Bonner County

The Bonner County Assessor, 1500 Highway 2, Suite 205, Sandpoint (208-265-1440), takes applications from January 1 to April 15 for the State's veterans property tax reduction, up to $1,500 off the tax on the home and up to an acre, for a veteran rated 100% service-connected or paid at 100% for unemployability, with a current homeowner's exemption.

100% service-connected or paid at 100% for unemployability. A 100% service-connected rating or 100% compensation for individual unemployability on January 1, with a homeowner's exemption on the home.

Bonner County's personnel policy 100.3 gives veterans, and some widows, widowers and spouses, the State's hiring preference: where qualifications are equal, the preference-eligible applicant is hired (Idaho Code 65-503 and 65-504); positions filled by a rated examination add 5 or 10 points, and a veteran rated 30% or more must be offered an interview.

Veterans and eligible family applying for county jobs. Idaho Code 65-503: 90 days of active duty under honorable conditions; 10% or a Purple Heart for the disabled tier; 30% for the interview.

The Bonner County Recorder, 1500 Highway 2, Suite 335, Sandpoint (208-265-1490), records a veteran's military discharge and gives copies of it with no fee, as Idaho Code 65-301 requires; a recorded discharge is not a public record without the veteran's or a survivor's written consent.

Any veteran with a discharge, or a surviving spouse or representative. Recording and copies are free under Idaho Code 65-301; no rating is needed.

Bonner County's Veteran Services, 521 South Division Avenue, Suite 121, Sandpoint (208-255-5291), is a county office that files VA compensation, pension, DIC, burial, health care, vocational rehabilitation, education and home loan claims, the Idaho War Veterans Emergency Grant and records requests, by appointment Monday to Thursday 8 to 4; officer Thomas Lindley.

Bonner County veterans, dependants and survivors. No rating is needed to ask the office for help.

No Idaho public officer may charge a veteran for recording or indexing discharge papers or for certified copies of them; a recorded DD-214 is not a public record without the written consent of the veteran or a surviving spouse or representative, may be recorded with the date of birth and Social Security number blacked out, and must be taken out of the record free on request.

Any veteran with discharge papers. Recording, indexing and certified copies are free and no rating is needed; copies go to the veteran, or to a surviving spouse or representative with the veteran's or their written consent.

A $5 resident license at a 40% rating, with deeply reduced tag fees. Separately, a resident disabled veteran can draw up to five free big game tags a year, which is the most valuable hunting benefit in this catalog.

40% service-connected. The reduced fee license and the sponsored free big game tags require a service-connected disability rating of 40 percent or more. A veteran below 40 percent pays ordinary license and tag fees.

A lifetime pass waiving the vehicle entrance fee for one vehicle and the campsite fee for one site at Idaho state parks, for an Idaho resident rated 100% permanent and total service-connected (compensation at 100% for unemployability does not qualify); cabins, yurts and lodges are excluded, reservation fees still apply, and camping is capped at 14 nights in 30 days.

100% total and permanent. The pass requires a 100 percent total and permanent service-connected disability rating. That is a stricter bar than most state park passes in this catalog, and a veteran below it pays the ordinary day use and camping fees.

A deduction for military retired pay, available to a retired service member who is disabled or 62 or older, which is a lower age bar than Idaho applies to other pensions. The maximum is recalculated every year.

Disabled, or age 62 or older. A retired service member qualifies if classified as disabled, or aged 62 or older, or under 62 but employed with enough income to require a federal return. That is a lower age bar than Idaho applies to other pensions. No specific rating percentage is named, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

The Idaho National Guard's State Education Assistance Program reimburses tuition and fees at Idaho higher education and vocational schools for Guard members; the Legislature cut its fiscal 2027 money and restored $190,800 on March 6, 2026, and the Military Division publishes no award amounts, so ask the Guard's education office.

Idaho National Guard membership. The gate is membership in the Idaho National Guard; the award rules and amounts are the Guard education office's and depend on each year's appropriation. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Operation Education at the University of Idaho is an individualized scholarship for veterans who sustained a permanent disability while serving since September 11, 2001, and in some cases their dependents, covering tuition, books and fees, campus housing, transportation, medical help, childcare, adaptive equipment, mentoring and tutoring; contact 208-885-6229.

A permanent service-connected disability from post-9/11 service. The program is for veterans who sustained a permanent disability in service since September 11, 2001, and in some cases their dependents. The test is a permanent disability rather than a specific combined rating percentage.

Up to $1,500 off the property tax on the home and one acre, at a 100% rating or individual unemployability. There is no income limit, and a permanent and total rating means it renews automatically without reapplying.

100% service-connected. The rating path is a 100 percent service-connected disability rating. A veteran below 100 percent does not qualify on the rating alone, though the separate income-tested circuit breaker program may still be available.

