RI Veterans: Did you know? 13.02.25 (VA News, Homeowners Tax Credit, events…) – John A. Cianci

by John A. Cianci, contributing veterans writer

Deadlines to Apply for Veteran Homeowners Tax Credit in Rhode Island

If you served between September 2, 1945 to December 26, 1991, you are entitled to a veterans’ tax exemption in your city or town. To receive estimate $75 to $5500 savings, you must apply to your city or town tax assessor. Most towns have a deadline to apply March 1st or 15th to apply and receive the savings in this year’s real estate tax bill. Contact your local city or town tax assessor, most just require you go in person with your DD214.

VETTIP: This eligibility you do not have to have served overseas or in a combat zone. You are classified as a Cold War Veteran. Start off with a question from one of our readers:

I served 6 years in the Rhode Island National Guard ( 1973-1979) and only active duty was for basic and advanced individual training and annual training, am I eligible for veteran real estate credit in Pawtucket? Jeff, Pawtucket RI

Yes, according to State of Rhode Island, you are classified as a Cold War Veteran Rhode Island law extended property tax exemptions to veterans who served during the Cold War. he legislation defines the Cold War as a period of geopolitical tension that began following World War II and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.This law was signed into effect in 2021.

The veteran exemption is only for your primary residency home. Whereas you own a home in Pawtucket, a veteran is entitled to $17, 870 real estate tax exemption. Simply put, you will pay $220.51 less for real estate taxes.

VETTIP: For example, you house is assessed at $300,000 Based on a $12.34 tax rate per $1000, without the veteran tax exemption you annual real estate tax is $3,702.

With the veteran tax exemption of $17, 870 being deducted from the $300,000 assessed value, your annual real estate tax bill will be $3481.48. A $220.51 saving per year.

How do I apply for the veteran tax exemption?

Bring your DD214 to the Tax Assessor at city hall. https://pawtucketri.gov/tax-assessor/assessor-revaluation-exemptions/. This is a one time application. And once approved, the veteran exemption will appear automatic on your annual tax bill.

To receive the veteran exemption this year in Pawtucket, you must apply in person, NO LATER THAN March 15, 2025. Like a few other cities and towns, Pawtucket gives a higher veteran exemption for disabled veterans r4eceiving 100% VA disability compensation: $55,930 veteran exemption, which is $443 annually savings off real estate tax.

VETTIP: Most cities and towns only allow one tax exemption, however, if you are entitled to the veteran exemption, the veteran exemption is in addition to the other exemption you are receiving. How do I find out if my town or city offers a veteran tax exemption?

All cities and towns in Rhode Island offer a veteran tax exemption. However, the amounts differ. For example, veterans living in Cranston or Scituate, and are receiving 100% VA disability, receive the highest veteran tax exemptions in the State of Rhode Island.

For example, the City of Cranston the veteran exemption credit is estimated $220. However, for a disabled veteran receiving 100% VA monthly compensation, after 5 years the estimated annual savings is $5200.00 Why is the veteran tax exemption different in one City or Town?

https://law.justia.com/codes/rhode-island/title-44/chapter-44-3/section-44-3-4/

Towns and cities must follow RI General Law 44-3-4 (see your town or city listed on the law posted below. Emphasis, a veteran exemption you deduct amount from the assessed value of the house, and then divide value by 1000. After dividing, you multiply the number times the per 1000 tax rate for your city or town. A credit amount is deducted from your actual annual real estate tax bill (see example above for Pawtucket).

How can the city or town increase the amount allowed by Rhode Island law? Local government must request a bill be sponsored an increase or decrease veteran exemption for their city or town. For example, a bill was introduced February 7, 2025, by Representative Casimiro and Representative Craven in the General assembly to change the veteran tax exemption for the Town of North Kingstown,

https://legiscan.com/RI/text/H5370/2025.

