Saw this tonight on local news. Makes great sense.

SAN ANTONIO - A new state Senate bill has been introduced in Texas to provide expanded property tax relief for disabled veterans who are not 100% disabled. The bill seeks to update what some see as outdated legislation.
Jeff Addicott, a law professor and 20-year Army veteran, expressed surprise at the current law. "My jaw kind of dropped when I looked at this again," Addicott said. "I'm a law professor, I'm an attorney. I said, really, this is something that we need to get involved with."

Under current Texas law, veterans with a disability rating between 70% and 90% receive a $12,000 deduction from the value of their home. Addicott explained, "The benefit is great if you're 100% disabled, but if you're 90% disabled, for example, you have a $400,000 home, you only get a $12,000 deduction from the $400,000, so you still have to pay taxes on 388,000,"

Addicott noted that when the law was originally passed, home prices were significantly lower. He proposed changes to Senator Mayes Middleton, suggesting a sliding scale for tax reductions based on the percentage of disability. "He has it so that 100% gets 100% on the property taxes, 90% gets a 90% on the property taxes reduction, 80% gets 80%, all the way down to 10%, which is the way it should be," Addicott said.

Under the proposal, you'd get a 40% exemption equal to your 40% rating, instead of $7500. By my quick Aggie math (makes more sense than VA math calculation), that's a $40,000 exemption PER $100,000 of taxable value.

I've already called my State Senator and ask her to back this bill, SB1126

I appreciate your sentiment, but you have no clue how inept the VA is. I have been waiting over 3 years on an appeal for cervccial spine and related nerve problems. I had an exam and provided MRI support. The VA acknowleded that I did have three disabiliies, but deemed them "not service connected". This often seems to be a default position to see how serious the Vet is about his claim.

I flew fighters for 18 years and over 2000 hours, subject to high G forces every sortie. Yet the examiner did not know what the Air National Guard was. My very first claim was for hearing loss. I was only lookng for a 0 % (didn't care about the $140 per month) service connected disablity so I could get hearring aids through tthe VA. Walking around running jet engines and jet starter units for 18 years but again, not service connectsd?

I fully understand there is abuse in the system but perhaps you should know aobut what you speak.

redaszag99 said:

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I could get behind this if all of you veterans were willing to go through a re-evaluation of your disability. If you are deemed no longer disabled, you lose your monthly check!

Seems fair to me

Anyone agree, before I call my local politician?

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Ignorant hit and run alert…

TexasAggie73 said:

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My next door neighbor was an Army jump master, don't know how many jumps he made. Got out of the Army and went to work with the Houston PD and rose to the rank of Sargent. Just retired from there. He had some back issues from his military service and was able to get 100% disability from the VA a couple of years ago. Use to see him in his garage lifting weights and jogging in the neighborhood.

Good guy and family,but I just wonder sometimes about our system.

My BIL was a bomb loader on a carrier durning Vietnam Nam and now has hearing loss and has to use a hearing aid, but won't go to VA to file a claim. He retired from the Air Force reserve as a light colonel.

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I get what you're saying. The military disability system is strange. It would seem as though a disability rating of 100% should mean you're pretty much bed ridden and unable to work. And a 10% rating would mean you can generally hold a job, but with some discomfort that is easily tolerable, perhaps. But it is very different from civilian disability programs.

The disability system is cumulative, and you can have 10 conditions that each are minor in and of themselves, however at 10% each, can add up to 100% Or you can have one really bad condition that gives you 100%. The amputation of your lower leg, below the knee gets you 40%, but sleep apnea gets you 30% if you have minor symptoms, and 50% if you require CPAP.

Further, an argument can be made that in the civilian world, if you don't want to do something that hurts your shoulder or back, or potentially expose you to something dangerous, you can just quit. In the military, you have to carry that load on your back till your contract is up. Can't really say no to your boss.

And further, disability also provides some compensation for early wear and tear. Someone may have bad shoulders and back, when they get out in their 30's, but still can fully function. However, compare their shoulders to someone else in their 30's, and you might see the veteran has the shoulders of someone in their 50's, and it'll catch up to them later. And lots of veterans that did the actual grunt stuff in a field sometimes get a lower disability rating than the admin clerk that sat behind a desk his whole time in, because the admin clerk knew how to get things documented and had the time to do so. And some people just complain less than others.

The system is far from perfect.

bigtruckguy3500 said:

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TexasAggie73 said:

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He had some back issues from his military service and was able to get 100% disability from the VA a couple of years ago. Use to see him in his garage lifting weights and jogging in the neighborhood.

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No one knows his underlying conditions. I have a VA disability rating for degenerative disk disease (DDD) and related bilateral sciatica. My problems are sitting or standing for extended periods. While my pain never goes away, it can vary in intensity from day to day. That said, I walk 4 miles almost every day. I need it both physically and mentally, yet someone who knew my rating would question this. My symptoms are classic for DDD.

bigtruckguy3500 said:

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I'm not going to turn down a benefit given to me, but at the same time I understand how non-military folks might start to get a little upset at having to pay more and more for benefits afforded to veterans. At the end of the day, I really doubt it's all that much money. However, I continually hear more and more about active duty saying they're going to move to Texas when they get out because of low housing costs and other benefits. So that share of tax revenue may slowly shift over time.

I also, I guess on a philosophical level, think it's weird how military/veterans are worshipped. I kinda feel it's like people want to give them thanks, but also make themselves feel better about sending off someone else's kid to fight wars. But I'm probably way overthinking this.

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FYI -- there are at least two of us here, on TexAgs, that try to be pragmatic about assessing the current DV rating system.

I try to be compassionate, but I also see rampant abuse from people I've been alongside.

I really cannot pin it down on a particular gender, race, creed, political persuasion, etc. There are a certain number of veterans that have a chip on their shoulder that because they had deployments and missed birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, NY, etc. or even couldn't live close to family during their military service that America "owes" them and the DV system is a point of financial restitution.