Filing the VAFL 27-333: Florida Homestead Exemption Letter

VAFL 27-333 is the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs letter that certifies a veteran’s service-connected total and permanent disability for purposes of the full homestead property tax exemption under Florida Statute 196.081. To get it, you download the FDVA’s one-page state benefit letter request form from floridavets.org, complete a handful of personal fields, check the box labeled “Florida Homestead Letter for Permanent & Total Veteran (VAFL 27-333),” attach a copy of your DD-214, and mail or email the packet to the FDVA’s Division of Benefits and Assistance in Bay Pines. The letter that comes back is what you hand to your county property appraiser.

What the Letter Gets You

Florida exempts from property tax any homestead owned by a veteran who was honorably discharged with a service-connected total and permanent disability, provided the veteran is a permanent Florida resident on January 1 of the tax year. This is a full exemption on the homestead, not a partial discount. To claim it, the statute requires you to produce a letter certifying total and permanent disability, and that letter is prima facie evidence of your entitlement before the property appraiser.¹ The VAFL 27-333 is the state-issued version of that letter.

The exemption also carries over to a surviving spouse who holds legal title to the homestead and continues living there without remarrying, and it can be transferred to a new primary residence if the surviving spouse sells and moves.¹

Filling Out the Form

The request form is a single PDF page available on the FDVA website.² Complete these fields:

Veteran or claimant name, exactly as it appears in your military records.
VA claim number, or your Social Security number if you do not have a claim number. A claim number speeds the records cross-reference.
A phone number where FDVA staff can reach you with questions.
Your current mailing address. The finished letter goes to this address.
Signature and date. Unsigned forms are returned.

Below the personal information, the form lists checkboxes for the different state benefit letters. Check the box for “Florida Homestead Letter for Permanent & Total Veteran (VAFL 27-333).”² Check only that one. The same form covers letters for civil service preference, disabled veteran license plates, the partial-disability homestead reduction under VAFL 27-125, the widow’s homestead letter, and a few others; selecting the wrong box produces a letter your property appraiser cannot use for the full exemption you are after. If you are unsure which letter applies to your situation, a Veterans Service Officer at (727) 319-7440 can walk you through it.³

Documents to Attach

The form does not print an attachment checklist, but the DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) is the document the FDVA needs to verify honorable discharge and dates of service.⁴ A missing or illegible DD-214 is a common reason requests get delayed.

If someone else is filing on the veteran’s behalf, include a valid Power of Attorney establishing that authority. A surviving spouse should attach a copy of the veteran’s death certificate and proof of marriage.

If you cannot find your DD-214, request a replacement through the National Personnel Records Center using Standard Form 180, mailed to 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138 or faxed to 314-801-9195. You can also order records online through the National Archives’ eVetRecs system. The written request must be signed in cursive and dated within the past year.⁵

How to Submit It

Mail the signed form and supporting documents to:

Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Division of Benefits and Assistance
9500 Bay Pines Blvd., Suite 214
Bay Pines, FL 33744³

Because the packet contains your Social Security number and discharge records, use a trackable method such as USPS Certified Mail or a carrier with delivery confirmation. Email submission to FDVA.VSO@FDVA.FL.GOV is also accepted.⁶ Standard email is not encrypted, so you are transmitting your Social Security number and military records over an unsecured channel; many veterans prefer to mail hard copies for that reason.

Questions about submission or current fax availability go to the Benefits and Assistance Division at (727) 319-7440. A Veterans Service Officer returns calls within 24 hours.⁶

How Long It Takes

The FDVA does not publish a guaranteed turnaround. Allow at least two to three weeks for staff to verify records and generate the letter, and expect longer waits in the fall and winter, when property tax filing season drives a surge in requests. The finished letter arrives by mail at the address on your form. If nothing has arrived after three weeks, call (727) 319-7440 to check status.³ For questions about your federal disability rating itself, the VA’s main line at 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411) is staffed around the clock.⁷

Bringing the Letter to Your County Property Appraiser

The letter by itself does not grant the exemption. You still have to file the exemption application with the property appraiser in the county where your homestead sits, and Florida sets the filing deadline at March 1 of the tax year.⁸ Missing March 1 means waiting another year. Request your FDVA letter well before then so it arrives in time.

Bring the FDVA letter along with your DD-214 and your VA rating decision letter showing the total and permanent disability determination.⁸ Some counties also want proof of Florida residency, such as a driver’s license showing the homestead address.

If your FDVA letter is running late, file the application anyway. Florida law lets you file first and provide the supporting letter later; once the documentation is submitted, the exemption is backdated to your original application date, and excess taxes you paid can be refunded going back up to four years.¹

Some property appraisers will accept the federal VA Benefit Summary Letter on its own, since Section 196.081 refers to “a letter from the United States Government or United States Department of Veterans Affairs.”¹ You can download that federal letter yourself by signing in to VA.gov, opening a closed claim, and selecting “Get your claim letters.”⁹ Bringing both letters to the property appraiser is the safest approach, and the federal letter can serve as a fallback if the FDVA letter has not arrived by the March 1 deadline.

Get the Details Right Before Signing

Everything you enter on the form flows into government records. Knowingly making a false statement on a document submitted to a federal agency, or in a matter within federal jurisdiction, is punishable under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 by up to five years in prison.¹⁰ A fraudulent request would also disqualify you from the exemption and expose any already-granted exemptions to clawback. Confirm that your name, claim number, and Social Security number match your official records exactly before you sign. Your personal information is protected once submitted under the Privacy Act of 1974, which limits how federal agencies disclose records and gives you the right to access and correct them.¹¹

1
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 196.081 – Exemption for Certain Permanently and Totally Disabled Veterans and for Surviving Spouses of Veterans
2
Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. State Benefit Letter Request Form
3
Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. FDVA Offices
4
National Archives. DD Form 214 Discharge Papers and Separation Documents
5
National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180
6
Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Benefits and Services
7
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 1-800-MyVA411
8
Florida Department of Revenue. Application for Disabled Veteran Property Tax Discount
9
VA News. View and Download Your VA Decision Letters Online
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally
11
United States Department of Justice. Privacy Act of 1974