"New" 2019 Data on Gold Star Wives: from Colorado's Legislative Council Staff

 Just uncovered in our effort to protect survivors of active-duty line-of-duty deaths: Acting on the request from a Colorado state representative, the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) researched the addition of Gold Star Wives to our Disabled Veteran Survivor Property Tax Exemption and it is nowhere near the big numbers first anticipated.

LCS calculated around 150 potential widows/widowers might be made eligible, for a cost to the state budget of just $95,000. This is much more doable than the earlier estimate of nearly 1000 exemptions with the cost of just under $1 million. I think the number is higher, perhaps a couple hundred.

This is much more doable than the earlier estimate of nearly a thousand exemptions with the cost of just under $1 million. Still, it is a cost that must be matched by a reduction somewhere.

Other stats from the Colorado Fiscal Institute and other sources have been identified that help clarify things:

-addition of Gold Star Wives is just a 0.0006 fraction of the overall homestead exemption, or 150 compared to 450,000, and a similarly small portion of the vets/survivors' population of 5500 souls.

-veterans and survivors exemptions are only 2% of the overall homestead exemption
-disabled veterans; survivors include the only under 65 years of age population eligible for exemption

-52% of active duty troops are married and thus, potentially 52% of active duty deaths leave Gold Star Spouses. Overwhelmingly, and sadly, deaths are heaviest among younger troops, averaging age 30. This is always the case in war

-Nationally, around 27% of homeowners are age 35 or younger with an even lower percentage for active-duty military.

These numbers should help calm the "sticker shock" otherwise expected from legislators and state budget officials, and they also help move this project along as we firm up specifics. Thank you, LCS and the state representative who raised the issue with them in 2019. This really helps!

Some more statistics:

-Active-duty servicemembers have lower homeownership rates (mean 43%) at younger ages than veterans (78%) and the population as a whole (68%,) but they have the highest homeownership rates (71%) in the 55-up age group

-Home ownership by veterans is greatly benefited by VA loans, and by the steady disability or retirement income many have.

-Home ownership by active duty servicemembers is also benefited by VA loans, and steady, easily verified income. Ownership is made much more difficult due to frequent transfers, and there is a significant initial home ownership surge at retirement age

-As homeownership is an important wealth-building tool (Goodman and Mayer 2018), smaller
homeownership gaps by race or ethnicity also means smaller wealth gaps. According to the Panel Study
of Income Dynamics, the black-white housing wealth gap in 2017 was $48,500 for households with veterans and active-duty servicemembers ages 35 and 54, but the gap was $71,500 for nonmilitary households. Too many younger totally disabled veterans never have the opportunity to acquire wealth or home ownership due to income limitations, even with the VA loans.

-Veteran households (non-disabled) and active-duty military households have higher median household incomes than nonmilitary households, $70,000/yr vs. $60,000, with communities of color having lower race disparities than the general population.Household income also varies by military status, age and length of service. 

-The average income is $90,800 (with benefits' value included) for active-duty military households, $87,600 fo non-disabled veteran households, and $85,000 for nonmilitary households. Spousal income is lower for active-duty military than for veterans and the general population.

-

Can a deceased active duty soldier be defined as a "totally disabled veteran" for his/her Colorado survivors' benefits?

Wouldn't that be wonderful! And – maybe – easy also?

Because our state restricts survivor benefits to those whose veterans were already in receipt of the exemption at the time of death, we lock out from all such benefits survivors of troops who die on active duty. Perhaps we can use the existing language of the law. 

Perhaps, only changing the interpretation or definition of the words "totally disabled veteran already in receipt of the exemption" to something like "or active duty death considered to be 'totally disabled and already in receipt of the exemption."

 

Met With American Legion Post, Fort Collins

I had an invitation this evening to request a resolution by the American Legion Post in Fort Collins. The subject:
Gold Star Wives. The resolution has to be voted on locally in order to proceed to the district, and then the Department of Colorado. I enjoyed a free beer and help with my wheelchair!

