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Veteran Affairs

The Veteran And Military Tribute Banners are currently being installed for the Spring 2025 season.
The Borough will post a list once all of the banners have been installed. We thank you for your patience.

Function

Veterans of military service who have served or are serving our nation are deserving of respect and access to municipal services, support, information and assistance.

The Veteran Affairs Liaison shall be the liaison between the Governing Body and the Fair Lawn Veterans Council.

The Veteran Affairs Liaison shall be the “point of contact” for Fair Lawn Veterans, Active Members, Reservists, and their spouses and children of military service to provide information on but not limited to the following:

Relay the questions or concerns of veterans who are residents of Fair Lawn to the Governing Body;
Provide information on various federal, state and local programs for which Fair Lawn's veterans may be eligible and entitled to participate in; and
Research and analyze the needs of Fair Lawn veterans and make recommendations to the Governing Body regarding how those needs may be best served.

The Veteran Affairs Liaison, as directed by the Governing Body shall perform other duties from time to time.

The Veteran Affairs Liaison shall periodically report to the Governing Body with respect to such contacts, interaction, and such other details.

Veterans Affairs Trust Fund

Military & Veteran Tribute Banner

The Borough would like to honor our military and veteran residents with their Military & Veteran Tribute Banner program. This year the Borough displayed 450 banners throughout the Borough!

The 2025 Banner application closing date is January 31st. The total cost for the banner and hardware is $200 per banner. Payments should be me out to “Fair Lawn Veterans Affairs Trust”, 8-01 Fair Lawn Ave, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410.

Please include with your check or money order:

the service member or veteran’s photo,
the service member or veteran’s name as it will appear on the banner,
their service member or veteran’s branch of service,
the address where the service member or veteran lives or lived prior to passing
a brief description of how your family remains directly and continually connected to Fair Lawn
your email address and return address for your photo

If your Service Member or Veteran falls into the town sponsorship category, we will need to see their DD214 to confirm the award, and you do not need to include a payment of $200.

Photographs can either be physical photos or a HIGH RESOLUTION scanned and emailed version. Please do not take a photo of a photo in a frame.

Photos should be of the individual in their service uniform or veteran cap.
Photos should be 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 and of the HIGHEST quality possible. Physical photos can be mailed to the below address, they will be returned.
Scanned photos should be saved as a jpeg and emailed to veterans@fairlawn.org
Please include the name of the individual and the branch they served in.
Please do not send smaller photos, group photos or a photograph of a photograph as they cannot be transferred to a banner properly.

Photo submission has closed for 2023, applications for 2025 are due by Friday, January 24th, 2024.

***If you already have a banner you do not need to resend a photo. Your banner will be displayed again each year.

Please mail physical photos (they will be returned) to:

Borough of Fair Lawn
Office of Veteran Affairs
8-01 Fair Lawn Avenue
Fair Lawn, New Jersey 07410

Banners will be displayed from Memorial Day through September 11th.

Once installed, the banner locations will be uploaded here.

Please contact Fair Lawn’s Office of Veteran Affairs at veterans@fairlawn.org or at 201-794-5331 with questions.

"We Value Our Veterans" Community Award

United States Vietnam War Commemorative Partner

The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration has established a special recognition program, a series of Certificates of Honor, to recognize the unique service and sacrifice of four categories of veterans and family members. Recipients receive only one certificate and one lapel pin from the Commemoration. A dignified, memorable ceremony that shows a sensitivity and appreciation for the solemnity of war and the losses suffered by many will be held once submissions are finalized. Date: TBA

Please visit for further information: https://www.vietnamwar50th.com/commemorative_partners/certificate_of_honor/

Fair Lawn has recently been approved as a United States Vietnam War Commemoration Partner.
The Commemoration has established a special recognition program to honor the unique service and sacrifice for four categories of veterans and their families:

Former, living American military POWs from the Vietnam War
Immediate family members of American military personnel listed as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War
Immediate family members of a veteran who is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Surviving spouse at time of death of a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period
1 November 1955-15 May 1975 regardless of location of service.

To apply for a certificate and/or commemorative lapel pin, please contact veterans@fairlawn.org

U.S. Flag Retirement Drop Box

The Borough of Fair Lawn’s Veteran Affairs Office is pleased to announce that a U.S. Flag Retirement Drop Box has been installed at Borough Hall. The box is located next to the Parmelee Avenue entrance of the Municipal Building. Residents are reminded that worn or tethered U.S. flags should not be placed in the garbage and are encouraged to deposit them in the drop box at Borough Hall. The flags will be held for the annual flag retirement ceremony held by the Fair Lawn Veteran’s Council. Please remove all sticks, metal, and plastic.

Special thanks to the Roads Division for installing the drop box and American Graphics of Fair Lawn for donating the graphics and lettering.

Residents who have any questions regarding the U.S. Flag Retirement Drop Box are asked to contact the Fair Lawn Veterans Affairs Office at 201-794-5331 or email veterans@fairlawn.org.

NJ Property Tax Deduction

NJ State Income Tax Exemption

Veterans are eligible for a $6,000 exemption on your Income Tax return if you are a military veteran who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States by the last day of the tax year. Your spouse (or civil union partner) is also eligible for an exemption if he/she is a veteran who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances and you are filing a joint return. This exemption is in addition to any other exemptions you are entitled to claim and is available on both the resident and nonresident returns. You cannot claim this exemption for a domestic partner or for your dependents.

Follow this link for the New Jersey State Veteran Income Tax Exemption application. Upon completion please return it with your discharge paper to the address noted on the application. This only has to be completed the first time you claim the exemption. This form does not need to be completed each year.

For more information log onto New Jersey State Office of Taxation - Veterans Division.