Ohio veterans rated 100% disabled who paid for a specialty military license plate on or after Oct. 17, 2019 have until Dec. 2 to claim a refund of the plate price and the sales tax. The refund comes from a class action settlement with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and it covers veterans who bought the plate at a Deputy Registrar office and were never repaid. The case is Kacin v. Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, No. 2023-00204JD, in the Court of Claims of Ohio, and the claim runs through the settlement website.
State law says veterans with a 100% service-connected disability should not have paid registration taxes and fees on those plates. A 2018 law, House Bill 194, required the BMV to waive them, and the BMV kept charging the full price anyway, WSYX reported. The BMV denies the allegations and settled to avoid more litigation, according to ClaimDepot.
So the question for a veteran or a family member helping one is specific: did the 100% rating exist on the day the plate was bought, and was the plate bought at a Deputy Registrar office on or after Oct. 17, 2019? A veteran who already got a refund for that purchase is outside the class. Anyone who can answer yes to the first two should find the notice that carries a Class Member ID, and the VA letter that proves the rating.
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How much comes back for each plate?
Each eligible veteran receives a full refund of the taxes and fees for each qualifying purchase, including sales tax, with no cap and no pro-rata reduction, OpenClassActions reports. Personalization and transfer fees are excluded, and a veteran who bought more than one qualifying plate is refunded for each.
There is no fixed fund. The BMV pays class counsel’s fees and costs separately, up to $375,000 including a $10,000 incentive award for the plaintiff, plus the cost of notice and administration, so none of it comes out of refunds. The court estimated up to 23,376 class members.
What proof does the claim need?
Veterans must send two things: a Declaration of Eligibility signed under penalty of perjury, and a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs showing the 100% rating and the date it took effect. The online form also asks for the Class Member ID printed on the notice, and for the plate number and purchase date for each plate, if they are known.
Documents can be uploaded through the settlement website or mailed to Kacin v Ohio BMV, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391, ClaimDepot lists. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 2, and OpenClassActions says documents must be received by then, so a postmark that day is not enough. Kroll’s phone line is 833-453-3775, according to ClaimDepot.
Notice went out by mail and email, and it was also posted at Deputy Registrar locations and at Veterans Service Organizations, the DannLaw announcement says. A veteran who never saw a notice, or who lost it, can start from the settlement website or call the administrator. The class is defined by Ohio Revised Code 4503.29(D)(2)(b), the section that waives the registration taxes and fees for 100% disabled veterans, so the VA letter is the proof that matters most.
Why does Dec. 2 matter beyond the claim?
Dec. 2 is also the last day to opt out. A veteran who opts out must mail a letter to the administrator that arrives by then, gets no refund and keeps the right to sue separately. Objections go to the Court of Claims, with copies to class counsel and the BMV’s lawyers. The BMV can back out of the deal if more than 197 class members opt out.
The class has been through a long fight to get this far. The Tenth District Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s denial of class certification on Dec. 30, 2025, according to the announcement from DannLaw, one of two firms serving as class counsel with Zimmerman Law Offices. Marc Dann, a DannLaw partner and former Ohio attorney general, said “every dollar they were wrongly charged will be returned to them.”
When would the refunds be paid?
Not soon. The court granted preliminary approval in August, and the final approval hearing is set for July 21, 2027 at 10 a.m. at the Court of Claims in Columbus, though the date may change. If the judge approves and no one appeals, the BMV transfers the money within 10 days after approval becomes final, and Kroll mails refunds within 21 days after that.
Payment comes by check, or by ACH, PayPal or Venmo if the veteran chooses one of those, and mailed claims are paid by check only. Checks expire 180 days after the distribution deadline. No payment date has been announced, so a veteran who files in November should expect the money well into 2027 and keep the address on file current.
Bought a military plate as a 100% disabled Ohio veteran?
Documents that arrive after Dec. 2 do not count, and the same date ends the chance to opt out. A veteran who files in time then waits until at least the July 2027 hearing, long enough for a notice or a Class Member ID to get lost.
The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice and a claim log and payment tracker. The log gives the Dec. 2 deadline, the July 21 hearing and the day a refund arrives one place to live.
Get the four-date rule and claim tracker for the Ohio military plate refund →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
