A reminder for Texas disabled vets

A reminder for Texas disabled vets

Under a new tax exemption approved by the Texas Legislature, military veterans who are totally disabled or cannot work because of service-related injuries will no longer be required to pay property taxes on their homes.

House Bill 3613 provides an exemption of the total appraised value of the homesteads of Texas veterans who have received a 100 percent disability rating or are considered unemployable by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The new law is effective for the 2009 tax year.

Eligible disabled veterans must apply for the tax exemption through their county appraisal district. An application form for veterans and appraisal districts to use can be found on the Texas Comptroller's Web site at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/vetexempt.pdf .

Veterans should also contact their mortgage lenders to adjust their escrow payments if needed.