The City of Buffalo is joining a statewide trend to provide tax exemptions for disabled veterans.
With Buffalo Common Council members there to express their support, Mayor Sean Ryan signed a local law by which fully disabled veterans no longer have to pay city property tax. Finishing the legislation was a priority across the board, he said.
“There's no way for us to repay that sacrifice, but we can make sure our local government, the city of Buffalo, is doing our part to show our support," he said. "This will provide real, tangible relief to those veterans.”
The City of Buffalo estimates it has close to 300 veterans who qualify for the exemption.
One of the biggest issues for veterans is making sure they know what resources are available, said John Samabria, commander of the Gabriel Rodriguez American Legion Post 1928.
"This is important, that we make sure that they're aware of all the benefits they can get because we have a big problem with homeless veterans. I don't know if you guys know this, go on Jefferson and Genesee, and you'll see them staying out there at night," he said. "We take food to them people every time we have an event. We take food to (those) people, and we take clothes to them."
Public awareness is especially important because many veterans' disabilities aren't visually obvious, Samabria said. One of the next priorities is trying to improve pension options for veterans and their families, he added.
"People don't realize, they have spouses and families. Right now, I'm working with Congressman (Tim) Kennedy to get the waiver for the survivor's spouse," he said. "Survivor's spouse (right now) is only 1/3 of their total benefit. So that means if I pass away, my wife goes out on the street."
The next step is for the City’s Assessment and Taxation Department to mail notifications to residents currently receiving the existing veterans’ disability exemption. Those veterans must submit a recent letter of determination from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirming their permanent and total service-connected disability, so the department can verify their eligibility for the new exemption. The deadline is December 1.
