The Onondaga County Legislature has approved a local law providing a property-tax exemption for the primary home of eligible permanently and totally (P & T) disabled veterans.
The measure allows a full exemption from property taxes and certain related charges for eligible veterans with permanent and total, service-connected disabilities, per the legislature's document on the local law.
Legislator David Knapp, who sponsored the measure, says it only applies to a certain group of veterans.
"This isn't for folks that twisted their ankle in the military, or whatever, this is for folks that are seriously disabled," he added in his remarks while describing the bill.
The legislature finds that disabled veterans with permanent and total, service-connected disabilities "often face substantial and continued economic, medical, and housing burdens resulting from their service-connected disabilities," the document read. "This Legislature finds that providing a ...exemption from County real property taxes, special district charges, assessments, and a special ad valorem levies for the primary residence of such veterans is in the public interest and serves a public purpose by assisting those veterans to remain in their homes."
"When you add up the various exemptions for these individuals, they're getting about 75 percent now. This would just give that other 25 percent to make it that much easier," Knapp said.
During the public comment portion of the Nov. 5 meeting, Ricky Mills, commander of the Camillus American Legion and a veteran of the U.S. Army, spoke in support of the local law.
"All counties in the state of New York, all towns in the state of New York and every school district has the chance to opt in or opt out of this depending on how they're hurting for taxes," Mills said.
Besides Mills, the lawmakers also heard from Charles Iavarone, a disabled veteran and a former supervisor of the town of Salina, who noted very few school districts are offering property-tax exemptions to veterans.
"That's something that I think should change and I think your advocacy would very much help that. We like to throw around the work affordability and this is something that really needs to happen," Iavarone said. "These school districts should be opting into this. Towns and villages should be opting into this."
Legislator Brian May agreed with Iavarone that school districts, in general, aren't participating in veterans' exemptions. "I hope this exemption is kind of a call-to-arms for them to get off the dime and, uh, figure it out."
The county's local law stipulates that the exemption shall be granted to a veteran who was discharged or released from active military, naval, space, or air service, including army and national guard service performed pursuant to federal orders under title 10 of the United States code, under honorable conditions; or who has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and must have received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service; or must be a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and must have received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, as described in the county's document.
The veteran must be considered by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to be permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service -- as evidenced by a letter, official form, or other document sent to the veteran that specifically states such veteran is considered to be permanently and totally disabled as a result of such service.
The county's document goes on to say that application for this exemption shall be made to and filed with the assessor for the municipality in which the property is located on or before the taxable status date on a form provided by the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
