Who Counts as a Veteran in New Jersey

Read this entry first. New Jersey writes the word "veteran" into dozens of statutes with at least five different meanings, and the one a program uses decides whether you qualify. Any era, honorable, active service. The property tax statutes, N.J.S.A. 54:4-8.10, define a veteran as "any citizen and resident of this State honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States". Paragraph (d) says what that phrase means: every form of separation from active, full-time duty with pay and allowances, other than those marked dishonorable, undesirable, bad conduct, or by sentence of a general or summary court martial. A general discharge under honorable conditions passes. Guard and reserve service counts only where it was active federal service; the Division of Taxation says active duty for training does not. Until 2020 this definition also required service in a war or emergency. P.L.2019, c.413 struck that, and it took effect when voters approved a constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020. Wartime, for civil service. N.J.S.A. 11A:5-1 still defines a veteran for civil service preference by a list: World War I, World War II with 90 days, Korea with 90 days, Vietnam with 90 days between December 31, 1960 and May 7, 1975, and then a series of operations from the Lebanon crisis to Iraqi Freedom, most needing 14 days in the theater. P.L.2021, c.429 added paragraph (16): service in a campaign or expedition for which a medal recognized for federal veterans' preference has been awarded. A peacetime veteran without a campaign medal is not a veteran for civil service purposes. The discharge test here is "other than dishonorable". General discharges, Guard and reserves. The county veteran identification card law, N.J.S.A. 40A:9-78.2, and the driver licence designation, N.J.S.A. 39:3-10f6, define a veteran as a resident discharged "honorably or under general honorable conditions" from the Armed Forces, a reserve component, or the National Guard of New Jersey or another state. P.L.2019, c.255 and c.500 made an NGB-22 acceptable proof for these programs, so a Guard member who never served on federal active duty is a veteran for the ID card and the licence. The widest definition. The 2025 act that created the Department of Veterans Affairs, N.J.S.A. 38A:21-3, defines a veteran for that act as "any person who has served in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States for at least 90 days", with no discharge condition, unless another statute defines the word differently. The veterans memorial homes rule uses 90 days and other than dishonorable. Honorable only. The income tax exemption in N.J.S.A. 54A:3-1(b)7 and the Operation Recognition diploma use "honorably discharged". The Division of Taxation asks for a discharge document that shows the character of service. Who decides. For civil service preference and public pension veteran status, N.J.S.A. 38A:21-12 makes the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs the one who determines who is a veteran or disabled veteran, and the decision binds the employer and the pension board. Before January 9, 2026 that was the Adjutant General. For property tax it is the municipal assessor, with appeal to the county board of taxation.