SECTION 27.86. Veteran Discount Program

(a) Purpose. Transportation Code, §372.053 provides that the department may establish a discount program for electronic toll collection customers that must include free or discounted use of department toll projects by an electronic toll collection customer whose account relates to a vehicle registered under Transportation Code, §504.202 or §504.315(f) or (g). This section implements §372.053.

(b) General. The commission, by minute order, may adopt a policy defining the circumstances under which free or discounted passage will be granted on department toll projects, in accordance with Transportation Code, §372.053. Subsections (c) - (f) of this section will apply to free or discounted use of department toll projects by eligible vehicles, as defined by commission minute order. For purposes of subsections (c) - (f) of this section, the term "owner" means a veteran who is the registered owner of the eligible vehicle according to the records of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

(c) Requirements. To receive free or discounted use of department toll projects, the owner of an eligible vehicle must establish an electronic toll collection customer account and register the eligible vehicle and the tag affixed to that vehicle through a process prescribed by the department.

(d) Limitation. Free or discounted use of department toll projects is limited to one eligible vehicle except as provided by subsection (e) of this section.

(e) Exception for financial hardship. The department will grant free or discounted use of department toll projects for one additional eligible vehicle in accordance with this subsection. The owner of that eligible vehicle must complete and submit to the department an application, on a form approved by the department, accompanied by documentation that establishes that the owner is enrolled in Medicaid, the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program, the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary Program, or the Qualifying Individual Program, or is qualified for Supplemental Security Income. On receipt of an application containing all required information, the department will grant the hardship exception. To receive free or discounted use of department toll projects for the additional eligible vehicle, the owner of the vehicle must register the vehicle and the tag affixed to that vehicle through a process prescribed by the department. A hardship exception granted under this subsection is valid for a three-year period. To extend the exception, the owner must provide proof that the hardship continues to exist not later than the third anniversary of the date the hardship exemption was last granted by the department. Failure to provide proof that the hardship continues to exist by that date results in expiration of the hardship exception on that date.

(f) Tag fees. Notwithstanding any fee for standard or specialty tags established under §27.82 of this subchapter (relating to Toll Operations), the department will provide the tags required by this section, including replacement tags, at no cost to the owner of an eligible vehicle that does not have an existing tag.

Source Note: The provisions of this §27.86 adopted to be effective March 15, 2021, 45 TexReg 9578