Michigan Amends Qualified Err. Definition for Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemptions
December 12, 2020
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed into law P.A. 206 of 2020. This Act amends MCL 211.53b amending the definition of qualified errors for Disabled Veterans to include:
- An issue beyond the control of a disabled veteran or his or un-remarried surviving spouse that causes a denial of an exemption under section 7b.
- An issue beyond the control of a disabled veteran or his or her un-remarried surviving spouse means an error made by the local tax collecting unit in the processing of a timely filed exemption affidavit or a delay in the determination by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that a veteran is permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service and entitled to veterans’ benefits at the 100% rate.
A qualified error in the assessment of a real property’s taxable value may be appealed by the property owner before the relevant deadline and corrected if verified. This change clearly recognizes the unique hardship a disabled veteran may face in receiving a timely and correct disability rating by the VA.