VA Compensation Rates

[john999]

How about everyone writing their congressmen and pointing out how low our compensation rates are especially for younger vets who become 100% and have no significant SSA or pension benefits from a long term job.  If I was 25 years old even with 100% benefits I would be living in near poverty.  I could not afford to buy a house in my area on $3200?  This is chump change for a young disabled vet.  Old guys like me have SSA and maybe pension benefits plus our VA compensation.  Unless you are getting TDIU or 100% you don't even get $2000 a month maximum for 90%.  I have disability insurance payments plus SSA and pension.  I do OK but if I did not have that extra I would be hurting. How many vets have all that? I am lucky.

[Dot09]

Here’s the states that offer full property exemption 

https://www.veteransunited.com/futurehomeowners/veteran-property-tax-exemptions-by-state/

 

illinois is probably the best in this category because it goes down the list of percentages. That’s probably because the congress women is a double amputee veteran. I read a article where they gave her a hard time for claiming that. She earned it in my books.

Edited May 27, 2022 by Dot09

[Vync]

6 hours ago, Dot09 said:

Here’s the states that offer full property exemption 

https://www.veteransunited.com/futurehomeowners/veteran-property-tax-exemptions-by-state/

 

illinois is probably the best in this category because it goes down the list of percentages. That’s probably because the congress women is a double amputee veteran. I read a article where they gave her a hard time for claiming that. She earned it in my books.

Being 100% P&T and also residing in Alabama, the information in the linked article is correct. I was able to get the homestead exemption. However, in my case the VA took five years of appeals to get my claim processed correctly. When I went to the state to request the homestead exemption, I took my award letter to the property tax assessor's office. They said it would go into effect the following year. I asked about retroactive reimbursement of the homestead taxes I paid for the preceding years and was told they do not reimburse them. I asked why and they said there is not a law stating reimbursement is allowed. They said they had the same issue with regular civilians who go on social security disability and it takes years to get granted. No soup for you... Kinda lame, but that's what happened.

[john999]

If you can live in a real low standard of living state then maybe your compensation would be enough to live on OK.  I have thought about packing up and moving to Oklahoma or Arkansas maybe.  Parts of the deep south are quite beautiful.  I lived in N. Carolina, Virginia and Georgia  for a while.  When I was a kid I used to visit an aunt in rural Georgia during the 1960's.  It was like going back 75 years in time.  I had never seen poverty like that.  Money did go a long way.  I like the south but the climate is hell on me these days.  I can't take the heat anymore or the cold either.  

[Richard1954]

I lived in NC until 2003, I lived there when I was awarded the adapted housing grant. I even spoke to a state represenative when he came to a dav meeting about tax exemptions for veterans, and he said he would look in to it , and that was all he did. At that time the state was allowing exemptions of $50,000 for those who had been awarded the adaptive housing grant ($50,000 was all we got for the grant back then that is why it was limited.)  I left NC and moved back to Texas,  I really didn't want to live in Texas again, but I could do more with my money here. In 2003 when I moved here I purchased an 1800 SF home with 2 car attached garage, for $76,000, I sold it for $105, 2 years later.   I live in anoter house now, but that house ( just down the street) Sold for $250,00 about 2 years ago.  The house I live in now, was $150 K  9 years ago, today its value is $300K . I can't believe the cost of homes have increased so much and its really only been in the last two years. In Texas we have some good benefits, those rated 100% or TDIU pay no property tax, those 90% and under pay a tax, but the amout depends on the va rating, all DV's get some kind of exemption. I also get a free drivers license, 1 set of free plates, a free fishing license, and free parking at government parking lots. All veterans rated 50% or more were getting the free DV plate. If you wanted the ISA on the plate, you had to prove you had a disability that limited your mobility. Everywhere you looked there were so many DV plates, and it was almost impossible to get a handicap parking space. Things were so bad that the VA Hospitals asked the state to change the law, because there were not enough handicap parking spaces to go around. The law was finally change to say you could only park in handicap if you did not have the ISA on the plate ,or a placard in the window.  Parking is much better now.  In most states I lived in NC, Georgia, SC, Mass. you had to be rated 100% to get a DV plate. Ironically, a vet in Texas gets a 50-% rating because he has sleep apnea, ane he gets a free dv plate. Texas for the most part is liberal when it comes to veteran benefits. But the cost of living has really gone up  here. Ironically, no one can afford a house anymore, what happened China started investing in single family houses, and in Oklahoma they are buying up the family farms.  We tried to downsize and finally after 15 months we gave up. Every time we found a nice house, some invester would come in behind us and offer $10 -20K above the asking price.  I expect the housing bubble to bust anyday, actually I hope it does, and it will leave all those investors in a real pinch, and then maybe us old folks can down size.  I mentioned before I am better off than most DV, becaue I get a Civil Service retirement check, CRSC ( in iieu of my Army retirement), SS and my VA check which is larger than most vets rated 100%, because I get a few SMC's.  In reality, I am not rich, I spoil my grandchildren we live confortable, and we have no wants, every two years I get a new ramp van, and my wife gets a new van. But this inflation is a real problem, this is the year we were scheduled to get new vehicles, it may not happen.  Anyway , I have always said the government needs ot actually increas compensation rates.  As someone else said, if all I had as income was my va check, we would be living paychek to paycheck.  The cost of living is getting so high that it doesn't matter what state we live in anymore, Texas or Massachusetts its all the same now, except some states don't give tax exemptons to veterans, so we will stay put. ( Hell I am to old to move anyway)