35 ILCS 200/15-165

(35 ILCS 200/15-165)

Sec. 15-165. Veterans with disabilities. Property up to an assessed value of $100,000, owned and used exclusively by a veteran with a disability, or the spouse or unmarried surviving spouse of the veteran, as a home, is exempt. As used in this Section, a "veteran with a disability" means a person who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States and whose disability is of such a nature that the Federal Government has authorized payment for purchase or construction of Specially Adapted Housing as set forth in the United States Code, Title 38, Chapter 21, Section 2101.

The exemption applies to housing where Federal funds have been used to purchase or construct special adaptations to suit the veteran's disability.

The exemption also applies to housing that is specially adapted to suit the veteran's disability, and purchased entirely or in part by the proceeds of a sale, casualty loss reimbursement, or other transfer of a home for which the Federal Government had previously authorized payment for purchase or construction as Specially Adapted Housing.

However, the entire proceeds of the sale, casualty loss reimbursement, or other transfer of that housing shall be applied to the acquisition of subsequent specially adapted housing to the extent that the proceeds equal the purchase price of the subsequently acquired housing.

Beginning with the 2015 tax year, the exemption also applies to housing that is specifically constructed or adapted to suit a qualifying veteran's disability if the housing or adaptations are donated by a charitable organization, the veteran has been approved to receive funds for the purchase or construction of Specially Adapted Housing under Title 38, Chapter 21, Section 2101 of the United States Code, and the home has been inspected and certified by a licensed home inspector to be in compliance with applicable standards set forth in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration Pamphlet 26-13 Handbook for Design of Specially Adapted Housing.

For purposes of this Section, "charitable organization" means any benevolent, philanthropic, patriotic, or eleemosynary entity that solicits and collects funds for charitable purposes and includes each local, county, or area division of that charitable organization.

For purposes of this Section, "unmarried surviving spouse" means the surviving spouse of the veteran at any time after the death of the veteran during which such surviving spouse is not married.

This exemption must be reestablished on an annual basis by certification from the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs to the Department, which shall forward a copy of the certification to local assessing officials.

A taxpayer who claims an exemption under Section 15-168 or 15-169 may not claim an exemption under this Section.

(Source: P.A. 98-1145, eff. 12-30-14; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)