Idaho's income-tested Property Tax Reduction takes $250 to $1,500 off the tax on the home and up to an acre, and a veteran rated 10% or more, or drawing a VA pension for a nonservice-connected disability, is one of its qualifying groups. For 2027 taxes, 2026 household income after medical costs must be $40,030 or less, VA compensation at a 40% or higher rating is not counted, and it stacks with the $1,500 veterans benefit. Apply January 1 to April 15, every year.

10% service-connected, or a VA pension. Idaho Code 63-701(1)(e): a service-connected disability of 10% or more, or a VA pension for nonservice-connected disabilities. Age, widowhood, blindness or a Social Security disability also qualify, so the filter does not hide this entry.

Idaho Code 33-3717B makes resident students of a service member who entered service as an Idaho resident, one stationed in Idaho, an Idaho National Guard member, their supported children, and a veteran separated under honorable conditions after two years who makes Idaho home and enrolls within a year of separation or moves to Idaho to establish domicile.

Entry from Idaho, a station in Idaho, Guard membership, or two years of service and Idaho domicile. The paths are entering service as an Idaho resident, being stationed in Idaho, serving in the Idaho National Guard, or having separated under honorable conditions after two years and making Idaho home (enrolling within a year of separation, or moving to Idaho to establish domicile). No disability rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Two state cemeteries, at Boise and Blackfoot, with casket burial, in-ground and columbarium niches for cremated remains and scattering gardens, open to veterans from any state; burial is free for an eligible veteran, and a spouse, dependant, Guard member or reservist pays an interment fee equal to the VA plot allowance, $1,032 for fiscal year 2027. Idaho also has a national cemetery at Buhl.

National cemetery eligibility, from any state. Eligibility follows the VA national cemetery standard and Idaho law, with no Idaho residency requirement; Guard members and reservists who qualify are buried for the interment fee. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Four state skilled nursing homes, at Boise, Pocatello, Lewiston and Post Falls, for Idaho residents discharged under honorable conditions with at least 90 days of service and a nursing need, and for their spouses; wartime veterans get priority, and applicants must apply for VA pension and Aid and Attendance and for Medicaid or pay the maximum monthly charge.

90 days of service, a discharge under honorable conditions, Idaho residence and a nursing need. The gates are Idaho residence, a discharge under honorable conditions after at least 90 days of service, and a nursing need, with wartime veterans receiving priority and applicants required to apply for VA pension and Aid and Attendance and for Medicaid or pay the maximum charge. No disability rating is required for admission, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

A VETERAN designation on an Idaho driver's licence or ID card, free on a new or renewed card and for the $15 duplicate fee at any other time, on proof of an honorable discharge, active-duty ID or a veterans plate; a service member's Idaho licence stays valid through active duty, is extended four years at a time and runs 60 days past release.

An honorable discharge, active-duty ID or a veterans plate. The designation needs proof of an honorable discharge, a valid active-duty identification or a veterans licence plate. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Idaho registers one vehicle free with Disabled Veteran (D.V.) plates and a parking placard for a veteran paid for a 100% service-connected disability, the loss or loss of use of a hand or foot, or blindness, or who has the VA auto grant; Medal of Honor plates are free on up to two vehicles, and Purple Heart and former POW plates pay registration, with surviving spouses keeping all three; Gold Star plates carry no program fee for a spouse or parent.

100% service-connected compensation for the free plate. The no-fee Disabled Veteran registration needs compensation for a 100 percent service-connected disability, or for the loss or loss of use of a hand or foot or blindness, or the VA auto grant, on one vehicle. A veteran outside those may display the Veterans plate for its fees.

Emergency grants of up to $1,500 from the Idaho Division of Veterans Services for an honorably discharged veteran now living in Idaho who entered service from Idaho or has lived in the state five years, where the emergency happened within 90 days of the request; the Office of Veterans Advocacy takes requests (208-780-1380).

An honorable discharge, Idaho residence and an emergency within 90 days. The gates are an honorable discharge, current Idaho residence with entry into service from Idaho or five years of Idaho residence, and an emergency within 90 days of the request. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

In a first appointment with the State, a county or a city, a veteran with 90 days of continuous active duty separated under honorable conditions is preferred over applicants who are not more qualified; on a scored examination that is 5 points, 10 at a rating of 10% or more, and at 30% an offered interview while on the register.

10% for ten points, 30% for an offered interview. A service-connected disability rated 10 percent or more raises the preference from five points to ten (Idaho Code 65-504(2)(b)). At 30 percent or more, a veteran on the register for the position is offered an interview, up to ten interviews in all (65-504(2)(c)).

