If you were an Ochsner Resident between January 1, 1995, and March 31, 2005,
you may be entitled to a substantial tax refund.
Physicians-in-training who participated in Ochsner's graduate medical education program anytime during the period January 1, 1995, through March 31, 2005, may be entitled to a substantial tax refund in connection with FICA taxes they paid on their medical resident stipends. (FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contribution Act, and FICA taxes include what are commonly referred to as social security taxes and Medicare taxes.
For over a decade, Ochsner has undertaken substantial efforts to preserve its and its residents’ rights to recover the amounts paid as FICA taxes with respect to medical resident stipend. The Internal Revenue Service recently agreed to concede the legal issues to us, and Ochsner and the IRS are in the process of finalizing the details of both that settlement and completing the process that will result in the issuance of related refunds.
In the near future eligible former residents will be asked whether they wish to participate in the settlement, and at that time a prompt written response will be necessary for residents to receive such a refund. As a result, ongoing communication with eligible former residents is very important. To facilitate that communication and verify that it has accurate contact information, Ochsner has sent correspondence to over 1000 individuals who participated in its graduate medical education programs during the period January 1, 1995, through March 31, 2005.
If you believe that you may eligible for such a refund but have not yet received such correspondence from Ochsner on this important issue, please provide us your current address by emailing us at GMEADMIN@Ochsner.org, faxing us at (504) 842-3193 or leaving us a voicemail message at (504) 842-9527 or 1-877-250-6202. Of course, by providing us with this contact information you would not be making any decision about consenting to the receipt of any refund. You only would be helping us communicate with you in the future on this issue.
