Effort to lower property taxes for disabled military vets won't be passed this legislative session

Mar. 3--MADISON -- A bipartisan bill which didn't make it to a vote in the 2019-20 legislative session would have made allowed more military veterans considered disabled to get property tax breaks in Wisconsin.

Under current Wisconsin law, veterans who were honorably discharged from service and have a "disability rating of 100%" as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, can write off 100% of their property taxes so long as their disability is considered "service-connected."

What this bill would do if it becomes law is lower the threshold for veterans who are disabled to receive tax credits, lowering the bar from a disability rating of 100% down to 70%.

The Department of Veterans Affairs assigns vets disability ratings based on the severity of their disability, with a percentage rating "representing how much your disability decreases your overall health and ability to function." That rating is created by reviewing doctor's reports, medical test results and VA claim exams.

The higher the percentage, the more benefits available to that specific vet.

The same would apply if this bill passes. If someone is 100% disabled, they would get 100% of their property taxes off. If their disability rating is 80%, they could write off 80% of their property taxes.

"We've got some severely injured veterans who are still working age, but because they are injured they cannot make that full amount of money that they otherwise should," said David Green, state adjutant with Veterans of Foreign Wars Wisconsin.

The bill was introduced in March of 2019 by a mix of Republican and Democrat legislators from across the state and was unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Revenue and Financial Institutions last month.

Only one lobbying group has weighed in on the bill, Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Inc., which supports the tax break for vets, as does the VFW.

The state Department of Revenue estimated the passage of the bill would result in $16 million more in state spending, while generating $2 million in increased taxes, a net loss of $14 million.

The bill could still go before the Senate this session, but the Assembly session was closed Feb. 21, earlier than many Democrats had wanted it to end. Without the Assembly available to vote, the bill cannot become law.

Marijuana advocacy

This bill isn't the only piece of legislation the Wisconsin VFW is keeping an eye on and advocating for.

Green mentioned that VFW members have been lobbying repeatedly in Washington D.C., encouraging reluctant national leaders to fund more research into the purported benefits of medical marijuana, "especially for those who have PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)."

Green said that it appears medical cannabis can be an effective treatment for traumatic brain injury and other "hidden wounds" often suffered military veterans.

"We just want them to do the research," Green said.

Even though marijuana is fully legal in 11 states (including Illinois) and medical marijuana is legal in 33 states, it is still federally classified as a "Schedule I Controlled Substances," putting it on the same level as heroin and LSD.

Methamphetamine, morphine and opium are all Schedule II substances, which means they are considered to have some medical value whereas Schedule I substances don't have any medical value, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

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