Rebate glitch leaves some Nevada seniors out
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENO, Nev. (AP) - A glitch in Gov. Kenny Guinn's $300 million tax rebate means some Nevada seniors won't be getting any money back, even if they have a valid driver's license but don't own a vehicle.
The program tied to vehicle registrations provides for a one-time rebate of up to $275 per vehicle for fees paid in 2004.
During the 2005 Legislature, Assembly Democrats expanded the program to include senior citizens over 65 who don't own a vehicle. Those seniors who have a state identification card will receive the minimum $75 rebate.
But the law doesn't provide for seniors without cars who still have a driver's license, and under the law a driver's license isn't an identification card.
"I've had a driver's license all along since 1966. I have no car and I'm older than 65," said Neal Curtis, a retired teacher and union worker.
"How come I can't get $75?"
The governor's office says the glitch is an unfortunate oversight.
"It is a small group of people that unfortunately fall through the cracks," said Guinn spokesman Greg Bortolin.
He urged those seniors to contact Guinn's office.
"Let us know who you are so that we can look at some alternative for you in the near future," Bortolin said.
"It's not a definitive yes or no, but let us kick it around and see if we can do something."
Curtis said he sold his truck in 1998 and hasn't owned a vehicle since. But he kept his driver's license because he still drives on occasion.
Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, who helped craft the senior citizen provision, said the exclusion for people like Curtis was unintentional.
"The intention was always to include those people," she said. "Clearly that was the intent."
Leslie said she and other Assembly leaders are trying to find a way to interpret the law that would include those seniors.
But Dave McTeer, the project manager overseeing the rebate, said the law is clear.
"I know there are going to be some seniors upset about that," he said. "It is unfortunate, but that is the way the legislation is written."
Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said driver's licenses should be considered a state identification card.
But even if that were the case, DMV officials said it would be impossible to determine which license holders do not own vehicles.
There is no way to cross reference the DMV's vehicle registration database with its driver's license database, said spokesman Tom Jacobs.
Senior Citizen Aticles | Nevada Rebate
|
|
