Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) announced that her bill to allow every California disabled veteran who owns property to benefit from a property tax exemption passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee yesterday. SB 658 would allow partially disabled veterans to claim the state’s property tax exemption proportional to the disability rating percentage issued by the department responsible for their discharge from service.
Currently, disabled veterans may request a reduction on their home’s assessed value when determining property taxes but only if they are 100% disabled, totally blind or has lost one or more limbs. However, only a small percentage of veterans are listed as fully disabled.
“As it stands today, even if a veteran were to have a 90% disability rating, they would be ineligible for a property tax exemption,” said Senator Grove. “Many veterans who are severely disabled as a result of their service to the United States are turned away when seeking this exemption. We can do better for those who have sacrificed for our state and nation.”
While SB 658 will provide greater fairness for California’s disabled veterans, Senator Grove also hopes the bill will make it easier for veterans to afford the state’s high cost of housing. As of 2019, the US Department of Veteran Affairs found that an estimated 11,000 veterans were homeless in California.
“SB 658 ensures that California veterans are treated with the proper gratitude and respect they deserve for their service to the United States by expanding access to this helpful resource for California veterans and their families,” said Senator Grove.
SB 658 passed with a bipartisan vote of 5 to 0. The measure will next be heard by the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs.