Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union senior citizens who receive the enhanced School Tax Relief or STAR benefit must apply to the state by March if they want to continue to get the reduction after this year. The STAR program, which dates to 1997, has saved homeowners billions of dollars in school taxes. While local assessors have been informing seniors about the deadline for months, the approaching deadline has put those efforts into high gear. State officials are also preparing to issue public service announcements explaining the change. The STAR program includes a number of categories: "Basic" STAR is open for homeowners with family incomes below $500,000. For seniors with incomes below $86,300, "Enhanced" STAR provides an additional exemption. Enhanced recipients must now subject to an income verification process. The change applies only to seniors 65 or older applying for the Enhanced STAR exemption or those who have the exemption included in their property tax bills. Anyone with questions about the new rule is advised to contact their local assessor. Read the full story in the Times Union