SACRAMENTO, CA – Senator Ted Gaines (Ret.), Vice Chair of the State Board of Equalization, today submitted a letter of support for Senate Bill 888 (Seyarto, R), legislation that would exclude service-connected disability compensation from the definition of “household income” when determining eligibility for the low-income exclusion under the Disabled Veterans’
Property Tax Exemption (Revenue and Taxation Code Section 205.5).
“Our state has a moral obligation to honor the sacrifices of those who served by ensuring that tax policies do not undermine their financial security. SB 888 is a practical, targeted step toward that goal and aligns with California’s commitment to supporting veterans and military families.”
SB 888 proposes to remove this barrier and enable more qualifying veterans and their surviving spouses to benefit from the exemption, helping them afford to stay in their homes and maintain stability in their communities.
In his support letter to Senator Seyarto and members of the Legislature, BOE Vice Chair Gaines states, “I applaud Senator Seyarto for his leadership on this important issue. This commonsense reform recognizes that disability payments are earned for injuries sustained in service to our country, not discretionary or supplemental income. Including these benefits in the income calculation unfairly penalizes disabled veterans, many of whom rely primarily on Social Security and VA disability payments to make ends meet.”
SB 888 is scheduled for its first hearing in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee tomorrow, March 25.
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Senator Ted Gaines (Ret.) was elected to represent the Board of Equalization’s First District. He is a leading taxpayer advocate, defender of Prop. 13, and is committed to providing trustworthy and transparent representation for nearly ten million constituents in 34 counties of northern, eastern, and southern California. For more information, visitwww.boe.ca.gov/Gaines.
