Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, and Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, today released the following statement after hearing from numerous 100% disabled veterans across Oklahoma who were unaware of the new July 2023 deadline to apply for the annual sales tax exemption. The deadline was put in place by Senate Bill 415, which became law in 2021.

"Several years ago, Oklahoma's record of 100% disabled veterans was found to be nearly double the record kept by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, causing many concerns about fraudulent activity. After learning of this situation, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs requested legislation to enact a veterans registry, which took effect after Senate Bill 415 was signed into law in 2021.

While the initial effort aimed to safeguard Oklahoma veterans, unintended consequences instead arose after many 100% disabled veterans missed the registration deadline in July.

We started hearing from veterans over the interim after they received notification from the Oklahoma Tax Commission that they did not meet the deadline, and we immediately began to work on a solution. After meeting with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs and Oklahoma Tax Commission, we have filed clean-up language that is proposed in Senate Bill 1215. 

We have met with leadership in both chambers to ensure that Senate Bill 1215 will be heard and sent to the Governor for signature as early as possible so that Oklahoma veterans with a 100% disability rating will still receive the tax benefits that they were promised, particularly in the current challenging economic environment."

The Second Regular Session of the 59th Legislature convenes Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.