The Naugatuck Senior Center closed on March 13 because of the pandemic -- and with it, VITA, or the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Bernie Grant, who’s been the volunteer site coordinator in Naugatuck for 13 years, had hoped the senior center would open back up in short order.
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“And when it didn’t, we ended up calling everyone that we had scheduled to reschedule them,” Grant said. “There were ... approximately 75 people we had to contact, about half of them, 37 or so, canceled outright.”
Wednesday is the official federal and state deadline for filing 2019 personal income taxes -- yet another rite of spring that’s been upended by the pandemic. The VITA program, which uses volunteers to help residents file their taxes, also suffered some coronavirus-induced hiccups across the state.
The free program is run by the Connecticut Association of Human Services and is available to people making under $56,000 a year. Last year it helped 20,000 people file taxes. This year, the numbers are down by about 3,000. The association says many who canceled appointments either paid for their tax preparation or haven’t yet filed.
Jennifer Prescod, a volunteer at the Waterbury site, said she suspects people who didn’t file were older individuals used to physically going in person.
“And when you have our centers close, they’re not looking at doing it virtual, right?” Prescod said. “Or maybe they can’t do the drive-in, drive-thru.”
Starting in late June, the volunteers got back to work -- filers could drop off paperwork in a parking lot or go online for virtual VITA service.
Judy Fiore has worked on her taxes at the Naugatuck site with Grant and has gotten a refund for the last four years. But this year, Grant told her he’s not sure she’ll get money back.
“He doesn’t think I am,” Fiore said. “But he’s gonna check it for sure. Doesn’t hurt to ask, right?”
Prescod says the service can save people a few hundred dollars. Next year, the volunteers say they’re planning a bigger drive-thru and online effort.
Ali Oshinskie is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
