The appointed Board members from each of the veteran organizations met in our annual face-to-face meeting Nashville, TN on Jul 12 to determine the veteran legislative agenda for the 2026 session that will begin in January.
The main legislative topics to consider/explore are:
1. The disabled veteran property tax exemption/reimbursement.
2. Establishment of a state dedicated method or program that raises money dedicated to veteran needs/programs….aka: The Veteran Lottery
If you kept up with 2025 reports filed by TNVET, you know that every House and Senate legislative committee votes all “yes” and zero “No” on our bill. As we had informed you in the fall of 2024, if Gov. Lee did not fund the bill in his state budget, it would be long odds in getting it approved and funded. On the last couple of days of the session, TNVET was there to speak, if possible, to plead for the small amount of funding the legislature is given to dole out. We were not given that opportunity, and our bill, like many others, went unfunded and died.
In February 2025, the state comptroller briefed the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee (to see that report/video clickhttps://www.newschannel5.com/news/we-shouldnt-just-kick-this-can-down-the-road-property-tax-relief-fund-is-running-dry-no-plan-to-rescue-it ) that the program would not have funding to meet all obligations, and Gov. Lee and the Legislature would have to address that issue. In addition, that shortfall in funding did not include the estimated $6 million increase in costs to change the math calculations from “Market Value” to “Assessed Value” for the affected disabled vets. Tennessee appears to be the only state to deduct money from the $175,000 allowed for a property value. If the market value of your property goes up 10% in a year, you lose 10% on the reimbursement you should have received.
2. The Veteran Lottery
Establish an instant-ticket lottery game to benefit the “Tennessee Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (TNFVA);” a state dedicated method or program that raises money dedicated to Tennessee Veteran needs/programs.
In 2024, the TNVET executive board leadership briefed and gained interest from State & Local leaders and Executive Board member Michael Rhew met with Representative Rush Bricken in Manchester, TN. Representative Bricken agreed to assist with developing and submitting the legislation. In January 2025, Mike Rhew followed up with a letter to Rep. Bricken who drafted the legislation and submitted it for approval and bill number assignment. Unfortunately, after realizing this legislation requires a Tennessee Constitution changed, legal rejected and returned it to Rep. Bricken.
Unable to pursue further, Rep. Bricken introduced House Bill, HB0812, which did not gain any support. TNVET, Mike Rhew, thanked Rep. Bricken for the initiative, but reiterated that this funding is insufficient for the amount of revenue needed.
HB0812 – Veterans Services, Dept. of – As introduced, allocates 1 percent of the revenue from sports gaming in this state to the department to be used to support veterans services in this state. – Amends TCA Title 4; Title 49; Title 58; Title 68 and Title 71.
Tennessee’s online gambling revenue has been significant since the legalization of sports betting. In the first eight days, bettors wagered over $27 million, resulting in almost $510,000 in tax revenue for the state. In the first year, Tennessee collected a total of $35.5 million from sports betting. The estimated total revenue for 2023 was $458.4 million. Eighty percent of the sports betting tax revenue goes to education, 15% to local governments, and the remaining 5% funds mental health programs in the state.
**** Best year 2022 – $68 million at 1 percent equals $680,000
Latest Tennessee Sports Betting Handle and Taxes Information
TNVET will pursue legislation to amend the Tennessee Constitution to create a fund for Veterans’ Assistance, similar to the Tennessee Education Lottery. Establish funding grants and opportunities to include, but are not limited to, Veteran Service Organizations, Veteran County Service Officers, Mental Health, emergency assistance, outreach and training functions, and other needs/programs that will complement but not replicate existing Tennessee Veterans Benefits.
Amend the Tennessee Code (Constitutional Change) to require the Tennessee Lottery Commission to create and operate an instant-ticket lottery game to benefit the “Tennessee Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (TNFVA). The bill sets forth the commission’s duties in operating the lottery game. It requires the commission to market and advertise the game in a manner intended to inform the public that game tickets are available and that proceeds are used to benefit all Tennessee veterans and their families.
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You Can Only Make Your Voice Heard By Contacting Your Legislators
It is important that veterans personally/directly contact their legislators on issues. While TNVET will attend and/or speak at legislative meetings, we cannot have the same effect on legislators that 1000’s of emails/letters from veterans providing their opinion does!
To make it easier for you to contact and express your support of veteran issues that TNVET is working this session, we have provided a formatted letter that you can email to your legislator.
If you already have the email address of your specific legislators, then all you need to do is copy, paste and fill-in the needed sections of the letter(s) below and email. If you are starting your effort from scratch then read these few instructions first. Then follow the steps to send your email:
1. Select, from the two emails/letters below the one you wish to send. With your mouse/cursor, scroll across/highlight the letter and copy it.
2. Confirm who is your Representative and/or Senator by going to the following website (if you place your cursor/mouse on the web address and click it will take you direct to the webpage) https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/Apps/fml2022/search.aspx
3. Enter your address in the “search for address” box located at the upper left of the map.
4. After entering your address the Senator and Representative for your district appears. Click a name and that legislator’s state assigned website page appears.
5. Below the legislator’s name is a box with the picture of an envelop and email address of that legislator. Click it.
6. Your computer should open your email program automatically and you may now “paste” the chosen letter/email into the body of the opened email form that you had copied in step #1.
7. Be sure to fill-in the “subject” of the email, date, the name of the legislator (you can send a combined email to your senator and representative….be sure to list both addresses in your email….or separate) and type in your information…..then click “send”. You’re done!
NOTE: The spacing between sections/paragraphs appears excessive in the letters below. However, we found some email programs have problems of actually seeing the spacing and will delete it. After pasting to your email, you may adjust spacing as/if needed. What we found is when the email arrives on the other end, the “excess” spacing (if left in the email) is gone without any adjustments by you.
The letter below addresses the Disable Veteran Property Tax Reimbursement – copy and paste what is between the red lines
Requested support of legislative bills: HB/SB – Disable Veteran Property Tax Reimbursement
To Representative:
To Senator:
Dear Legislator,
As your constituent and a military veteran/spouse, I ask for your support of this legislation. The bill eliminates the state’s market value assessment of property value and replaces it with the county assessor of property assessment value. Use of the state’s market value calculation costs veterans thousands of dollars in the state’s tax reimbursement. In July 2023, Gov. Lee stated, “we must also remember that freedom is not free – it has been hard-won and hard-kept by veterans and members of our armed forces.” He stated, “These brave men and women deserve our highest respect and strongest support.” Gov. Lee further declared he wanted to “make Tennessee the best state in the nation for service members, veterans and their families to thrive.” Fixing the market value calculation issue within Tennessee law TCA 67-5-704 (a) that penalizes those disabled veterans that qualify for a property tax exemption/reimbursement would help elevate Tennessee’s commitment to this classification of veterans.
All 50 states offer property tax exemption/reimbursement programs for qualified disabled veterans. Many offer broader programs for these veterans than Tennessee. Some states offer a full/100% property tax exemption/reimbursement, ex. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Virginia. Other states offer exemption amounts for veterans rated at less than 100% disabled, ex. Texas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Kansas. Tennessee Veterans are not asking for such expansions of the program, such as additional disabled percentages or an increase in the amount of exemption/reimbursement, but for the elimination of a mathematical/real estate value calculation that adversely affects/penalizes these disabled veterans based on where they live and the whims of the housing market.
Not only is your support needed to address this issue, but your support to FUND this legislation is also needed. There is no success if there is no FUNDING to go along with the bill. Your time to consider this request and hopeful support is greatly appreciated.