The bill would change veteran exemption from $10,000 exemption off house assessment, to $200 hundredth tax credit. Simply put, veterans will receive estimate $25 increase. The bill protects the tax benefit of $200 since it appears North Kingstown new reevaluation of homes for tax purposes will be higher, and rate per thousand will be less (but still net the same real estate tax on house, or slightly increase). Layman terms, veteran exemption linked to rate per thousand, will decrease if the rate per thousand is decreased. When the veteran real estate tax benefit is a credit, the amount is deducted from the total annual real state tax. Simply put, credit to Representative Casimiro and Craven for being proactive to ensure veterans do not have a less monetary credit off his or her real estate tax on their home.

Last year, the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a bill, HB7383, to increase the minimum veterans’ exemption from $1000 to $5000. Simply put, if this bill passed, majority of veterans receiving the veterans’ tax exemption would have additional annual saving.

___

VA NEWS

VA ends DEI, stops $14 million in spending on DEI

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has completed its initial implementation of President Trump’s executive order to end DEI within the federal government. To date, VA has placed nearly 60 employees who had been solely focused on diversity, equity and inclusion activities on paid administrative leave.

The combined annual salary (base pay, locality pay and additional earnings) of these employees totals more than $8 million, an average of more than $136,000/year per employee. One such employee is making more than $220,000 per year. Additionally, VA has identified several contracts for DEI-related trainings, materials and other consulting services, which the department is currently working to cancel. The combined value of these contracts totals more than $6.1 million.

In the coming weeks and months, VA will be working to reallocate these resources to better support the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve. VA is also in the process of taking down a variety of DEI-related media from its various digital properties.

“Under President Trump, VA is laser-focused on providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. We are proud to have abandoned the divisive DEI policies of the past and pivot back to VA’s core mission. We look forward to reallocating the millions of dollars the department was spending on DEI programs and personnel to better serve the men and women who have bravely served our nation,” said VA Director of Media Affairs Morgan Ackley.

VA Secretary Collins Kills Politico contract Saving $178,000 a year

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has already swiftly embraced President Donald Trump’s demand for spending reform and cuts at the nation’s federal agencies. Collins ended a costly contract with Politico for specialty news and targeted millions of dollars in funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Following Trump and Elon Musk’s cuts to Politico spending by USAID, Collins said he slashed two contracts to Politico Pro that cost the department $178,000 a year, a stunning price for news subscriptions. “Ran across a $178,000 contract VA had with Politico and we promptly canceled it. That money can be better spent on Veterans health care!” he wrote Collins on X. Follow the new Secretary – who posts daily on “X” HERE: @SecVetAffairs

President Trump fires boards of US military service academies

The president said that schools like West Point had been invaded by so-called “woke” ideology. President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to purge the U.S. military of officers he deemed “woke“.

“Our Service Academies have been infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues over the last four years,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard.” The president did not immediately announce the appointment of new members to the boards.

“We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards,” Trump wrote in his post on Monday morning. “We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!”

News From Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary Renames Fort Liberty as Fort Bragg

Honoring WWII Soldier Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday signed a memorandum directing that Fort Liberty, North Carolina, be renamed to Fort Bragg. The new name honors Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a native of Sabattus, Maine, who enlisted in July 1943 at age 23. He served during World War II with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps.

Bragg received the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained during the Battle of the Bulge. As part of his actions, Bragg saved a fellow soldier’s life by commandeering an enemy German ambulance so that he could transport a wounded service member 20 miles to an allied hospital in Belgium. The ambulance was under enemy fire the entire time.

Following WWII, Bragg returned home to Maine and married. He owned an auto body shop and later a company that moved buildings. In 1984, he also ran a business that operated a portable sawmill. Bragg died in January 1999 and is buried in Nobleboro, Maine.

The North Carolina installation, one of the largest in the U.S. Army, is home to the XVIII Airborne Corps and its 82nd Airborne Division, as well as the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. The installation was initially called Camp Bragg from 1918 until it was redesignated as Fort Bragg in September 1922.

In 2023, the name was changed to Fort Liberty. With direction signed yesterday by Hegseth, the installation will again be called Bragg, but this time in honor of Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg.

