100,000 names purged from WV voter registration rolls, check your registration online

WV Secretary of State Mac Warner announced today that his office in cooperation with county clerks around the state have purged over 100,000 names from voter registration rolls. He said the purpose was to reduce fraud by removing deceased, duplicate, convicted felon, and "outdated" voter registrations.

There are about 1.2 million registered voters in the state as of this week. The percentages of registrations purged varies substantially from county to county, with Wirt at less than 3% but Calhoun and Monroe counties having purged over 23% of their registrations.

You can check online to be sure your voter registration was not removed at the WV Secretary of State's webpage https://services.sos.wv.gov/Elections/Voter/AmIRegisteredToVote where you must input your name and date of birth. You can also register to vote or update/change your valid voter registration (change party, address, etc.) at https://ovr.sos.wv.gov/Register/Landing#Qualifications where you'll have to answer several questions and enter more identifying information about yourself including Social Security number and ID or drivers license number. You can also verify, register, or update your voter registration in person at the County Clerk's office in your local county courthouse.

Time is running short on getting your Medicare ducks in a row if you stayed on Health Insurance Marketplace coverage after becoming eligible for Medicare.

September 30, 2018 is the deadline for making the switch to Medicare Part B and requesting relief from late enrollment penalties.

A good way to take care of everything is to make an appointment to meet with a staff person at the nearest Social Security office. Call 800-777-1213 very soon.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has more detailed information on the cms.gov website at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Eligibility-and-Enrollment/Medicare-and-the-Marketplace/Downloads/Limited-Equitable-Relief-Fact-Sheet.pdf

Numerous documents are needed to make the switch, so don’t forget them at home.

This deadline is not applicable to those who had employer/union healthcare plans when they became eligible for Medicare.

For those West Virginians age 60 and over with legal issues of any type, we can help at West Virginia Senior Legal Aid. Call 800-229-5068 to speak with a staff attorney.