Jefferson County Circuit Court (Bessemer Division) Veteran's Court
The Bessemer Division of the Jefferson County Circuit Court runs a Veteran's Court, a deferred sentencing programme for honorably discharged veterans charged with nonviolent drug…
VetTOC · Veteran benefits reference
Jefferson County, Alabama
Free help with a VA claim
- Jefferson County Veterans Service Offices. The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs runs Jefferson County's veterans service office in downtown Birmingham, open weekdays, with an itinerant officer at the Bessemer courthouse on Wednesdays. Both give free help with VA claims, appeals and State benefits. va.alabama.gov/service-officer
- Alabama Veterans Service Offices. Free claims help from Department of Veterans Affairs service officers in county offices, including compensation, pension, appeals, survivor benefits, and state benefits. va.alabama.gov/service-officer
Find a VA-accredited representative: www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/find-rep
Jefferson County benefits
Jefferson County Tax Assessor: Disability Exemption and Homestead
Jefferson County's Tax Assessor, in Birmingham and Bessemer, takes the State's full exemption for a permanently and totally disabled owner between October 1 and December 31.
Alabama benefits that apply here
Alabama Disabled Veteran Business License Cap
A narrow cap: business and occupational license taxes of not more than $25. It stops if property is worth $5,000 or more, or if net income is $2,500 or more.
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama Disabled Veteran Fishing Licenses
A resident veteran VA certifies at 20% or more can buy a reduced annual freshwater or saltwater fishing license, or a lifetime license instead.
Gate: At least 20% service-connected
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama Disabled Veteran Hunting Licenses
A resident veteran at 40% or more can buy a lifetime hunting license.
Gate: At least 40% service-connected
Alabama Disabled Veteran License Plate
A resident veteran rated 10% or higher service-connected is exempt from the state license tax and from state registration and issuance fees.
Gate: At least 10% service-connected
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama Free Recording of Discharge Papers by the Probate Judge
Any Alabama probate judge records a DD-214 or release from active duty free for a resident of the county, keeps it confidential, and, as the Department of Veterans Affairs states…
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship
Undergraduate tuition, up to $400 a credit hour, plus up to $1,000 for books and fees, for a child, stepchild, or spouse of a veteran rated 40% or more service-connected, or of a…
Gate: At least 40% service-connected
va.alabama.gov/education-training/alabama-g-i-dependent-scholarship-program
Alabama Military Retirement Income Tax Exemption
Military retirement pay, and survivor benefits derived from it, are exempt from Alabama state, county, and municipal income tax.
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama Permanently and Totally Disabled Principal Residence Exemption
Full ad valorem exemption on the principal residence and up to 160 acres for a person who is permanently and totally disabled. No income cap.
Alabama Solid Waste Fee Exemption for Veteran-Benefit Households
Beginning October 1, 2026, a household whose only income is veteran benefits, and whose income is under the federal poverty level, is exempt from solid waste collection fees.
alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=22-27-3
Alabama Specially Adapted Housing Property Tax Exemption
A home acquired with a VA specially adapted housing grant is exempt from all ad valorem tax, at any value, while the veteran or the unremarried surviving spouse owns and lives in…
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama State Classified Service Veteran Preference
Five extra points on a state classified-service exam for an honorably discharged veteran.
Gate: Ten-point preference
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama State Parks Admission Waiver
Free admission to Alabama state parks, on days the park is open to the public, for an active-duty service member or an honorably discharged veteran who lives in Alabama.
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama State Veterans Homes
Skilled nursing at five state veterans homes for an honorably discharged veteran who has lived in Alabama for the past 12 months and needs that level of care.
Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery
Burial at the state veterans cemetery in Spanish Fort. Eligibility follows National Cemetery Administration rules. VA pays the veteran interment.
Alabama Tax Exemption for a Vehicle Paid for by VA
A disabled veteran whose private-use vehicle was fully or partly paid for by VA is exempt from license fees and from ad valorem tax on that vehicle.
va.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AL-Laws-Affecting-Veterans-2026.pdf
Alabama Veteran-Owned Business Bid Preference
The Chief Procurement Officer or a purchasing agency may award a state contract to an Alabama business more than half owned by a qualifying veteran when its bid is no more than…
alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=41-4-130
79 federal benefits apply here as well and are left off this page; the place page lists them.