Here's the resolution:

WHEREAS, Since the Revolutionary War, more than one million American soldiers have died in battle and military conflicts; their families, who have endured these losses and the accompanying grief, are known as Gold Star Families and their spouses as Gold Star Wives; and Gold Star Families are a living legacy of each fallen soldier to help us all remember and honor these heroes by name and deed, and

WHEREAS, on April 5 2021 the Seventy-third General Assembly of the State of Colorado issued Senate Joint Resolution 21-010, resolving on behalf of the citizens “That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, honor the pride and the pain of the parents and partners and children and siblings of our fallen heroes who lost his or her life serving our country and protecting our freedom; and recognize the families of these proud patriots with an expression of profound gratitude and respect” and

WHEREAS, in 2006 the citizens of Colorado overwhelmingly approved by amendment to the State Constitution Article X Section 3.5 the Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption for totally disabled service-connected military veterans; and in 2014 the Colorado Legislature established the Disabled Veteran Surviving Spouse Property Tax Exemption for surviving spouses of totally disabled veterans already in receipt of the exemption by HB14-1373, and

WHEREAS, the sacrifices of Gold Star Families are to be honored with respect as well as material support and

WHEREAS, surviving spouses of servicemembers who die on active duty are only by the technicality of their servicememember’s death not being in receipt of the exemption thereby denied the exemption, and

WHEREAS, this distinction between survivors of totally disabled veterans already in receipt of theDisabled Property Tax Exemption and survivors of active duty servicemembers (“Gold Star Wives”) denied the exemption solely due to the death of their spouse while in service is an offense to the honor of the State, contrary to the Seventy-third General Assembly of the State of Colorado Senate Joint Resolution 21-010, and contrary to the intentions of Colorado citizens’ approval of Article X Section 3.5 as presented in the 2006 Referendum E, and

WHEREAS, the Colorado Department of the American Legion and the Gold Star Wives are both member organizations of the United Veterans Coalition of Colorado, and

WHEREAS, either a legislative or constitutional amendment process being necessary, it may suffice that a redefinition of “disabled veteran” to include a death on active duty, or other such procedure as theGeneral Assembly shall direct; and that surviving spouses of Colorado Air and Army National Guardmembers who die while activated by the Governor for State service should also receive such respect and benefits, it is therefore

RESOLVED, by the George Beach Post 4 of the Department of Colorado that inclusion of 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; and the Colorado Board of Veterans Affairs and all relevant committees of the Colorado General Assembly be informed of this Department’s wish that efforts by them be undertaken for inclusion of Gold Star Wives in the Disabled VeteranSurvivor Property Tax Exemption with a goal of implementation before 2023.

A possible solution: redefine "disabled veteran" to include deceased active duty servicemenbers?

 Perhaps this approach can work. I've found House Bill 14-1737 which added surviving spouses to the exemption for totally disabled veterans. Apparently this was done under the umbrella of the state constitution's Article X Section 3.5 which made no mention of survivors – the legislature just did it.

Can the legislature do it again? Can't the legislature define an active duty servicemember who dies in the line of duty as a disabled veteran? That might work to pack into Article X Section 3.5 our few Gold Star Wives. The new text is in red

Colorado Owes Our Gold Star Widows the Property Tax Exemption Given Disabled Veterans' Widows

 

Scan codes to download our Gold Star Wives Property Tax Exemption briefer and our Powerpoint talk

These will be go to our Google Drive files for the most current version of the one page brief, the longer full background report, and the PowerPoint presentation that's been used so far. The Colorado National Guard is mentioned throughout but will be only more generally referenced in a later version.

1.The two page shortest possible handout is linked here.

2. Full 12-page brief:
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N0HT08Ykq4gHjoQnB-8zU4dudaWLtdLn/view?usp=sharing

3. PowerPoint briefing (18mb): Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SpTlf_i0ttwSEjTuuC4TWbNR6S5CSU5O/view?usp=sharing

4. Background Files Collection (120 pages)
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15k0Ee2ddxtgJtzP4_pH_S7qUnL36VEHZ/view?usp=sharing

SITREP 24 Apr 2021: Stalled??

Stalled? Well, certainly not much interest, although everyone'a so polite. After all, how can anyone not be compassionate towards Gold Star Wives?  What about the argument "Equal taxes for Gold Star Wives?" Does it just fall flat?

Well, too often there's only mild concern about this problem with Colorado's Gold Star Wives' property tax issue. In six years I've had conversations with United Veterans Collation, chiefs of staff in Denver, legislative assistants and others. I've sent out over 500 emails with but two or three responses, including a very nice one recently from Senator Joann Ginal's staff here in Fort Collins. 

Perhaps this will be something our local senator will get behind, for which I'm grateful even for her briefest consideration of the issue. From her colleagues, from other directions, other places. Nothing.

Nothing.

"Not my problem, but perhaps you could talk to your legislator." 

"We can't do anything on survivors' benefits. That's (fill in the blank) responsibility." "Maybe next year."

