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Commander's Task Force urges lawmakers to back April 23 'Veterans Day on the Hill' and boost disabled-veteran property-tax exclusion

House Veterans and Military Affairs Division · February 25, 2026

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Summary

The Commander's Task Force asked legislators to support Veterans Day on the Hill April 23 and promoted a unanimous priority to increase the disabled-veteran homestead property-tax exclusion (100% disabled: $300,000→$400,000; 70–99% disabled: $150,000→$200,000), with presenters saying county impacts would be modest.

Stuart Mednick, commander of the Minnesota Department of Jewish War Veterans and chair of the Commander's Task Force, described the group's membership and invited legislators to Veterans Day on the Hill on April 23. "April 23 is our Veterans Day on the Hill that we have every year," Mednick said, and asked legislators to participate.

Barry Henriksen, VFW adjutant/quartermaster and the task force’s legislative chair, said the Commander's Task Force set a single 2026 legislative priority: increase the property-tax exclusion for disabled veterans. Henriksen described the proposal as raising the homestead exclusion for 100% disabled veterans from $300,000 to $400,000 and for veterans rated 70–99% disabled from $150,000 to $200,000, noting the exclusion had not been adjusted in about 18 years. "What is $300,000 18 years ago? What would that be today? $450,000," he said, arguing the benefit has eroded.

Representative Feist asked about a fiscal note; Henriksen said the impact shows up at the county level and that Hennepin County’s share of the proposal would be an estimated 0.21% of total property value, with the largest county impact at 1.21% (county names as given in testimony). Henriksen said larger counties support the change and county veteran service officers have prioritized the proposal; the committee did not take formal action on the proposal during the hearing.