By Adam Swift
The city council tabled a vote on an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for the Veteran Property Tax Work-off Abatement Program at its meeting Monday night.
The council’s legislative affairs subcommittee voted to recommend approval of the ordinance, but several councilors said they wanted to hear from the city’s legal counsel on a substitute motion on the ordinance introduced by Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky. The motion would increase the number of residents eligible for the program.
“I did speak at the committee meeting, and of course, I don’t have a problem with this,” said Novoselsky. “I was a little upset when the policy writer mentioned that Reserve and National Guard people are … secondhand military people, the way DD214 people come first, and then we will think about doing the NGB22 form, which still shows that a veteran is a veteran is a veteran.”
The DD214 form is a certificate of release or discharge from active duty, while the NGB22 form is the official National Guard report of separation and record of service.
“A veteran’s definition was established back with President Obama, anybody with 20 years or more (of the Guard service) is considered a veteran,” said Novoselsky, who served in the National Guard and Army Reserves for 27 years. “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, just last year reaffirmed that, and I don’t know why we can’t reaffirm it here by allowing someone to show their NGB22 that they are a veteran, other than their DD214.”
Novoselsky’s amendment asked that the NGB22 be valid as identification for the veterans tax workoff program in addition to the DD214.
“I was very disturbed at the way that was put forward … we all wore the uniform, we all did our time doing our duty protecting our country,” said Novoselsky.
Council President Marc Silvestri, a United States Army Veteran who served in Afghanistan said he agreed that anyone who wears the military uniform is a hero.
“Where we have to disagree is a National Guard member, who may not have earned the veteran status through service, injury, or deployment would not qualify as a veteran in the state of Massachusetts,” said Silvestri. “You are correct, when Obama did leave the office, he did change the law. Under any veteran who served in the National Guard with 20 years of service could use the term veteran, that did not equate them to get veteran’s benefits; they still don’t qualify for voke rehabilitation, they still don’t qualify for a ton of VA benefits.
“Although I honor and respect every National Guard member, I do understand where they are coming from,” Silvestri continued. “As I mentioned last week, a National Guard member who has been severely disabled, who presents a NGB22 who shows they have been severely disabled because of his duty to the country … would absolutely be honored under this tax break.”
Novoselsky countered that anyone with 20 years of service still gets veteran’s benefits now.
“A veteran with 20 years of service can use the title veteran, and we should respect them and we should honor them for their service,” said Silvestri. “But I have to be honest, a veteran who did 20 years in the National Guard is not the same as a guy who goes and does 13 months overseas.”
Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro said he did not have the expertise to vote on the issue and asked that the motion be tabled until the council received a legal opinion from the city solicitor.
