Relates to exempting disabled veterans from application fees relating to physical modification of a residence to accommodate a disability, including permit fees, plan review fees, inspection fees and reinspection fees.
This bill, titled the “disabled veteran home modification act,” authorizes cities, towns, and villages to adopt local laws, rules, or ordinances waiving or reducing certain building department fees for improvements to a veteran’s primary residence when those improvements are needed to accommodate a service-connected disability. The fees covered include permit fees, plan review or plan examination fees, inspection fees, reinspection fees, and other related building department charges.
The bill defines “veteran” broadly to include certain individuals who served in the active military, naval, air, or space service and who meet the bill’s discharge and qualifying-condition requirements, including discharged LGBT veterans as defined in the veterans’ services law. It also defines “service-connected” by reference to determinations made by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Department of Defense. Local governments that choose to offer the fee waiver or reduction may require proof of veteran status, documentation such as a VA rating decision letter or comparable military documentation, and an attestation that the work is needed to accommodate the disability. The bill does not eliminate permit or application requirements; it only addresses the fees associated with them.
The bill would amend the General Municipal Law by adding a new section 95-b, creating express authority for local governments to reduce or waive specified building-related fees for qualifying disabled veterans. It does not mandate a statewide fee exemption, but instead permits cities, towns, and villages to adopt their own local measures. The act would take effect on December 1 following enactment, and it would not require refunds of fees already paid before that date.
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to have a supportive, pro-veteran policy intent with no recorded opposition in the provided materials. The framing of the bill suggests a favorable sentiment toward easing the financial burden on disabled veterans making accessibility-related home modifications. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no documented debate or recorded vote sentiment to assess beyond the bill’s stated purpose.
The main policy choice in the bill is that it is permissive rather than mandatory: local governments may adopt fee waivers or reductions, but are not required to do so. Another potential point of contention is the scope of eligibility and documentation, including the inclusion of discharged LGBT veterans and the reliance on VA or Department of Defense records to prove eligibility. Local governments may also be concerned about lost fee revenue or administrative complexity in verifying claims and implementing the waiver process.