You can also check with your Area Agency on Aging for help ( www.n4a.org).

AARP Kansas announced a winner for the AARP Community Challenge, which aims to create change and improve quality of life at the community level. The winning project is The Wichita Public Library’s launch of three historical walking tours accessible through the PocketSights app. The project was partially funded through the AARP Community Challenge grant and is set to be completed by November 1, 2017.

When you think of healthy food, do you think bland and boring? Wichita Chef Josh Rathbun proved it doesn’t have to be that way during AARP’s healthy cooking class in Wichita in August.

If you get a call from a tech support company saying they have detected a virus on your computer, hang up! You may get the same pitch from a pop-up ad. These are scams, intended to get you to fork over money to “fix” your computer or get you to buy phony virus protection. Get an inside look at this scam from a con artist who reveals jut how the scam works to the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/techscams.

If you’re planning to move this summer, be on the lookout for unlicensed movers and fake moving companies. You should get at least three quotes from prospective moving companies before hiring one. Be aware of movers that don’t send an estimator to your house beforehand, demand cash or a large deposit up front, and/or have unrealistic low-ball offers. Make sure you know whom you’re working with before you pay any money.

Do you collect Social Security? There's a new scam targeting YOU.

Working to make Kansas the best state in which to live is something we take very seriously at AARP. And it couldn't happen without the efforts of AARP Kansas volunteers who dedicate much of their time working on advocacy issues, community service, and volunteer support.