Twenty-one states have already passed laws granting full property tax exemptions for 100 percent disabled veterans. Recently, New York joined that list when Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation granting full property tax exemption to disabled veterans beginning in 2026.
Ohio, despite its proud military heritage and strong veteran population, has yet to follow suit.
The reason is not a lack of legislation. Senate Bill 92 would provide full property tax relief to Ohio’s 100 percent disabled veterans and their surviving spouses.
Yet the bill has remained stalled in the Ohio Senate for more than a year.
Why? Because the chair of the committee responsible for moving the bill forward, Senator Louis Blessing, has refused to allow it to come to a vote. In a phone call with him in January, Senator Blessing told me directly that he would not bring the bill to the Senate floor, preventing lawmakers from even debating the issues. That’s not how democracy works and certainly not how Ohio’s legislature should operate.
Disabled veterans are not asking for guaranteed passage of the bill. They are asking for something much simpler. They want their elected representatives to debate the issue and vote.
That is how representative government is supposed to work. Instead, the bill remains locked in committee.
Senator Blessing frequently portrays himself as a supporter of the military and veterans. His public statements often praise the service and sacrifice of those who wear the uniform.
But praise is easy when it requires no action. For veterans watching this situation unfold, the contrast between those public statements and the reality in Columbus is becoming difficult to ignore.
The image projected by Senator Blessing is polished and thoughtful, often accompanied by his trademark bow tie. But for many disabled veterans waiting for action, the presentation is beginning to feel like political theater. At some point, the disconnect between the words and the actions begins to resemble something else entirely. For many veterans it looks like a wolf in sheep’s clothing with a bow tie.
A 100 percent service-connected disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs is not symbolic. It means the VA has determined that a veteran’s injuries or medical conditions were caused directly by their service and have permanently and totally disabled them. These are the men and women who carried the burden of America’s wars. Many live on fixed incomes. Many face lifelong medical challenges. Property taxes can represent a significant financial burden.
More than 20 states have already recognized this and acted. Ohio should do the same.
Allowing Senate Bill 92 to move forward would not force any legislator to support it. It would simply allow Ohio’s elected representatives to debate the issue and vote. But that cannot happen as long as one committee chair refuses to allow the bill to move forward.
If Senator Blessing truly supports the military and the veterans he claims to champion, there is a very simple way to prove it. Allow Senate Bill 92 to be heard. Let the committee debate it. Let the Senate vote. Until that happens, Ohio’s disabled veterans are left watching a politician who publicly praises their service while privately preventing the very vote that could help them. For many veterans, it now looks like a wolf in sheep’s clothing wearing a bow tie.
Bernard J. Mutz is a retired U.S. Air Force Major and an Oakwood resident.