newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly cut a bit of red tape Thursday for seniors or disabled vets who, due to uncontrollable circumstances, need to apply late for a break on their annual property taxes.

Thursday’s change will let the assessor accept applications from seniors or disabled veterans up to four months after the March 31 deadline in special cases — for example, if they were too ill to apply on time — without having to go, as they did until now, to the elected assembly for approval.

The change in law also gives disabled veterans extra time to get the documents they need as proof of their disability if they encounter trouble wading through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to get the paperwork. Borough assessor Pat Carlson said it’s not unusual for a disabled veteran to have to wait several months for requested paperwork to arrive from the federal government.

Tax laws in Alaska allow senior citizens 65 and older to erase, for tax purposes, a portion of their home’s worth. In Fairbanks, the exemption can grow to cover $170,000 of the home’s assessed value when a separate, broader homeowner exemption is included. Veterans considered by the federal government to meet the definition of at least 50 percent disabled are eligible for the exemption. They must apply before April 1 to secure the break on a given year, but most people who qualify don’t need to reapply in subsequent years.

The new law lets Carlson’s office quickly answer requests from a disabled veteran or senior who feels he or she had a good reason for applying on or after the annual April 1 deadline. They can still appeal denials to the assembly.

Gary Kurpius, a veterans affairs adjutant in Anchorage, said the change removes one bump in a complex bureaucratic landscape facing veterans who want to take advantage of military benefits.

“The (Department of) Veterans Affairs overall does a great job. It’s just unfortunate that the number of claims that are coming in has caused a backlog” in paperwork, Kurpius said Thursday morning. Of the local measure’s impact on tax laws, he said, “It sounds like it just makes it a little more user-friendly.”

Alaska is one of a number of states that offer tax breaks to disabled veterans. National Veterans Affairs spokesman Steve Westerfeld said his department is conducting an outreach program, trying to contact veterans in every state where they’re eligible for a special tax break of some sort. He said Thursday the department had identified 19 states, not including Alaska, where it plans to mail letters to veterans and is still building that list.

“From a customer service standpoint, we try to err on the side of, ‘Let’s give our veterans what they need’” to know about benefits they can get, Westerfeld said.

Under the change, the assessor can accept an exemption application on or after April 1 — but before July 31 — from a senior citizen or disabled veteran suffering from a serious medical situation or emergency beyond the applicant’s control. Failing to read one’s mail, however, and missing the borough’s tax notifications won’t qualify someone for an extension.

The Borough Assembly approved the change unanimously.