Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/661087
ByKellyOsborne The VA recently amended its enrollment regulations to allow vet- erans to complete appli- cations for enrollment in VA health care by tele- phone, without the need for a signed paper appli- cation. Telephone enroll- ment is effective immedi- ately for Combat Veterans, and will be effective July 5, for all veterans. To en- roll, Veterans can call the Health Eligibility Center Enrollment and Eligibil- ity Division, toll-free at (855) 488-8440. VRC case manager Mi- chele Fox will be available in the Red Bluff VSO office 1:30-4 p.m. April 14 and 21 to meet with Tehama County Veterans concern- ing transitional housing and other VRC assistance. The Chico Vet Center celebrated the 50th anni- versary of Vietnam Vet- eran Commemoration Day March 29. Corning VSO satellite office walk-in day are the first three Tuesdays of the month. Corning DMV form assistance will be by walk in during regu- larly scheduled VSO vis- its and the DMV form will be mailed back to you the same afternoon from the Red Bluff office, or we can bring it back to you the following week dur- ing our Corning VSO visit. Once the DMV form is val- idated/stamped by the VSO, the form is ready to be taken to the DMV. We will not be able to issue Tehama County ID Cards in Corning until we re- solve IT issues. In addition to helping with claims, the VSO of- fice began validating mil- itary service for honorably discharged veterans who would like to have "Vet- eran" noted on their Cali- fornia Driver's License. As with Tehama County Vet- eran I. D. cards, please bring your DD-214. As staffing permits, we will issue the Veteran De- partment of Motor Vehi- cle (DMV) paperwork for your California Driver's License in the Red Bluff office on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11:00 a.m. As a reminder, as- sisting Veterans and their families with their VA claims is our highest pri- ority, as we have Veterans with serious health and fi- nancial issues. There are many state and federal benefits and programs available to veterans and their depen- dents. To find out if you are eligible for any of these benefits, call the Tehama County Veterans Service Office (VSO) at 529-3664. The VSO address is the Bank of America Building, 955 Main St., Ste. C, in Red Bluff. Office appointment hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thurs- day, closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. The Red Bluff office VSO is by ap- pointment only. Corning VSO walk-ins are at the Veterans Memorial Hall 9-11 a.m. the first three Tuesdays of the month. Friday's we are closed for administration and out- reach. We are looking for- ward to meeting you or seeing you again on your return visit. KellyOsborne,retired U.S. Coast Guard, is the Veterans Service Officer for Tehama County. VSO NEWS ChangestoVAhealthcareenrollment The Alderson family, owners of Alderson Fam- ily Dairy in Gerber, has been named among the 2016 Members of Distinc- tion by Dairy Farmers of America. The Members of Dis- tinction program recog- nizes dairy farmers who ex- cel on their operations, in their communities and in the industry. Honorees in- spire others through their actions, leadership and in- volvement. They represent the best of the dairy indus- try. DFA is comprised of nearly 14,000 farmer- owners across the United States. Each year, one nota- ble member farm from each of DFA's seven areas is se- lected to receive this honor. Alderson Family Dairy rep- resents the Cooperative's Western Area. Running a sustainable, environmentally responsi- ble operation has always been a priority for the Al- derson family. It all began with Mark Alderson's father, Ray- mond, who began the fam- ily dairy with 25 cows graz- ing on the property's rich forage. Today, 250 cows graze on the farm's 250 acres under Alderson's watchful eye. Growing up, Alderson worked as a relief milker for 22 neighboring dairies, giving him the know-how to join the family business alongside his father when Alderson was just 17. Now, he and his wife, Brenda, and their son, Ben, milk their herd on two dair- ies and remain passion- ate about grazing and the health and comfort of their animals. "I think grazing is less stressful on the cow," Ben said. "You know, we are kind of growing our own feed and not having to chop and cut and bale and store it in a barn and all that. The cows pretty much do that whole entire process for us. It's a big benefit to us as a small family dairy to be able to do that." Utilizing intense graz- ing, the dairy's herd is ro- tated through two-acre paddocks in groups of 100 cows. Each group grazes one acre for 12 hours, then the other half of the pad- dock for the next 12 hours. That paddock is then left to regrow for 20 days. To ensure the herd gets the nutrients needed to produce the most amount of quality milk, the Alder- sons grow