NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It’s hard to drive down a residential street in Montgomery County without spotting a veteran. Many of them own homes in Clarksville, including leaders with Tennessee Veterans, pushing for support for all who served, especially 100% disabled veterans and their families eligible for property tax relief.
A longtime property tax relief program is set to continue for at least another year, thanks to a $10 million boost proposed in the governor’s budget. But with more low-income seniors and disabled veterans qualifying, the fund has run dry in the past, forcing the state to tap reserves.
Recipients say the funding helps in the short term, but without a permanent solution, uncertainty remains.
"Yeah, I qualify for it b,ut there are people worse off. There's always someone worse off. And that's what TNVET does. We care about who needs and to make sure the laws are followed," said Joe Leurs, Chairman of TNVET.
Each year, the state sets aside $41.2 million to help low-income seniors and disabled veterans pay property taxes. Even with that, the fund has often been insufficient.
In Governor Bill Lee's final budget proposal is a $10 million lifeline for the property tax relief fund, enough to sustain it for at least another year. Still, long-term solutions are unclear, prompting questions for the state comptroller.
This is an issue that is going to have to be revisited year after year unless the general assembly decides to appropriate recurring dollars to meet the need or make adjustments to the benefits of the program," Comptroller Jason Mumpower told me.
Veterans groups are focused on one key change: simplifying how property tax reimbursements are calculated for disabled veterans so they aren’t affected by fluctuating market values.
"We've got two problems, one is we're still not funding the program as we should, and then the market value issue, which shorts the veterans on the calculations," Bill Summers said.
The comptroller noted the law allows for pro-rated benefits if the fund runs short, but said he hopes it doesn’t come to that.
Veterans say their numbers are growing, and they want the state to recognize them as an economic resource rather than a budget burden.
“The state either has to decide we’re an economic resource or we’re a burden on the budget,” said Steve Singleton, another local veteran.
Each year, more than 100,000 people receive reimbursements. You can apply at your county trustee's office.
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