Sec. 12-81g. Additional exemption from property tax for veterans. State reimbursement for related tax loss. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 12-81g. Additional exemption from property tax for veterans. State reimbursement for related tax loss. (a) Additional exemption commencing 1985 assessment year with maximum income requirements. Effective for the assessment year commencing October 1, 1985, and each assessment year thereafter, any person entitled to an exemption from property tax in accordance with subdivision (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25) or (26) of section 12-81, reflecting any increase made pursuant to the provisions of section 12-62g, shall be entitled to an additional exemption from such tax in an amount equal to twice the amount of the exemption provided for such person pursuant to any such subdivision, provided such person's qualifying income does not exceed the applicable maximum amount as provided under section 12-81l, except that if such person has a disability rating of one hundred per cent as determined by the Veterans' Administration of the United States, the total of such adjusted gross income, individually, if unmarried, or jointly, if married, in the calendar year ending immediately preceding the assessment date with respect to which such additional exemption is allowed, is not more than twenty-one thousand dollars if such person is married or not more than eighteen thousand dollars if such person is not married. Any claimant who, for the purpose of obtaining an exemption under this section, wilfully fails to disclose all matters related thereto or with intent to defraud makes any false statement shall forfeit the right to claim such additional veteran's exemption.

      (b) Additional exemption commencing 1986 assessment year for veterans not eligible under subsection (a). Effective for the assessment year commencing October 1, 1986, and each assessment year thereafter, any person entitled to an exemption from property tax in accordance with subdivision (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25) or (26) of section 12-81, reflecting any increase made pursuant to the provisions of section 12-62g, and who is not receiving or is not eligible to receive the additional exemption under subsection (a) of this section, shall be entitled to an additional exemption from such tax in an amount equal to one-half of the amount of the exemption provided for such person pursuant to any such subdivision.

      (c) State reimbursement for tax loss related to subsection (a). The state shall reimburse each town, city, borough, consolidated town and city and consolidated town and borough by the last day of each calendar year in which exemptions were granted to the extent of the revenue loss represented by the additional exemptions provided for in subsection (a) of this section. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall review each claim for such revenue loss as provided in section 12-120b. Any claimant aggrieved by the results of the secretary's review shall have the rights of appeal as set forth in section 12-120b. In the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2003, and in each fiscal year thereafter, the amount payable to each municipality in accordance with this section shall be reduced proportionately in the event that the total amount payable to all municipalities exceeds the amount appropriated.

      (d) Regulations related to determination of eligibility under subsection (a), biennial application for exemption and application to the state for reimbursement. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing: (1) A procedure under which a municipality shall determine eligibility for the additional exemption under subsection (a) of this section, provided such procedure shall include a provision that when an applicant has filed for such exemption and received approval for the first time, such applicant shall be required to file for such exemption biennially thereafter, subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section; (2) the manner in which a municipality shall apply for reimbursement from the state for the revenue loss represented by the additional exemptions provided for in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, which shall provide a penalty for late filing of such application for reimbursement of two hundred fifty dollars but shall also provide that the secretary may waive such forfeiture in accordance with procedures and standards contained in such regulations; and (3) the manner in which the Office of Policy and Management may audit and make adjustments to applications for reimbursement from municipalities for a period of not more than one year next succeeding the deadline for such application.

      (e) Qualification requirements in year when application is not submitted. Any person who has submitted application and been approved in any year for the additional exemption under subsection (a) of this section shall, in the year immediately following approval, be presumed to be qualified for such exemption. If, in the year immediately following approval, such person has qualifying income in excess of the maximum allowed under said subsection (a), such person shall notify the tax assessor in the town allowing the additional exemption on or before the next filing date for such exemption and shall be denied such exemption for the assessment year immediately following and for any subsequent year until such person has reapplied and again qualified for such exemption. Any person who fails to notify the tax assessor of such disqualification shall make payment to the town in the amount of property tax loss related to the exemption improperly taken. Not more than thirty days after discovering such person's ineligibility for the exemption, the assessor shall send written notification of such person's identity to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. If any payment was remitted under subsection (c) of this section with respect to a period for which such person was not eligible for the exemption, the amount of the next payment made to the town shall be reduced by the amount of payment made erroneously.

      (P.A. 85-573, S. 2, 18; P.A. 86-133, S. 1, 2; P.A. 87-115, S. 6, 8; 87-404, S. 3, 6, 11; P.A. 88-120, S. 1, 2; 88-230, S. 1, 12; 88-342, S. 1, 4; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4-6; 95-283, S. 14, 68; P.A. 96-261, S. 3, 4; P.A. 99-89, S. 2, 10; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-6, S. 47, 85; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 59.)

      History: P.A. 86-133 added Subsec. (d)(3) re audit of applications for reimbursement from municipalities; P.A. 87-115 amended Subsec. (d) to require regulations providing a penalty for late filing of the application for reimbursement and providing that the secretary of policy and management may waive such forfeiture in accordance with procedures and standards in the regulations; P.A. 87-404 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting the specific description of qualifying income requirements and substituted in lieu thereof a reference to Sec. 12-81l as containing the qualifying income requirements, effective June 26, 1987, and applicable to the assessment year in any municipality commencing October 1, 1987, and each assessment year thereafter and added Subsec. (e) providing an appeals procedure in the event of denial of application for the additional exemption from property tax for veterans, effective June 26, 1987, and applicable to appeals in any municipality in the assessment year commencing October 1, 1987, and each assessment year thereafter; P.A. 88-120 provided in Subsec. (d) that a veteran eligible for the additional exemption under Subsec. (a) of this section shall be required to file biennially after initial qualification and added Subsec. (f) concerning notice to the assessor when income exceeds the qualifying maximum in the year immediately following a year in which filing occurs; P.A. 88-342 substituted town, city, borough, consolidated town and city and consolidated town and borough for municipality in Subsec. (c), effective June 6, 1988, and applicable to assessment years commencing on or after October 1, 1987; P.A. 95-283 changed location of appeal from the judicial district in which the application is filed to the judicial district of Hartford-New Britain, effective October 1, 1996 (Revisor's note: P.A. 88-230, 90-98, 93-142 and 95-220 authorized substitution of "judicial district of Hartford" for "judicial district of Hartford-New Britain" in 1995 public and special acts, effective September 1, 1998); P.A. 96-261 repealed changes made by P.A. 95-283, effective June 10, 1996; P.A. 99-89 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to add reference to increase made pursuant to Sec. 12-62g and amended Subsec. (f) to add provision re notice by the assessor of discovery of ineligibility of a veteran, effective June 3, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-6 amended Subsec. (a) to provide for forfeiture of the additional exemption in case of failure to disclose related matters or false statement, made technical changes in Subsec. (b), (c), and (d), and provide for review by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management of claims of loss and a right to appeal such review in Subsec. (c), and deleted former Subsec. (e) re appeal of decision re exemption , redesignating former Subsec. (f) as Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2001; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (c) to delete provision re reimbursement for revenue loss under Subsec. (b) and to provide for reduction in reimbursement for fiscal years commencing July 1, 2003, and thereafter in the event total amount payable exceeds the amount appropriated, effective August 20, 2003, and applicable to assessment years commencing on or after October 1, 2002.