“I was honored to be able to put my signature on that [memorandum,] by the way, with the support of the president of the United States, who set the tone on this and said ‘I want Fort Bragg back,'” Hegseth told reporters during a briefing today in Stuttgart, Germany. “We’re honored to support a private first class who received a Purple Heart and the Silver Star at the Battle of the Bulge.”

For nearly a century as Camp Bragg and subsequently as Fort Bragg, tens of thousands of soldiers trained and deployed to crises and conflicts around the world in defense of the nation, Hegseth wrote in his memorandum. “Fort Bragg has a long and proud history of equipping, training, and preparing our soldiers to fight and prevail in any operational environment,” he said.

Hegseth said the move to rename Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg was about restoring the legacy of the service members who trained and served there. “It’s about that legacy; it’s about the connection to the community, to those who’ve served,” he said. The secretary also said that there are other installations being looked at which may undergo name changes as well.

More information on PFC Roland Bragg:

The Army paratrooper after whom Fort Liberty will regain the name Bragg was born June 11, 1923, in Sabbattus, Maine, to Calvin and Ella Stevens Bragg. Little is immediately known about Silver Star recipient Pfc. Roland L. Bragg’s military service aside from information shared by his daughter Linda French in Bragg’s 1999 obituary. The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for a biography on Bragg.

In his obituary, French told Maine’s Portland Press Herald that her father served during World War II with a unit that jumped into enemy territory and “cleared the way for others.” She said he was awarded the Purple Heart and was captured briefly by Germans.

“The only reason he got away was that he was a Mason,” French is quoted as saying in the Jan. 14, 1999, edition of the Portland Press in which Bragg’s Jan. 12, 1999, death was announced. “The German soldier was a fellow Mason. The guy said, ‘hit me over the head and take off with the ambulance.’”

The newspaper reported that French said her father drove the ambulance, with other Americans inside, through enemy fire to safety but he never knew if anyone else survived. It wasn’t until a few years before Bragg’s death that he heard from one of those Americans who survived.

KUDOs to Secretary Hegseth, renaming Bragg to one of America’s greatest generation, WWII Army Veteran the PFC Roland L Bragg, Us Army.

___

EVENTS

February 26, 2025, Wednesday – Rosario Club, 17 Rosario Drive, Providence RI , 500-700 pm . Italian American War Veterans of US/Department of Rhode Island monthly membership dinner, 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Guest Chef Manual Leander doing his award winning Portuguese FREE remake of original dog tag—made on site, for ALL new members, contact John (401) 677-9838, or via email [email protected]

February 27, 2025, Thursday – 6:00-9:00 pm  Veteran Social at Toast n ‘ Tap, 45 Quaker Lane, West Warwick RI.

March 1. 2025, Saturday Christ Church 57 Main Street , Swansea MA 8:00 to 10:00, FREE Breakfast, (First Saturday of every month) Veteran and one guest. Thanks to all the vets and volunteers at Christ Church! Free Veterans Breakfast first Saturday of every month. BUILDING BRIDGES FOR VETERANS GROUPAmerican Legion Post #303 Swansea, MA. Bravo to all! Special thanks to Judith Fardig for all the fantastic photos.

March 3, 2025, Monday, 9:00 to 11:00 Federal Hill Veteran Coffee House sponsored by the Italian American war Veterans of US. Free to all veterans and guest. Refreshments include ROMA’s Italian Toast, pastries, calzones, and pizza. More information contact ITAM , (401) 677-9838 or email itamri4vets@ann-clanton

March 7, Friday (always first Friday), Medicine Horse, Silva Spirit Farm, 1600 Eaglerville Road, Tiverton RI, “Fall in Friday” for active duty, veterans and first responders. No appointment, drop in from 10:00 to 12:00. Refreshments include homemade cookies. More information, (401) 640-7506. https://www.facebook.com/SilvaSpiritFarm

March 7, 2025, Badgers Pub, 530 Broadway, Pawtucket RI, First Friday of every month, Veterans eat for FREE. Veteran owned, Iraqi War Veterans Jason Badger. Veterans can order anything off the menu free of charge, said Badger’s owner Jason Badger, including the bar’s New York System hot wieners and their fish and chips. Along with the free meals, veterans can partake in a variety of activities during the week, including bingo on Mondays, darts on Tuesdays, high-lo jack on Wednesdays, indoor cornhole on Thursdays, and Karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays, Badger said. The bar also hosts poker on Saturdays and Sundays.

