C. ASSISTANCE

The LITC Program Office assists by:

n Providing technical assistance and guidance to grant recipients and potential applicants;

n Informing the public about the availability of LITCs, to the extent permitted by law;

n Sponsoring and organizing the Annual LITC Grantee Conference to deliver instruction and continuing

education to all grant recipients and provides an opportunity for attendees to connect with colleagues from LITCs throughout the country to share ideas and strategies to better assist low-income and ESL taxpayers;

n Conducting orientation visits to familiarize new grant recipients with LITC Program requirements and to

identify potential areas where the clinic may need to create systems or improve processes;

n Fostering the working relationship between grant recipients and Local Taxpayer Advocate offices;

n Issuing special appearance authorizations to LITCs that permit students and law graduates working under the

supervision of a practitioner to represent taxpayers before the IRS;

n Coordinating grant recipients’ access to e-Services products offered by the IRS; and

n Assisting with resolution of problems that grant recipients may experience with LITC Grants Portal.