Edmond Life & Leisure • April 2, 2020 • Page 17

Reminder: Tax filing deadlines changed

Edmond accounting firm Arledge and Associates
said taxpayers should be aware of important tax
developments from the IRS and the Oklahoma Tax
Commission.
According to the IRS, the April 15 due date for
filing federal income tax returns and making fed-
eral income tax payments has been postponed to
July 15, 2020.
Affected taxpayers do not have to file extensions
and there is no limitation on the amount of the
payment that may be postponed.
Additionally, the Oklahoma Tax Commission
says Oklahomans now have until July 15 to file
and pay their 2019 Oklahoma income tax return.
This is applicable to income tax due from the 2019
tax year and the first quarter payment for tax year
2020, both of which would normally be due on
April 15.
“These extensions will benefit many taxpayers
who are facing unexpected challenges from the
coronavirus pandemic,” said CPA Josh Mullins,
partner. “Taxpayers who are expecting refunds are
not required to wait to file their returns and receive
their refund.”
The U.S. Treasury Department, IRS and the U.S.
Department of Labor have announced that small
and midsize employers, those with fewer than 500
employees, can take advantage of refundable pay-
roll tax credits to help reimburse employers for the
cost of offering paid leave taken beginning April 1,
2020, to employees impacted by the COVID-19
virus.
“We are encouraging business owners to consult
with their tax advisor about their eligibility for
these credits,” Mullins said.
Arledge and Associates, PC is a recognized
leader in the accounting industry offering practical
solutions in the areas of tax planning, auditing,
consulting, accounting advisory services and client
accounting. Through its Gateway Executive Solu-
tions division, the firm offers outsourced CFO,
controller and cloud-based accounting solutions.

Beware of fraud schemes & virus SDH moves to online

In light of the ongoing coronavirus situ-
ation in the state, GlobalHealth, an Okla-
homa-based health insurance provider, is
sharing coronavirus fraud awareness in-
formation, as well as business continuity
updates, to help Oklahomans and mem-
bers stay safe and protected.
“First and foremost, I want to reassure
our members that GlobalHealth is fully
operational and we have taken steps to
ensure we operate business as usual,”
said Scott Vaughn, GlobalHealth Presi-
dent and CEO. “In light of the recent
non-essential business closure order from
Gov. Kevin Stitt, and knowing Okla-
homans rely on our insurance coverage
during this time, our call centers are fully
staffed during our normal business hours.
We also are ensuring our essential em-
ployees are safe and follow Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommendations so we can effectively
respond to our members.”
The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Office of Inspector Gen-
eral recently issued a warning regarding
public fraud schemes related to the novel
coronavirus.
Scammers are offering COVID-19 tests
to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for
personal details, including Medicare infor-
mation. However, the services are unap-
proved and illegitimate.
Fraudsters are targeting beneficiaries in
a number of ways, including telemarket-
ing calls, social media platforms and
door-to-door visits.
“These scammers are using the coron-
avirus pandemic to benefit themselves,
and Medicare beneficiaries face potential
harm,” Vaughn said. “The personal infor-
mation collected can be used to fraudu-
lently bill federal healthcare programs
and commit medical identity theft. If
Medicare or Medicaid denies the claim
for an unapproved test, the beneficiary
could be responsible for the cost.”
The following are ways Oklahoma
Medicare beneficiaries can protect them-
selves:
See Fraud, Page 18
vital record services
In order to protect the health of the public and reduce the number
of staff in the office, the Oklahoma State Department of Health
(OSDH) will temporarily suspend lobby and mail application services
for Vital Records until further notice. This includes the offices in
Oklahoma City, McAlester and Tulsa.
During this time, a limited number of Vital Records staff will re-
main on site to fill online and phone requests.
Additionally, staff will be working remotely with hospitals, physi-
cians and funeral directors to assure birth and death records continue
to be filed in a timely manner.
Birth and death records are of the utmost importance during a
health crisis as the collective health information acquired from these
records informs leadership and guides best practice recommenda-
tions to promote positive outcomes.
Oklahoma funeral homes can order death certificates through a
dedicated portal. In 2019, more than 8,000 orders were placed by
funeral services for over 35,000 records using the portal. While the
OSDH does not accept online orders directly, the Office of Vital
Records has partnered with VitalChek to make this service available.
VitalChek has waived the $6 portal fee for the next 30 days for any
funeral director who has not previously accessed the portal.
For more information on submitting on-line and phone orders,
please visit: https://govstatus.egov.com/oklahoma-coronavirus-infor-
mation.

Restaurant industry adjusting

The Oklahoma Restaurant Associa-
tion (ORA) urges Oklahomans across
the state to continue to keep calm
and carry out their meals from local
establishments.
In order to inform the public on
which restaurants are providing carry
out and delivery options with tempo-
rary menus, the association has
launched a website called Carry-
OutOk.com.
This website can be utilized by any-
one in the state to view available es-
tablishments. Restaurants can also
submit their own hours of operation,
temporary carry-out menus and any
other details they need their cus-
tomers to know.
In addition, the association is also
working hard to inform both mem-
bers and non-members on the state
of the industry through daily up-
dates.
“We continue to engage with
state, local and federal officials to
help address the coronavirus public
health issue. We want everyone to be
well-informed on what’s going on-
whether or not they are a member of
ours. Hospitality workers are essential
to our economy and the industry’s
news changes daily,” according to Jim
Hopper, President of the Oklahoma
Restaurant Association.
Restaurants, bars and coffee shops
all across the state continue to pro-
tect employees while safely providing
food, beer and wine to their cus-
tomers through carry out, delivery
and curbside options.
“We are also in the process of
tracking the total number of Okla-
homa jobs lost, in order to further
qualify and illustrate the economic
impact that the coronavirus is having
on our industry,” said Hopper. “We
will fight through this.”
Remember to keep calm and carry
out your meals.
Founded in 1933, the Oklahoma
Restaurant Association is the trade
association of restaurants and food-
service operations, the state's largest
private industry employer.

Department eases regulations

regarding license procedures
Insurance Commissioner Glen Mul-
ready approved waiving certain re-
quirements for new licenses issued to
producers and adjusters. These meas-
ures will ensure services remain avail-
able during the state’s response to
COVID-19.
The Oklahoma Insurance Depart-
ment (OID) contracts with a national
vendor who has temporarily closed
all testing centers nationwide due to
the COVID-19 public health emer-
gency. OID has responded by making
Temporary Producer and Adjuster li-
censes available for Oklahoma Resi-
dents who are unable to take current
license examinations. This does not
apply for renewals. Temporary li-
censes, when issued, will be effective
until 30 days after the Governor's
declaration of emergency ends.
All applications for Temporary Pro-
ducer or Apprentice Adjuster licenses
must be submitted with payment by
mail.
To protect Oklahoma Consumers,
background checks will be completed
on all temporary license applications.
All temporary licensees will require a
licensed resident sponsor who will
oversee their work and conduct and
be accountable for the temporary li-
censee with the Oklahoma Insurance
Department.
To apply for a Temporary License,
visit www.licensing.oid.ok.gov. For
questions about licensing, email li-
censing@oid.ok.gov or call (405)
521-3916.
If you have questions about other
insurance issues, contact the Okla-
homa Insurance Department at 1-
800-522-0071 or visit our website at
www.oid.ok.gov.