Veterans Affair Report – Jan 2018

The NJAOH is proud to announce that our brother Leo P. McGuire will be the new Chairman of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Affairs Report

I am honored to serve as your Veterans Affairs Chairman. As such, I will be trying to stay abreast of issues important to our military veteran members and share them with you.

Income Tax Exemption for Veterans: New for 2017 – You are eligible for a $3,000 exemption on your Income Tax return if you are a military veteran who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States on or any time before the last day of the tax year. Your spouse (or civil union partner) is also eligible for an exemption if he/she is a veteran who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances and you are filing a joint return. This exemption is in addition to any other exemptions you are entitled to claim and is available on both the resident and nonresident returns. You cannot claim this exemption for a domestic partner or for your dependents. Go to: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/military/vetexemption.shtml to apply online or download the forms.

Annual Property Tax Deduction –Many of our members already know about the property tax benefit of $250.00 for eligible veterans: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/other_forms/lpt/vss.pdf

Full Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/other_forms/lpt/dvsse.pdf

As I reported at our last State Board meeting on Jan. 27, 2018, Gov. Phil Murphy hosted a Veteran’s Roundtable discussion with many of the Veteran’s organization leadership. I was in attendance and many topics were discussed, such as: housing, access to healthcare, job opportunities, waiting list at our three veteran’s homes, veterans courts, and a desire to have DMAVA provide greater support to our nearly 400,000 New Jersey veterans.

I also serve as NJ State Vice-Chair of the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserves (ESGR), a nationwide DOD Program, is comprised of dedicated and trained volunteers and staff. We will develop and promote employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of applicable laws, and resolving conflict between employers and service members. If you would like to volunteer or find out more, please email me at [email protected].