March 15, 2025 – Tea for RI Women Veterans, 1:00- 3:00pm, Rhode Island Veterans Home, 480 Metacom Ave, Bristol RI. Open to all women veterans. Sponsored by Unit 118 Military Women Across the Nation.

___

VA Providence News

FREE TAX PREPARATION

Veterans! File Your Taxes for FREE! VA Providence is offering free tax preparation services exclusively for Veterans from Feb. 7 – April 13 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (by appointment only). Call (401) 273-7100 ext. 12025 to schedule your appointment today!

___

VA Providence Healthcare News

___

Help our Veterans at the Operation Stand Down Food Bank!

Supplies are low- please stop by with items ““ or make a monetary contribution.

___

VETERANS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Italian American War Veterans of US (ITAM) Volunteer Opportunities:

Leave No Veteran Alone Program ““ Monday and Saturday, ITAM seeks volunteers to meet up at designated nursing homes to meet and socialize with veterans living at the facility. We schedule the facilities 30 to 60 days in advance. Volunteers socialize with veterans and TRY TO SPOIL them with refreshments we provide.  Point of contact, Wendy Cianci, assistant (401) 677-9838.

Monthly Schedule for long term care and assisted living facilities needing volunteers:

___

Disabled American Veterans Volunteer Drivers Needed at VA Providence

Looking for a meaningful way to give back? Join VA Providence’s Volunteer Transportation Network (VTN) and help ensure Veterans get to their medical appointments with ease and dignity. As a volunteer driver, you’ll play a vital role by picking up and dropping off Veterans using our DAV vans.

___

Free Help for Homeless Veterans or those at housing risk

Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness””and their family members, friends, and supporters””can make the call to or chat online with the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, where trained counselors are ready to talk confidentially 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Who Can Call

• Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
• Family members, friends and supporters calling on behalf of Veterans
• VA Medical Centers and other VA facilities and staff
• Federal, state and local partners
• Community agencies and providers who serve Veterans who are homeless

Why Make the Call to 1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838)

• It’s free and confidential
• You’ll get access to trained VA counselors
• It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• You’ll get information about VA homeless programs, health care and other services in your area

What Happens When Veterans Make the Call

• A trained VA staff member asks a few questions to find out what you need
• Then, you’re connected to the nearest VA staff person who can help
• What Happens When Others Make the Call
• Family members and non-VA providers receive information about available homeless programs and services
• They can keep their information confidential or leave contact information so staff can follow up
• VA’s Resources for Homeless and At-Risk Veterans
• VA offers a wide array of services to help homeless and at-risk Veterans. 

___

RESOURCES & ongoing groups 

Below are all the groups the Providence Vet Center is currently offering.”¯ As this list changes, I will provide updates. Please send me any questions that you may have, thank you for your time! 

***All Vet Center Groups require that the Veteran be enrolled with the Vet Center prior to attending. To check eligibility or for questions, please contact the Vet Center at (401) 739-0167 or reach out to our Veteran Outreach Program Specialist (VOPS) 

___ 

Discounts for Veterans 

Services 

No Problem Plumbing and Heating LLC – 15% military discount, ask for Ron Gaynor, (401) 568-6666. Veterans must provide proof of eligibility with a VA Card, VA ID Card, or RI State license with veteran identification. 

Restaurants 

Applebee’s – Military Discount. With more than 2,000 locations, Applebee’s is a family grill restaurant. Applebee’s gives 10% off for active duty and veteran. Last verified 07/31/2022. 

Badger’s Pub – 530 Broadway, Pawtucket is now offering a free meal to veterans every first Friday of the month at the bar. Veterans can partake in a variety of activities during the week, including bingo on Mondays, darts on Tuesdays, high-lo jack on Wednesdays, indoor cornhole on Thursdays, and Karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays, Badger said. The bar also hosts poker on Saturdays and Sundays.

