By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice
Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning the expansion of eligibility for the property tax exemption for veterans with a disability to include a veteran who does not have a service-connected disability rated as a one hundred percent permanent disability but does have individual unemployability status?
How it reached the ballot: House Continuing Resolution 23-1002, supported by a 62-0 vote of the House and 34-0 vote of the Senate. An overwhelming bipartisan majority of the House and Senate additionally sponsored the measure, in a General Assembly that couldn’t agree on eating a ham sandwich for lunch.
Background: The Colorado Constitution grants a property tax exemption to veterans with 100% service-related disability, and HCR 23-1002 sought to provide the same exemption to those veterans with “individual unemployability” status as determined by U.S. Veterans Affairs. A veteran with substantial disability, but not full disability, might receive “individual unemployability”. Such a veteran would generally be unable to retain a job because of a service-related disability rating of at least 60% or multiple service-related disabilities rating a combined 70% or more. Amending language to the Colorado Constitution is required through a 55% vote of support.
Our take: These “individual unemployability” status veterans are caught in an unfortunate oversight gap, where fully disabled veterans received the property tax exemption and other veterans with minor disability or no disability at all are able to work and provide. It is true that some gave all, and all gave some. Join the members of the Colorado General Assembly and support this measure to right a wrong. Provide veterans who are unable to hold a job because of substantial service-related disability the same property tax exemption as a fully disabled veteran. Use your vote to thank a disabled veteran for their sacrifice.
Our guidance: Yes.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.