ROANOKE, Va. – Election ballots will be different for voters depending on where they live, but there is one question all voters across the Commonwealth will see on their ballots this year.
Ballot Question: Adding “died in the line of duty” to “killed in action” for Gold Star families
Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty?
Traci Vaulke of Springfield is among those affected by the current law. Her husband, Major Paul Vaulke, died in Afghanistan after being struck by a military vehicle.
Initially granted the tax exemption, she later received a notice saying it had been applied incorrectly, meaning she could owe back taxes.
“I got a surprise when they said they had given me the exemption incorrectly and that I may have to pay back three years of back property taxes because Paul was not considered killed in action,” Vaulke said.
She learned only three categories were eligible for the exemption: the surviving spouse of someone killed in action at the hands of the enemy, service members who are 100% disabled or their surviving spouses if they pass away. Left off the list: spouses of those who died on duty but not in action like her husband.
It was the start of Voelke’s quest to change Virginia law. She teamed with retired Col. Monti Zimmerman of the Military Officer’s Association of America.
“This is a responsibility that the U.S. government, that the government of Virginia, in my mind, have to those who serve and have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Zimmerman said.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are urging people to vote yes on the amendment.
“I hope Virginians will pass it. We had support for it in the general assembly both times. The voters I’ve been talking to at early voting have largely supported,” State Sen. David Suetterlein said.
If approved, the new rule would apply to an estimated 110 individuals in Virginia.