To be eligible for a motor vehicle excise exemption, a veteran must, as documented by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, have actually lost, or have the permanent loss of use of, at least one foot or hand, or have permanent legal blindness in at least one eye, due to his or her military service. A veteran who does not have one of those specific disabilities can also qualify for an excise exemption if the RMV's Medical Advisory Board (MAB) has determined the veteran is permanently disabled due to his or her military service. MGL c. 60A, sec. 1.
Until recently, RMV policy and practice was for the MAB to make the necessary determination of a permanent service-connected disability when a veteran applied for and was issued a disabled veteran (DV) plate. The veteran did not receive a letter or other notice that the MAB had made the required determination. Therefore, as a practical matter, the veteran had to have been issued a DV plate in order to establish he or she qualified for this exemption.
Now, the MAB will issue a letter that states it has determined that the individual is a veteran who has a permanent service-connected disability and is eligible for a DV plate. The veteran may then choose whether to be issued the DV plate. As a result of this change in procedure, a veteran will now be able to establish eligibility for the motor vehicle excise exemption by (1) providing the assessors with a copy of the MAB determination of permanent service-connected disability or (2) having been issued a DV plate. For more information, see Bulletin 2015-01B.
Medical Advisory Board
1-857-368-8020