The grant is being offered to active military and former military members who meet all of the following criteria:

• Provide proof of active military service on January 1, 2006 or later.
  
• Provide proof of active military combat service or receipt of combat duty pay for a minimum of 45 aggregate days or only one (1) day if released from active military service due to illness or injury derived from military service in a combat zone.
  
• Proof of payment of ad valorem property taxes paid to Hillsborough County based on residency in un-incorporated Hillsborough County
  
• Proof of ownership or residency of the military members’ Homestead Exemption primary residence within Hillsborough County Florida (incorporated or unincorporated areas)
• Completed Substitute Form W-9
  
• Applications for the Combat Duty Grant must be received by the Veterans Affairs Office no later than December 31, two years after the end of the respective Grant Year for which the application is being submitted. Waiver of the two-year application period may be granted by the Veterans Affairs Office, up to an additional twelve (12) months, under extenuating circumstances, as determined by the Veterans Affairs Office, such as, injury, sickness, or emergency situations. See Policy 10.05.00.00 for more details.
  

How To Apply for This Grant
Review instructions carefully! Incomplete applications cannot be accepted!

• Review the application form to determine the exact documents and signatures required to complete the application process. After all documents and signatures have been gathered, the application form should be printed and its entries completed. The application package—which includes the required documents, required signatures and the completed application form—should then be hand-carried to the Veterans Affairs Office or one of its satellite offices.
  
  
• If the extraordinary circumstances prevent the application from being hand delivered, ensure all proper notarizations and certifications are completed so the application is processed without delay. In addition, persons acting on behalf of a military member should provide a current copy of their power of attorney and write a letter explaining their power of attorney. Sample letter

Veteran Affairs Office
10119 Windhorst Rd.
Tampa, FL 33619
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 Substitute Form W-9.
  

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In order to qualify for this grant, the military member must have served on active military service on or after January 1, 2006.

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, 2006. The grant is available for members serving in active military service dates beginning on January 1, 2006 or later and that the military service period completed is under honorable conditions.

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General Comments on Active Military Service Combat Duty Requirements

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 your Leave and Earnings statement provided by your parent military service organization. If you do not have access to your leave and earning statements, please contact DFAS.

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 a member of the members’ 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 was not completed.

The policy also allows for the spouse of the military member to apply for the grant under extenuating circumstances, such as, if the military member is captured or detained for military purposes or reassignment, and other similar situations. In addition, the military members’ 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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General Comments on Property Tax

Grants under this program are available on an annual basis with a maximum of $1500 per applicant. 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 grant based on the ad valorem taxes paid by the military member, but under no circumstances will the grant exceed $1500 annually.

If you do not know if you pay this specific property tax, you should review a copy of your PAID 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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Grants under this program are available on an annual basis with a maximum of $1500 per applicant. 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 grant based on the ad valorem taxes paid by the military member, but under no circumstances will the grant exceed $1500 annually.

The standard Homestead Exemption property tax code is "HX5 25000 and HX5 25000." Again, if you do not have a copy of this document, contact your nearest Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office, or check their web site for obtaining a copy of your Property Tax Notice.

If you do not know if you pay this specific property tax, you should review your 2008 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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