ORLAND MEMORIAL POST 111
ORLAND MEMORIAL POST 111
AMERICAN LEGION
INFORMATION AND NEWS
Information from Cook County Veteran's Affairs
Website contains valuable information for all of us. You may want to check it out!
2017 Update for the Disabled Veterans Homeowner Exemption
The Disabled Veterans Homeowner Exemption must be reapplied for each year in order to receive the property tax reduction. There must be a VA Disability Certification letter for each year that you file for the exemption. Renewal forms will be mailed in early February and on the Assessor’s web site.
Please note that the Disabled Veterans Homeowner Exemption must be reapplied for every year in order to receive the property tax reduction to which you are entitled.
Beginning in early February, renewal forms will be mailed to those who received the Disabled Vets Exemption last year. Also in February, first-time applicants can download the form on the Assessor’s web site www.cookcountyassessor.com and mail it to the Assessor’s Office at 118 N. Clark St., Rm 320, Chicago, IL.
Applicants may also visit any Assessor’s Office location in-person to submit their forms.
- Chicago office: 118 N. Clark St., Room 320, Chicago, IL 60602
- Skokie office: 5600 Old Orchard Road, Room 149, Skokie, IL 60007
- Bridgeview office: 10200 S. 76th Ave, Room 237, Bridgeview, IL 60455
- Markham office: 16501 S. Kedzie Ave, Room 237, Markham, IL 60426
All applicants must please provide, annually, a Disability Certification Letter, from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for the Tax Year of the exemption. First-time applicants must also provide a Department of Defense DD Form 214.
The exemption reduces the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) on a disabled veteran’s primary residence. The EAV is the partial property value on which your taxes are computed; any reduction in EAV is not the dollar amount by which your tax bill may be lowered.
The exemption amounts were increased starting in Tax Year 2015. Currently, veterans with 30%-49% disability will receive a $2,500 EAV reduction; veterans with 50%-69% disability will receive a $5,000 EAV reduction; and those with 70% disability or greater will be exempted from property taxation. Again, that is not the dollar amount by which your tax bill may be lowered.
If a bank or mortgage company requires confirmation of total exemption from property taxes before eliminating the escrow portion of monthly payments, qualifying disabled veterans should contact the Assessor’s Office at 312-443-7550 to request a customized letter for their lender.
Complete information on the Disabled Veterans Homeowner Exemption is available on the Cook County Assessor’s Office website at: http://sub.cookcountyassessor.com/assets/forms/DIS_VET_EXEMPT.pdf
VA Family Caregiver Program
The Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 allows VA to provide benefits to eligible Caregivers (a parent, spouse, child, step-family member, extended family member, or an individual who lives with the Veteran, but is not a family member) who support the Veterans. The law distinguishes between Veterans who incurred or aggravated a serious injury in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001 (Post-9/11 Veterans), and those Veterans whose injuries were incurred prior to Sept. 11, 2001 (pre-9/11 Veterans).
Who Is Eligible For The VA Family Caregiver Program?
Veterans eligible for this program are those who sustained a serious injury – including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma or other mental disorder – incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, on or after September 11, 2001.
Veterans eligible for this program must also be in need of personal care services because of an inability to perform one or more activities of daily living and/or need supervision or protection based on symptoms or residuals of neurological impairment or injury.
To be eligible for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, Veterans must first be enrolled for VA health services, if not enrolled previously.
Services Available to Family Caregivers through this Program
The law will provide additional assistance to primary Family Caregivers of eligible post-9/11 Veterans and Servicemembers. Services for this group include:
- Monthly stipend
- Travel expenses (including lodging and per diem while accompanying Veterans undergoing care)
- Access to health care insurance (if the Caregiver is not already entitled to care or services under a health care plan)
- Mental health services and counseling
- Comprehensive VA Caregiver training provided by Easter Seals
- Respite care (not less than 30 days per year)
Visit the VA's caregiver page, http://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/support_benefits.asp, for more information, and to apply for these services.