"We need all possible questions answered before we can possibly discuss this." (BTW, I'm 75 years old, quite ill, sucking oxygen, worried about whether my cancer is gone, homebound and I've only got a few thousand dollars budgeted to throw at the issue. It isn't like I'm able to do this myself: Rather, I pretty much expected responsible public servants and veterans advocates to see a problem when laid out before them and discuss how it can be resolved. Yeah, right. 

Since 2016 when I first brought this to the attention of UVC, there's been ZIP, zero, nada, nothing. I thought the issue of Colorado making Gold Star Wives pay more property taxes than survivors of Colorado's 100% disabled veterans would strike many Coloradans as wrong to the core. Nope.

League of Women Voters, University Women clubs, veterans organizations, DMVA, DOLA, other state agencies – almost universally no response at all. The folks I was to speak with are disappointed to learn that Gold Star Wives whose spouses died on active duty are denied the same partial property tax exemption. granted survivors of totally disabled veterans. They're somewhat taken aback. Saddened, a little. Disbelieving that the state would do that to military widows. Disappointed.

Disappointed, but not pained enough by this gruesome distinction between the two types of military widows that anyone seems to be willing to do anything. Other issues crowd Colorado's United Veterans Coalition state legislative agenda for 2021, just as they have in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The other issues are important, of course, but so is unjust taxation of active duty widows. 

I'm puzzled: How could UVC have a (very worthy!) goal of property tax relief VA Total Disability for Individual Unemployability (TDIU) disabled veterans (wonderful – a goal I've also advocated directly and thru the UVC since 2015!) but not Gold Star Wives? Logically, conscious state leaders would balk at tens of thousands of TDIU claimants, but not at under a thousand Gold Star Wives. Logically, both issues are so tied to the same Article X Section 3.5 that they both should have been legislative objectives, either jointly or as separate issues.

I need to remind myself of Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it." Sounds reasonable...just keep doing it as best we can.

with thy might.”I'm amazed, because this is an issue guaranteed to get a virtually unanimous vote if it could ever reach our legislators. After all, imagine the news photo of the very few politicians who would raise their hands in opposition to legislation permitting Gold Star widows the same property tax exemption granted survivors of totally disabled veterans.

There are so few Gold Star Wives. Especially few are the Gold Star Wives whose spouses died on active duty. The best guess is Colorado has fewer than one thousand men and women survivors of troops lost on active duty. The number pales against the numbers receiving the Homestead Exemption – the total disabled veterans and survivors are only 2% of the general homestead exemption category, and active duty widows/widowers a terribly smaller percentage of that.

Here's the sum of a couple thousand dollars spent trying to get some action and six years of writing, calling, visiting, emailing and glad-handing:
1. A single state senator's staff called me once and emailed me twice, and is still looking at this
2. A Zoom meeting on April 19 2021 to explain what I had on my mind, but "where is the money to come from" and "what legislators are behind this" and "we can't say anything until we see some legislation." So much for my hope of leadership from the Governor or Lieutenant Governor. It isn't that they are supposed to help, but it would help, Help a lot. I expected a genuine "that's terrible, and must be fixed because by God we don't treat war widows that way."
It never came. Instead, "thanks for your input, good bye." If there was help to be offered, or even mild encouragement, not that day. Nor any other day.
3. Two emails came back from folks directing the UVC state legislative effort. They explained GSW was represented in the coalition. It was good learn that CSW could submit the issue for next year's legislative objectives and that is was seemed "reasonable." Indeed. I thought UVC was the best place to turn for action. That's what I thought last month. That's what I thought six years ago.
4. I received an email from a wonderful state Gold Star Wife explaining that their organization is sensitive to Colorado's budget issues during 2020 and 2021, and they don't want to add to the tax burden of their fellow citizens. They are also grateful to the Colorado National Guard and feel survivors of Guard members killed on active state or federal service should be included in any property tax exemption.
They feel next year or 2023 might be a more appropriate time to seek action. I have to admire their patience and self-sacrifice, not only as Gold Star Wives but in the great caution they take to avoid a state budget impact. Willing to let my family have the small property tax exemption that rightfully should have gone to them as the first priority of the government and citizens of Colorado.

Gold Star Wives discussions continue at the Colorado National Guard Association

 

Visiting with the Colorado National Guard Conference

Great opportunity to discuss efforts to get property tax exemptions for Gold Star Spouses, not this year but working toward 2022 or 2023 at the latest.

Great opportunity to discuss efforts to get property tax exemptions for Gold Star Spouses, working toward 2022 or 2023 at the latest.

 

Equal Treatment for Colorado Gold Star Wives!