SITREP: Report to the Colorado Gold Star Wives re: Disabled Veteran Survivor Property Tax Exemptiopn

Here's my 8 May update to the Gold Star Wives:

Good evening, 

I agreed to provide you an update of things of interest regarding the property tax exemption for Gold Star Wives. Here it is.

The first item is that some legislators and staff were of the impression Colorado might have upwards of a thousand survivors. This is wildly off from the estimate of 150 potential applicants that the Legislative Council Staff calculated in 2019 for Representative Kipp. With a modest budget impact of less than $100,000 this looks more and more reasonable.

I've asked for but haven't been able to get any information from UVC about GSW being a 2022 legislative objective, which is the timing you suggested when we spoke. 

Their gentle suggestion seemed to be that I should back off but that it would be okay to stay tuned to UVC web info. Rather than being so uselessly passive, silent and merely hopeful, it seems more appropriate to remain proactive within UVC and also follow UVC guidance to keep my elected representatives advised. It seems useful to get coalition members informed and supportive of your exemption now so it can be presented in June and voted on by this November – if I understand the UVC timing.

To that end, my American Legion post and district submitted an internal resolution that, if approved at our June meeting, informs the UVC of the Legion's request for placement on the 2022 objectives. Nothing more explicit, and all within UVC channels. If it fails to get UVC behind it next year as well, at least there was an effort.

As you and I agreed, National Guard troops who die when activated for state contingencies are referenced in this Legion resolution. I spoke with Guard and DMVA folks about the issue: a Guardsman's surviving spouse is protected with something like DIC but more generous at about $2800/month. It would be an unlikely event but if it ever does happen it absolutely right that their spouses be protected!

As you can read, the resolution doesn't actually do much in that it only directs the Legion's UVC delegate to ask the coalition to consider GSW. Details are left for the professionals to iron out if/when/however the coalition wishes:

RESOLVED, by the American Legion Department of Colorado) that unremarried Gold Star Wives and unremarried surviving spouses of State National Guard members who die while activated by the Governor for State service, be included in the Disabled Veteran Survivor Property Tax Exemption because it is both necessary and proper, that the United Veterans Coalition be informed for this to be part of its state legislative objectives until acted upon with a goal of implementation before 2023 

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As a Gold Star Family Member (CW4 Hank Carter, WWII, Korea, Vietnam,) this means a lot to me personally! In different circumstances it could have been my own GSW mom or my wife to be affected. It would affect survivors of crewmembers I've lost: Paul, Gabby, The Gif, Larry, Turcottte, Art, Bill, Bob, Arch, Fred and others.

If anything, I'm more concerned about this now than at our UVC banquet a couple years back when I introduced you and David Ortiz to then-Congressman Polis and to VA acting Deputy Secretary Scott Blackburn (our speaker that night.) This illogical distinction between GSW and disabled vets must be eliminated. If it had been done properly from the exemption's launch, each GSW would have saved over $8000 by 2022!

Whenever you have the time, I'd appreciate a cup of coffee and some discussion. The clip below is what I did for an informative panel.

God bless!