County approves late veteran motor-vehicle exemption appeals after documentation concerns

Sarpy County commissioners approved two previously rejected motor-vehicle exemption applications during the Board of Equalization meeting June 30, citing missing VA certification letters and a desire to avoid forcing veterans to appear in person.

William Dor, a resident who identified his address for the record, told the board he had received no notice of a change in state law and that many of Nebraska’s disabled veterans had not been informed. "I was received absolutely no notice of this and this is a significant change in benefit for veterans," he said, urging the county to work with veteran services offices to contact eligible veterans.

Commissioner Jim Warren said the statutory rollout included hard deadlines that produced unfair outcomes for some applicants and asked county legal counsel Annie to draft a resolution so staff could approve eligible requests without requiring veterans to attend hearings. County staff and the treasurer’s office noted that the county’s process depends on a certification from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that is routed to the treasurer; when that document was missing, applications could be rejected.

Tim Henderson, director of veteran services, told the board the VA sent a benefit-summary notification on June 15 and that the county must update its system to reflect service-connected status. "We received on the 15th of June notification ... that the VA has granted the service-connected disability," he said, explaining the need for the most recent VA letter to update county records.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the appeal on the basis that the veteran-services office file constituted notice; the motion was seconded and passed. The board later approved a similar exemption for John Albden on the same procedural basis.

The decisions were administrative approvals made during the equalization meeting; the board did not record roll-call tallies in the transcript. Commissioners and staff discussed contacting state offices and improving outreach so eligible veterans receive timely notice of benefit changes.