Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

In the near future, I will be re-introducing legislation (prior session SB 744) to expand the number of disabled veterans in the Commonwealth who are eligible for real estate tax reductions.

Currently, under the Disabled Veterans’ Real Estate Tax Exemption Program, Veterans who have a 100% disability rating from the US Veterans Administration are exempt from paying any real estate taxes on their primary home if they meet other program requirements such as need. This is wonderful and has helped many veterans in our state who need and deserve our help.

The problem is that if you are a 90% disabled veteran, you get no exemption whatsoever. It’s either all or nothing. This seems unfair. It seems that your real estate tax exemption should be commensurate with your level of disability.

My legislation would provide a pro-rata exemption on a disabled veterans’ real estate taxes based on the rating given to them by the VA. So if, for example the VA considers you 50% disabled, you will get a 50% reduction on your property tax obligation. This will provide some relief for the many veterans who do not have a 100% rating but that are nonetheless somewhat impaired in their ability to earn a living and in need of some property tax relief.

If you have questions about this legislation, please contact my Legislative Director, Jon Tew, at jtew@pasenate.com or 610-768-4200.