West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 91 - Motor Vehicles › Title 91 - LEGISLATIVE RULE DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES › Series 91-02 - Rules And Regulations › Section 91-2-12 - Disabled Veterans Exemption From Payment Of Registration Fee

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
Chapter 17A, Article 10, Section 8, of the Motor Vehicle Law
				  as amended and reenacted during the sixty-first session of the West Virginia
				  Legislature provides that any disabled veteran owning an automobile or other
				  conveyance under the provisions of Public Law 663 of the 79th Congress of the
				  United States, Public Law 187 of the 82nd Congress of the United States, or
				  Public Law 77 of the 90th Congress of the United States shall be exempt from
				  the payment of any fee on account of registration of any vehicle owned by such
				  disabled veteran. This exemption shall not apply to such disabled veterans
				  owning vehicles used for hire, but such exemption shall be in force and effect
				  for one motor vehicle of any class owned by such disabled veterans during their
				  natural life.
Only one motor vehicle is exempt per annum from the payment
				  of annual registration fee. This does not mean that if an eligible veteran
				  trades motor vehicles during the course of a year he must pay the one dollar
				  fee for transfer of registration plate, but it does mean that if a disabled
				  veteran owns two motor vehicles, he will be exempt from payment of registration
				  fees for only one of the motor vehicles that he owns.
If a disabled veteran has, at one time, obtained a motor
				  vehicle by reason of the aforesaid Public Laws, he is thereafter exempt from
				  payment of annual registration fees for one motor vehicle during the course of
				  his lifetime, even though such motor vehicle for which exemption is claimed is
				  not the original motor vehicle obtained wholly or partially through use of a
				  federal grant under the aforesaid Public Laws.
The exemption from payment of registration fee does not
				  exempt a disabled veteran from payment of the privilege tax and the two dollar
				  certificate of title fee, when certificate of title is obtained by him for his
				  motor vehicle. Said privilege tax and title fee must be paid before certificate
				  of title may be issued.
In cases where a disabled veteran is deceased and has a
				  vehicle registered with the department under this section of the law, the
				  license plate cannot be transferred to a legal heir. The exemption is for the
				  disabled veteran only, and for his use during his natural life. Therefore, the
				  legal heir would be required to purchase new license plates. However, the
				  certificate of title can be transferred to the legal heir in accordance with
				  Chapter 17-A, Article 3, Section 4, of the Motor Vehicle Laws.
The department will require a Disabled Veteran's Exemption
				  Statement from each disabled veteran making application for registration under
				  the provisions of Chapter 17-A, Article 10, Section 8, of the Motor Vehicle
				  Laws. The following information shall be shown on the exemption
				  statement:
a. The applicant shall
				certify that to the best of his knowledge and belief, he is eligible for
				exemption from payment of registration fee for an automobile or other
				conveyance under the provisions of Chapter 17-A, Article 10, Section 8, of the
				Code of West Virginia and that he has received a grant from the United States
				Government toward the purchase of a motor vehicle under Public Law 663 of the
				79th Congress of the United States, Public Law 187 of the 82nd Congress of the
				United States or Public Law 77 of the 90th Congress of the United
				States.
b. The applicant shall
				certify that the motor vehicle for which he claims exemption from payment of
				the registration fee will not be leased or operated for compensation.
c. The applicant shall further certify that
				his claim for exemption from payment of the registration fee does not entitle
				him to be exempt from the payment of the tax imposed upon the privilege of
				effecting the certification of title of his motor vehicle, nor the payment of
				the two dollar fee for the certificate of title evidencing ownership of the
				vehicle for which exemption from payment of the registration fee is
				claimed.
d. The applicant shall
				consent to release from the Veterans Administration Office to the Department of
				Motor Vehicles on request, any pertinent information relative to his
				application for a disabled veteran registration. The exemption statement shall
				be signed by the disabled veteran showing the street address or box number,
				city, county and state in which he resides.
e. A certification from the Veterans
				Administration Office listing the Veterans Administration claim number and
				stating that the applicant has received the grant referred to under the
				provisions of Public Law 663, Public Law 187, or Public Law 77. The
				certification shall be signed by an authorized officer of the Regional Veterans
				Administration Office and shall include the title of the officer signing the
				certificate and the name and address of the Veterans Administration Regional
				Office having custody of subject veterans record. Only one such certificate
				shall be required during the lifetime of such veteran.