Governor Rell: Connecticut Veterans

To Benefit From Four New Laws

Governor Signs Bills That Cut Red Tape for Property Tax Credit,

Expands Eligibility for Hardship Aid for Military Families

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today was joined today by several Connecticut veterans at a bill signing ceremony for four new laws that will benefit veterans and their families, including a measure the Governor spearheaded that streamlines the process for disabled veterans to receive a local property tax exemption.

            “This year, I have signed 240 bills into law and for the 250,000 veterans in Connecticut, these four bills may have been among the most important,” Governor Rell said. “The legislation builds on our long, proud legacy of service and commitment to our veterans.”

            The Governor said the state has provided care for veterans and their dependents since the Civil War era when a home for soldiers and orphans was established in Darien in 1864.

            “Society clearly understood then the steep price paid by veterans and we understand and honor it now,” the Governor said. “Our support must always remain strong for them because the veterans of the future are the soldiers, sailors and airmen of today, many of whom are fighting for our liberty halfway across the globe, far from their families. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”

            The Governor signed Senate Bill 846, An Act Concerning The Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption, which allows a veteran to submit documents verifying their disability proper just once to local assessors, unless the federal Veterans’ Administration modifies the veteran’s status. State law provides a basic $1,000 municipal property tax credit for qualified veterans.

 “They count on this tax break and the new law will make the process more efficient for them and ease the burden on local assessors,” the Governor said.

The Governor proposed the bill after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs last year changed its computer system and notified the state’s 22,000 disabled veterans it would stop mailing out annual forms that verified their disability ratings, raising concerns that disabled veterans would lose their benefits.

The Governor also signed House Bill 6394, An Act Concerning the Military Family Relief Fund, which expands eligibility for state assistance to an eligible member of the Armed Forces who is not currently on active duty.  The Military Family Relief Fund is used by the state Military Department to make grants to pay for essential personal or household needs if a family member’s military service has created a financial hardship for the family.

Other bills signed today at the Wallingford ceremony are:

·        House Bill 5664, An Act Concerning The Award of Ribbons and Medals, clarifies that wartime veterans living in Connecticut when they were called to active duty and who died on or after January 1, 2000, will be awarded ribbons and medals by the state.

·        Senate Bill 1063, An Act Concerning Eligibility for Benefits for Veterans in Service in Time of War, defines wartime service to mean 90 or more cumulative days, not 90 consecutive days as in the previous law. The bill also expands the pool of those eligible for war service benefits by changing the dates of Operation Will (escort of Kuwaiti oil tankers flying U.S. flags) from February 1 1987 to July 23, 1987.

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