Nashville Chapter member receives TEI's Pro Bono Award for organizing assistance to 2010 flood victims.

• Position: Tax Executive Institute

Tax Executives Institute has awarded its 2011 Pro Bono Award to James Wiseman, Vice President, Tax of Capella Healthcare, Inc. and a member of TEI's Nashville Chapter. Mr. Wiseman received the award for his work assisting flood victims in Tennessee. During a two-day period in early May 2010, parts of Nashville received 20 inches of rain, which caused tremendous flooding in the area. As a result, thousands of residents endured significant property damage, and the Nashville area was declared a federal disaster area. While Mr. Wiseman helped one of his coworkers pull insulation out of her flood-damaged basement, it occurred to him that he had specialized knowledge that could give people access to thousands of dollars that would help cover the costs of rehabilitating their damaged homes.

The Internal Revenue Code allows taxpayers to file amended returns going back five years giving people the ability to claim casualty losses and carry them back in order to receive an immediate refund. The forms and related paperwork for claiming these losses, however, are daunting and complicated. To make sure residents affected by the floods received their refunds, Mr. Wiseman spearheaded an effort in conjunction with the Nashville Mayor's Office, the United Way, H&R Block, and the local legal aid society to provide eight free community education seminars. These seminars provided the affected individuals with information and assistance in understanding how to file casualty loss tax refund claims in a federally declared disaster area. Mr. Wiseman participated with other instructors walking attendees through the forms and associated documentation requirements. Some of these seminars drew more than 100 people.

In addition, Mr. Wiseman contacted accounting firms ill the Nashville area requesting that they each agree to complete five casualty loss claims on a pro bono basis. Contacting both firms where he knew people and making cold calls to others, he coordinated an effort that resulted in 20 accounting firms providing assistance in the preparation of 100 ply bono tax returns for individuals affected by the floods. After a local news station ran a story on the effort, which included a short interview with...