several types of grasses on their land. Not only does this help herd health, but it is good for the land. The Alderson family was the seventh dairy in Cali- fornia to earn certification through the voluntary Cal- ifornia Dairy Quality As- surance Program for the family's efforts to remain sustainable and environ- mentally responsible. HONORED Ge rb er o pe ra ti on a mo ng distinguished dairies CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO The Alderson family. The April 18 tax dead- line is coming up. If you need more time to file your taxes, you can get an automatic six-month extension from the IRS. Here are five things to know about filing an ex- tension: 1. Use IRS Free File to file an extension. You can use IRS Free File to e-file your extension request for free. Free File is only avail- able through IRS.gov. You must e-file the extension request by midnight April 18. If you do request an ex- tension, come back to Free File to prepare and e-file your taxes for free. You can access the program at any time through Oct. 17. 2. Use Form 4868. You can also request an exten- sion by filling out Form 4868, Application for Au- tomatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual In- come Tax Return. You must mail this form to the IRS by April 18. Form 4868 is available on IRS. gov/forms. 3. More time to file is not more time to pay. An ex- tension to file will give you until Oct. 17 to file your taxes. It does not, how- ever, give you more time to pay your taxes. Esti- mate and pay what you owe by April 18 to avoid a potential late filing pen- alty. You will be charged interest on any tax that you don't pay on time. You may also owe a penalty if you pay your tax late. In- terest is normally charged on any unpaid tax. 4. IRS Direct Pay. Pay your tax with IRS Direct Pay. VisitIRS.gov/direct- pay to use this free and secure way to pay from your checking or savings account. You also have other electronic payment options. The IRS will au- tomatically process your extension — and you don't have to file a separate re- quest — when you pay electronically. You can pay online or by phone. 5. IRS helps if you can't pay all you owe. If you can't pay all the tax you owe, the IRS offers you payment options. In most cases, you can apply for an installment agree- ment with the Online Pay- ment Agreement applica- tionon IRS.gov. You may also file Form 9465, In- stallment Agreement Re- quest. If you can't make payments because of fi- nancial hardship, the IRS will work with you. You can use our Inter- active Tax Assistant tool to help you determine the due date of your federal tax return, or whether you are eligible to file for an extension. Each and every tax- payer has a set of funda- mental rights they should be aware of when deal- ing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obliga- tions to protect them on IRS.gov. TAX TIPS Need more time to file your taxes? Advocacy American Legion, Lassen Post 0167 Red Bluff, 528-1026 American Legion, Rais- ner Post 45 Corning, 518-3152 Am Vets, Post 2002 Corning, 526-2883 VFW Los Molinos, 384-1301 Red Bluff, 528-1026 Corning Post 4218 Dis- trict 15 Auxiliary 4218, District 15 824-5957 DAV 529-4579 Marine Corps League, Detachment 1140 (888) MCL-1140 Military Family Support Group 529-1852 or 529-2416 Services Tehama County Veterans Service Office 529-3664 Tehama County Veterans Collaborative Tehama Together, 527- 2223 Veteran Resource Center Chico (530) 809-2831 Redding (530) 223-3211 VA Crisis Hotline (800) 273-8255 VA Homeless Outreach (530) 247-7917 Redding VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 226-7555 Chico VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 879-5000 Veterans Home, Redding (530) 224-3800 Faith Based Advocacy PATH — Poor And The Homeless 736-3959 Pastor Dave Lambers, VCF 736-3400 Serving veterans? If your local organiza- tion or government entity offers service specific to veterans, send contact in- formation to editor@red- bluffdailynews.com, fax to 527-9251 or drop it off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff during business hours to be added to this listing. RESOURCES Veterans services, advocacy groups "I think grazing is less stressful on the cow. You know, we are kind of growing our own feed and not having to chop and cut and bale and store it in a barn and all that." — Ben Alderson (530) 527-1000 visit us at: www.redbluffroundup.com Likeusonfacebook RODEO AMERICA'S ORIGINAL EXTREME SPORT! APRIL 15, 16, 17, 2016 1921 ~ 2016 95 TH FRIDAY FAMILY 4 PACK $40 Plus$1.00processingfeeeachticket (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff $ 25 .00 No Enrollment Fee month Rates as low as 525AntelopeBlvd,RedBluff (530) 527-5272 Mon.–Fri.8am-5pm Saturday by appointment Locally owned & operated THE MICHELIN ® PILOT ® SPORT A/S 3+ Command the road. Sumit to no season. 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