WANT TO SEE BETTER REPORT CARDS IN 2018?
USE READING APPS Goodreads is a social network for bibliophiles. You can find recommendations, share ratings, and create lists of both completed and to-be-read books. Users also create reading lists based on topic, genre, decade, and more. With over 2 billion books added, you’ll never run out of inspiration. Biblionasium offers the same services, but it’s designed specifically for children. Talk to other parents and create a network of friends and classmates. After all, nothing is cooler to a kid than what their friends are doing. Avid readers tend to do better academically from kindergarten through college. In fact, a study from the Journal of Education and Practice found that reading comprehension predicted success in other subjects more than any other factor. If you want to see improved report cards, make a reading resolution for your entire household.
Virginia strives to be the most hospitable state for veterans. Lawmakers across the aisle have collaborated time and again to give back to families who have sacrificed so much for our country. This couldn’t have been made more clear than in January of 2011, when Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia was amended to allow “property tax exemption for certain veterans.” This provided automatic tax relief to some of the most vulnerable, tax- burdened members of our community: disabled veterans and widowed spouses. When the measure first went into effect seven years ago, the Washington Post estimated 7,000 former service members were granted relief. So how does one qualify for this tax exemption? How extensive is it? The amendment, as it currently stands, applies to any veteran or their surviving spouse with a 100 percent service-connected, permanent and total disability who is or was alive after Jan. 1, 2011. Those persons with a rating of less than 100 percent, but who the Veterans Affairs office deems unemployable due to a permanent and total disability, also qualify. Spouses of service members who were killed in action, including those with the DOW designation, are covered as well. The exemption for all surviving spouses remains until they move or remarry. In 2017, an initial resolution to allow all surviving spouses the exemption without any restriction on moving to a new principal place of residence was offered and approved. It will be on 2nd Resolution in the 2018 Session of the General Assembly, and if it passes it will be placed before the voters in November 2018. Every parent wants to see their child do well in school, and there’s one fun activity that benefits students of all ages: reading. In a world with so much stimulation, however, it can be difficult to motivate kids to put down a screen and pick up a book. New Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity to make reading a priority. Here are a few tips to make 2018 the year your kids become bookworms. MAKE IT A FAMILY RESOLUTION There’s no better motivator than solidarity! Plus, we’re guessing everyone in your household could stand to read a little more. You don’t have to read the same books or set identical goals, but it’s a lot more fun when everyone participates. Schedule weekly reading discussions so everyone can share the cool stories they’ve read. Stack your completed books in your house somewhere as a monument to all the knowledge your family has gained. SET REWARD MILESTONES Positive reinforcement will propel your kids to keep reading long after the calendars have turned. For a certain number of books completed or hours spent reading, offer them a prize. You can even create a big end goal to really cement those reading habits. Better yet, set a combined goal that the entire family can work toward. Don’t be afraid to pull out all the stops. If your kids know that reading one book per week through June means an extra-special summer vacation, their enthusiasm won’t wane come spring.
DO YOU QUALIFY? PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR DISABLED VETS
A veteran or spouse who qualifies are 100 percent exempt from paying property taxes on their “principal residence.” In layman’s terms, your home’s property is tax free, but not your vacation house or other properties you may own. The amendment also grants total exemption on property taxes up to one acre of land, in addition to the residence. This acreage can be extended for those who are handicapped or elderly. This amendment provides relief to those who have given to our country. If you believe you or a loved one qualify, reach out to a Department of Veterans Services office near you, or visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.
2 | GilletteLawGroup.com
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