New Bill Hopes To Ensure Oklahoma Veterans Don't Miss Out On Sales Tax Exemption Status

A State Senator plans to introduce a bill in the coming session to address an issue currently creating confusion for some of Oklahoma's disabled veterans.

SB 1215, authored by Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-District 42, would rescind the deadline previously imposed in a 2021 law.

According to that law, veterans receiving sales tax exemption benefits before Nov. 1 2020 were required to enroll in the Oklahoma veterans registry by July 1 2023 to continue receiving the same benefits.

State leaders initially passed stricter laws to thwart fraudulent use of the benefits. But, months after the deadline, state agencies confirm an unspecified number of eligible veterans have missed out.

On Wednesday, spokespeople for both the Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs separately confirmed the agencies have been receiving calls from disabled veterans learning of their loss of benefits for the first time.

The Tax Commission said the registry is the responsibility of the state's Department of Veterans Affairs.

However, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it is unclear how much work was done to educate all of its population receiving benefits about the policy change.

"While their existence is documented, and they were delivered to the prior administration, the circumstances surrounding their dissemination, if any, remain unconfirmed," said a current spokesperson for the agency regarding its efforts to advertise the deadline to the state's veterans.

The same spokesperson also said the agency only had a record of one "concentrated" social media campaign which spanned from March to June of 2023.

Senate Bill 1215 is scheduled for a first reading on Feb. 5.