NORFOLK-- Finally, the good news hundreds of local military veterans have been waiting for. Virginia's attorney general has ruled certain disabled vets are indeed eligilbe to receive a major tax break approved last year by the voters.
"Well it is a couple of thousand dollars a year extra income or money," says Terry Wheeler, a marine corps veteran, "I don't have to pay, which will make my life a whole bunch more easier, livable, let's say."
Wheeler, a Vietnam era veteran from Virginia Beach is past commader of the state chapter of the Disabled American Veterans.
Earlier this year he received a letter denying his real estate tax exemption claim, because Wheeler is classified as 100 percent serivce-related unemployable, but only 70 percent service related disabled.
But now Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, has cleared things up with a non-biding opinion. In it Cuccinelli said total disability extends to those vets, like Wheeler with service related or mental disability, who are classifed as 100 percent "unable to engage in "substantially gainful emploment."
Norfolk Commisioner of the Revenue Sharon Mcdonald says Cuccinelli has made the right call.
"Both of those categories of individuals now qualify and that's really where the confusion was", she says, "because we were getting conflicting information from the Veterans Adminstration. Now we have clarity on that and we are back open for business for our veterans."
