Income Tax Assistance/ VITA Awards
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF DUTY WHILE SERVING AS VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANT. PETTY OFFICER CITIZEN PERFORMED THE DUTIES OF VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANT IN A HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL MANNER AND SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO A REGION-WIDE PROGRAM THAT FILED MORE THAN 14,000 FEDERAL AND STATE INCOME TAX RETURNS. THIS RESULTED IN EXPEDITIOUS REFUNDS TOTALING OVER $18.8 MILLION AND SAVED MILITARY FAMILIES MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION IN TAX PREPARATION AND ELECTRONIC FILING FEES. PROVIDING THIS FREE SERVICE TO SAILORS, MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS AND RETIREES HAD A LASTING IMPACT ON THE MORALE OF MILITARY FAMILIES AND DIRECTLY SUPPORTED FLEET OPERATIONS AND READINESS BY ENSURING SAILOR LEGAL READINESS. PETTY OFFICER CITIZEN'S PROFESSIONALISM, PERSONAL INITIATIVE, AND UNSWERVING DEVOTION TO DUTY REFLECTED GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND WAS IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF DUTY WHILE SERVING AS LEADING PETTY OFFICER, VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA) AND ELECTRONIC FILING (ELF) PROGRAM, U.S. NAVAL LEGAL SERVICE OFFICE, EUROPE, AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA, DETACHMENT SIGONELLA, FROM JANUARY TO MAY 2009. AS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE TAX CENTER/VITA PROGRAM, PETTY OFFICER SMITH TRAINED AND OVERSAW THE WORK OF 3 VOLUNTEER TAX PREPARERS, ENSURING CLIENTS RECEIVED THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. HE ASSISTED IN THE PREPARATION OF OVER 100 TAX RETURNS AND AUDITED AN ADDITIONAL 50 TAX RETURNS, TO ENSURE THE GREATEST ACCURACY AND BEST VALUE FOR THE SIGONELLA COMMUNITY. UNDER HIS SUPERVISION, VITA VOLUNTEERS SAVED CUSTOMERS OVER 40,000 DOLLARS IN TAX PREPARATION FEES AND UNNECESSARY PAYMENTS AND GENERATED OVER 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS IN TAX REFUNDS, A 10 PERCENT INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS TAX YEAR. IN ADDITION, AS THE SENIOR PETTY OFFICER ON SITE, HIS DECKPLATE LEADERSHIP WAS EVIDENT BY HIS VOLUNTEERING TO ATTEND IRS TAX PREPARER TRAINING IN NAPLES AND THEN TRAINING THE COMMAND'S 3 VITA VOLUNTEERS. PETTY OFFICER SMITH'S PROFESSIONALISM, PERSONAL INITIATIVE, AND UNSWERVING DEVOTION TO DUTY REFLECTED GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND WAS IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF DUTY WHILE SERVING AS VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANT. AS CFAS 2016 INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM COORDINATOR, HE EXPERTLY MANAGED AND MENTORED A TEAM OF 2 ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS AND 4 CIVILIAN VOLUNTEERS. LTJG SMITH COMPLETED ALL ADMINISTRATIVE NEEDS AND ASSISTED IN THE PROCESSING OF OVER 500 TAX RETURNS, RESULTING IN OVER 1.1 MILLION DOLLARS IN REFUNDS AND SAVING MILITARY FAMILIES MORE THAN 90,000 DOLLARS IN TAX PREPARATION FEES AND UNNECESSARY PAYMENTS THROUGHOUT NAVY REGION JAPAN. PETTY OFFICER SMITH'S PROFESSIONALISM, PERSONAL INITIATIVE, AND UNSWERVING DEVOTION TO DUTY REFLECTED GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND WAS IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTIES WHILE SERVING AS VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE TAX PREPARER AT REGION LEGAL SERVICE OFFICE HAWAII, PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL 2019. AS SITE LEADING PETTY OFFICER, PETTY OFFICER KOLA QUICKLY MASTERED COMPLEX TAX FILING PROCEDURES AND THE ONLINE SOFTWARE, MENTORED AND DEVELOPED A TEAM OF JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS AND CONTRIBUTED OVER 200 HOURS. HIS EXCEPTIONAL EFFORTS FACILITATED THE FILING OF MORE THAN 200 INCOME TAX RETURNS, RESULTING IN OVER $400 THOUSAND IN REFUNDS AND SAVING MILITARY FAMILIES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN TAX FEES. PETTY OFFICER KOLA'S EXCEPTIONAL PROFESSIONALISM, STEADFAST INITIATIVE AND SELFLESS DEVOTION TO DUTY REFLECTED CREDIT UPON HIM AND WERE IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTIES WHILE SERVING AS VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE TAX PREPARER AND QUALITY REVIEWER AT FORT GEORGE G. MEADE JOINT INSTALLATION TAX CENTER FROM JANUARY 2019 TO APRIL 2019. HIS PERSONAL INITIATIVE AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE EFFICIENT AND TIMELY PROCESSING OF OVER 400 TAX RETURNS, AND SAVED CLIENTS MORE THAN $10,000 IN TAX PREPARATION FEES. HE CONTINUOUSLY MENTORED AND EDUCATED JOINT PERSONNEL ON THE INTRICACIES OF THE TAX SYSYTEM. PETTY OFFICER CHACHI'S EXCEPTIONAL PROFESSIONALISM, STEADFAST INITIATIVE AND SELFLESS DEVOTION TO DUTY REFLECTED CREDIT UPON HIM AND WERE IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.