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Introduction
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioner’s adopted a policy
on October 5, 2005 which was revised on April 5, 2006, to offer a financial
grant for active duty military members to assist them in the maintenance
and support of their family and home while serving in combat. The procedures
for administering the grant have been delegated to the Hillsborough County
Administrator.
The
Hillsborough County Veteran Affairs Office will act as the primary
point of contact with the public. Details
on how and when to contact the Veteran Affairs Office are provided below.
The grant is being offered to former military members who meet all of
the following criteria:
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How To Apply for This Grant
- Review this information and instructions completely to determine if
you qualify for the grant.
- Review the attached
application
form to determine the exact documents and signatures required to
complete the application form. When you have the required documents
and signatures, print the application form and complete the entries,
attach all documents requested and hand-carry the package to the Veterans
Affairs Office.
- If extraordinary circumstances prevent the application
from being hand delivered, make sure the proper notarizations
and certifications are completed so the application
can be processed without delay.
Veteran Affairs Office
1101 E. 139th Ave
Tampa, FL 33613
813-975-2181
- The application will be reviewed and handled as appropriate by the
Veterans Affairs Office, then forwarded to the Hillsborough County Clerk
of the Court for further review and payment, if appropriate.
- Applicants should allow 30 days for processing and to receive payment.
If payment is not received within 45 days, call the Veteran Affairs
Office to determine the nature of the delay.
- Don’t forget to complete a Form W-9.
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of active military service on January 1, 2005 or later
In
order to qualify for this grant, the military member must have served
on active military combat duty on or after January 1, 2005.
Military members still serving on active military service should provide
some type of military order placing them on active military service and
a copy of their military service identification card. These two documents
will help establish the earliest qualification period for an annual grant
award and for subsequent annual awards if the member serves in combat
in multiple years.
Former military members who have been discharged from active military
service will need to provide a DD Form 214 showing military service completed
after January 1, 2005. The grant is available for members serving in active
military service dates beginning on January 1, 2005, or later and that
the military service period completed is under honorable conditions.
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Proof
of active military combat service or receipt of combat duty pay for a
minimum of 45 aggregate days for each annual grant application
To verify combat duty, the member (or representative) will be required
to produce documents indicating the member performed in a combat zone
and received qualifying hazardous duty pay. The most useful document to
use as verification of this is a copy of the Leave and Earnings statement
provided by the parent military service organization. Other documents
may be necessary if the Leave and Earnings Statement is not available.
So, contact the Veteran Affairs Office at 975-2181 for guidance if you
do not have access to the Leave and Earnings Statement for the period
of service that covers the combat duty.
This grant is also available to the active duty military member or a
family member in the event the military member is injured or otherwise
unable to complete the full 45 days of combat duty. If there are extenuating
circumstances, the member or the member’s immediate family should
contact the Veterans Affairs Office at 975-2181 for guidance and information
before completing an application or visiting the office if the full 45
day period within the grant year was not completed.
The policy also allows for the spouse of the military member to apply
for the grant under extenuating circumstances or if the military member
is unable to complete the application form. In addition, the military
member’s un-remarried surviving spouse may apply for the grant in
the event the military member is killed in action and all other criteria
are met. In these instances, only one day of combat duty is required if
the military member is injured or is deceased and unable to complete the
full 45 day combat period.
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Proof
of payment of ad valorem property taxes paid to Hillsborough County based
on residency in Hillsborough County
Grants under this program are available on an annual basis, with a maximum
of $1,500 per military member. The amount of each grant is based on the
amount of ad valorem property taxes paid to Hillsborough County based
on residency in Hillsborough County. The Hillsborough County Veteran Affairs
Office and other county agencies will review your tax notice to determine
the correct amount of the grant based on the ad valorem taxes paid on
the military member’s place of residence, but under no circumstances
will the grant exceed $1,500 annually.
If you do not know if you pay this specific property tax, you should
review your 2005 copy of your Hillsborough County Notice of Ad Valorem
Taxes and Non-Ad Valorem Assessments.
A sample copy of a
property tax form is attached for your convenience.
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Proof of ownership and residency of the military members’
Homestead Exemption primary residence within un-incorporated Hillsborough
County Florida
Providing proof of ownership or residency of the military members’
Homestead Exemption primary residence within un-incorporated Hillsborough
County Florida is located on your Hillsborough County Notice of Ad Valorem
Taxes and Non-Ad Valorem Assessments. The tax notice shows the homestead
exemption status of the property near the bottom of the form under the
Assessed Values section.
The standard Homestead Exemption property tax code is “HX5 25000”.
Again, if you do not have a copy of this document, contact the Hillsborough
County Tax Collector's Office or you may print a copy from the Tax
Collector's web site at: http://www.hillstax.org.
If you are unsure of the most convenient tax office location, please call
813.635.5200. A sample copy of a property
tax form is attached for your convenience.
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