Denny’s – Hartford Ave, Johnston offers 10% discount for veterans and active duty. Denny’s is a table service diner-style restaurant chain.”¯ Last verified 07/31/2022. 

Outback Steakhouse – 10% Discount to active and veterans. Last verified 07/28/2021 

99 Restaurant & Pub – The 99 Restaurant & Pub offers a 10% military discount to members of Veterans Advantage. Available at select locations only. Bring valid military ID 

Retailers 

Advance Auto Parts – 10% for Active Duty, Veterans, and families. Last verified 07/28/2021 

Bass Pro Shops – Offers a 5% discount to active-duty military, reservists, and National Guard. Sign up and verify your status online or bring your military ID when you shop at your nearest Bass Pro store (source). 

BJs Wholesale – Reduced membership fee. BJ’s offers all military personnel over 25% off their Membership. Last verified 07/28/2021 

Lowes – Enroll in the Lowe’s Military Discount Program to activate your 10% discount ““ “Our way of saying Thank You” to our active duty, retired and military veterans and their spouses with a 10% discount on eligible items. Verification of your military status is fast and easy through our partner

GameStop – is offering a 10% in-store military discount on all pre-owned products, collectibles, and select new products. Available to current and former military members who bring any valid proof of service or when they verify through “¯ID.me 

Home Depot – Offers a 10% off military discount on regularly priced merchandise for in-store purchases for active duty, retired military, and reservists at participating locations. Customers are required to show a valid government-issued military ID card to redeem this offer. 

Kohls – 15% discount offers for active military, veterans, retirees, and their immediate family members a 15% discount on purchases made on Mondays, in store only. In order to receive the military discount, eligible customers must present proper identification along with any tender type. 

Jiffy Lube – HONORING VETERANS ALL DAY EVERY DAY! ““ We didn’t want to wait for Veteran’s Day to express our appreciation and gratitude for your service. That’s why every Team Car Care owned and operated Jiffy Lube® service center is offering our BEST discount of 10% OFF as a “Thank You” to the men and women of our Armed Forces for their service to our country. *Disclaimer*- I.D. required. No coupon is required. Excludes batteries and brakes, alignment, and diagnostic services. Available only at 3 select locations: Tioque Ave, Coventry RI ““ Bald Hill Road, Warwick RI ““ Park Ave, Cranston RI 

Michaels – offers a 15% off military discount on the entire in-store purchase including sale items for active duty, retired military, guard, reservists, veterans, and family members. How to get: 1. Create an account. Log in to Michaels Rewards. 2. Get verified. Provide your military information to get verified, instantly. 3. Go shopping! To use your discount online and in store, just sign into your account or provide your Michaels Rewards phone number at checkout. 

O’Reilly Auto Parts -10% discount on in store items for Active Duty, Veterans and families. Last verified 3/4/21. 

___

If you are a retailer and or a veteran aware of a business not listed above, please forward to: [email protected]; the business’s name, location, and military and veteran discount offered.

If you have an event, meeting, other pertinent veteran information, or email questions or help needed, contact the Italian American War Veteran Service Officer, John A Cianci, [email protected], ITAM Office 1-(401)677-9VET(9838)  

To read all columns in this series go to: https://rinewstoday.com/john-a-cianci/  

___

John A. Cianci is a Veteran Service Officer. Retired, U.S. Army MSgt., Persian Gulf War and Iraq War combat theater.

Cianci, a combat disabled Veteran, served in Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His awards include Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, Good Conduct, and others.

Cianci belongs to numerous veterans organizations ““ Italian American War Veterans, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign War, and many more organizations. He is an active volunteer assisting veterans to navigate federal and state benefits they have earned. He is Department of Rhode Island Department Commander Italian American War Veterans and Veteran Service Officer.

He is a graduate of Roger Williams University (BS Finance), UCONN business school* (Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans), Solar Energy International Residential, Commercial and Battery Based Photovoltaic Systems certificate programs, numerous certificates from the Department of Defense renewable energy programs, including graduate of the Solar Ready Vets Program.