In April, the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) participated in a postcard campaign led by the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (CAPACD) asking elected officials to expand the age range for eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which helps more than 27 million eligible workers and families receive tax credit refunds.

Eligibility for the EITC is presently based on a worker’s income, their number of dependents, and age requirements (25-65). Refunds range from a maximum credit of $506 (for households with no dependents) to $6,269 (for households with three or more children). The average refund credit is $2,455.

NAPCA shares the belief that Congress must expand the EITC so workers of a wider age group, who are entering and staying in the workforce longer, can receive the same economic benefits. The EITC is unavailable to workers age 21-24 who are contributing to the workforce and are not claimed as dependents on anyone else’s tax return. The EITC is similarly unavailable to workers age 65+ who are still working because they may not qualify for Social Security or retirement, or need additional income to pay for housing or healthcare expenses.

NAPCA is proud to have gathered and submitted over 100 postcards in English, Chinese and Vietnamese from communities in Washington, California, Illinois and Hawaii.

You can still take action by signing the following online petition to let members of Congress know that the expansion of the EITC is important to your communities: http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5108/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=24545

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Diverse Elders Coalition.