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Bill would broaden who qualifies for disabled‑veteran property‑tax exemption; advocates seek tighter language
Summary
Representative Creighton proposed expanding the definition of qualifying disabled‑veteran home modifications to include VA hospital modifications and ADA‑compliant homes. Veterans advocates said they support the intent but urged tighter language to preserve the statute’s 100% permanent‑and‑total disability threshold.
House Bill 447, introduced Jan. 30, 2025, would amend the disabled‑veteran property‑tax exemption statute (RSA 72:36a) to add veterans whose homes are ADA‑compliant or modified through the VA hospital system to the list of eligible homeowners for a local property‑tax exemption.
Representative Creighton, the prime sponsor, told the committee the bill does not change eligibility for the exemption—it preserves existing disability requirements—but would add additional kinds of documented home modifications (for example, work done through VA hospital programs) so veterans whose homes were adapted outside of the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grants are not excluded. "All we do is say that there are disabled veterans that are currently excluded, and now we include them," Creighton said.
Veterans‑advocacy testimony supported the intent but asked for technical changes. Melinda Sims, a 100% permanently and totally disabled veteran and advocacy coordinator, told the committee she cannot support the bill as drafted because some VA grant programs (notably HISA/HISA‑type grants) have different eligibility thresholds and could expand the exemption beyond veterans with the severe disabilities the statute originally targeted. Sims recommended keeping the statute’s current disability threshold (those eligible for SAH/SHA) while allowing additional modification documentation (ADA compliance or hospital modifications) only for veterans who otherwise meet the severe‑disability criteria.
Representative John Suter and others explained how VA hospital prosthetics clinics and contractors document and perform modifications such as ramps or bathroom lifts, pointing to an administrative record that taxable‑assessor offices could check. Committee members asked whether the bill would create new costs for municipalities; no fiscal estimate was provided during the hearing.
Ending: Witnesses urged drafting improvements to ensure the exemption remains tied to the statutory disability threshold while widening acceptable evidence of home modification. The committee asked for suggested amendment language and follow‑up from advocates.
