BMV Addresses Disabled Veteran License Plate Error

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) announced today that it will issue refunds to disabled veterans who erroneously paid for specialty license plates that should have been provided at no charge.

The BMV recently determined that it did not implement a change in Ohio law that allows certain disabled veterans to receive up to two free disabled veteran license plates and/or military license plates. The BMV estimates that nearly 2,000 individuals were improperly charged for these license plates, as well as fees and taxes, since the law went into effect in October 2019.

Although the amount of each refund will vary based on local fees and taxes, the average refund will be approximately $60.

“The BMV deeply regrets this error,” said Charlie Norman, Ohio BMV Registrar. “We are grateful for Ohio veterans’ sacrifice and their service to our state and our country. We are undertaking an internal review to determine why the legislative change wasn’t adopted in a timely manner to ensure that this will not happen in the future.”

The BMV is in the process of contacting all veterans who were improperly charged, and refunds for these veterans will be processed within the next month.
The BMV has implemented a processing change so that veterans who qualify for free disabled/military license plates are not charged in the future. The law applies specifically to veterans with a service-connected disability who are declared 100% disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The law does not apply to personalized specialty disabled/military license plates.

For more information on veteran license plates, visit: bmv.ohio.gov