Idaho has seven veterans treatment courts, run by the district courts as Idaho Supreme Court treatment courts: Kootenai (Coeur d'Alene), Nez Perce (Lewiston), Canyon (Caldwell), Ada (Boise), the Fifth District's in Twin Falls, Bannock (Pocatello) and the Seventh District's in Idaho Falls. No statute names them or says who may enter; each court sets its own admission rules, and they differ on discharge.

Justice-involved veteran accepted by the court. Each court sets its own admission rules; some exclude bad conduct or dishonourable discharges and one does not look at the discharge. No rating is needed.

A higher VA pension for a veteran or survivor who needs another person’s help with daily living or is confined to the home. The yearly cap for a veteran alone is $29,093 with Aid and Attendance and $21,313 housebound.

• MAPR, veteran alone with Aid and Attendance, effective December 1, 2025: $29,093 a year (read 2026-10-08)
• MAPR, veteran alone, Housebound, effective December 1, 2025: $21,313 a year (read 2026-10-08)
• Pension net worth limit, December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026: $163,699 (read 2026-10-08)

Pension income and net worth. The person must qualify for Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension. Countable income must be under the MAPR and net worth under $163,699 (December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026).

A free lifetime pass to national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests and other federal lands for every U.S. military veteran and Gold Star family, and a free annual pass for current members and dependents.

Veteran or Gold Star family. Any veteran, including Guard and Reserve; current members and dependents for the annual pass.

A one-time payment of up to $27,908.90 toward a vehicle, plus adaptive equipment such as hand controls and lifts, for service-connected loss of a hand or foot, severe vision loss, severe burns, or ALS.

• Automobile allowance, effective October 1, 2026: up to $27,908.90 (read 2026-10-08)

Qualifying loss. A service-connected loss or loss of use of a hand or foot, permanent bilateral vision impairment, a severe burn, or ALS. A combined percentage alone does not qualify.

A free gravesite, opening and closing, vault liner, headstone and perpetual care in a VA national cemetery for an eligible veteran, and for an eligible spouse or dependent child.

Eligible veteran or family member. Service and discharge rules for the veteran; spouse and dependent paths follow.

Health coverage for a spouse or child of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, or who died in service or from a service-connected disability.

Permanent and total disability. A living sponsor is generally a veteran whom VA rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability. Death in service and death from a service-connected disability are other paths.

Military pay earned in any month served in a combat zone is free of federal income tax, in full for enlisted members and warrant officers and up to the top enlisted rate plus hostile fire pay for officers.

Service in a combat zone. Service in a designated combat zone or qualified hazardous duty area.

A tax-free monthly payment to a military retiree, at any rating from 10%, that replaces retired pay lost to the VA offset for disabilities the service branch decides are combat-related.

Rated 10% or more. A VA rating of at least 10% for a disability the service branch decides is combat-related, plus military retired pay.

Shopping at military commissaries and exchanges, and MWR retail, for every veteran with a VA service-connected rating, Purple Heart recipients, former POWs and primary family caregivers, since January 1, 2020.

Any service-connected rating. Any VA service-connected rating, including 0%; Purple Heart, former POW and caregiver paths need none.

Lets a military retiree rated 50% or more receive retired pay and VA disability compensation at the same time, instead of having retired pay cut dollar for dollar.

Rated 50% or more. A combined service-connected rating of at least 50%, plus military retired pay.

A free copy of a DD-214 and other service records from the National Archives’ National Personnel Records Center, requested online or on Standard Form 180.

Monthly tax-free payment to a surviving spouse, child, or parent after a service-connected death, or in defined cases after the death of a totally disabled veteran.

• Surviving spouse basic monthly rate, effective December 1, 2025: $1,699.36 (read 2026-10-08)

Education and training help for a spouse or child of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, or who died in service or from a service-connected disability.

• Full-time monthly rate, October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027: $1,621.00 (read 2026-10-08)

Sponsor status. One path is a veteran rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability. Death in the line of duty and death from a service-connected disability are other paths.

Asks the service branch’s Discharge Review Board or Board for Correction to upgrade a discharge, with liberal consideration for PTSD, TBI, sexual assault or harassment, and the repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

Up to 9 more months of Post-9/11 GI Bill or Fry benefits, or $30,000, for a student finishing a STEM degree or clinical training who has 6 months or less of entitlement left.

100% level and nearly exhausted. The student must be at the 100% Post-9/11 or Fry level with six months or less of entitlement left.

Life insurance through the service member for a spouse, up to $100,000 and not more than the member’s SGLI, and $10,000 free for each dependent child.

Spouse or child of an SGLI-insured member. The service member must have full-time SGLI.

Three ways a federal agency can hire a veteran outside or ahead of normal competition: VEOA for merit promotion jobs, VRA up to GS-11, and noncompetitive appointment for a veteran rated 30% or more.

30% for the disabled veteran authority. The 30% authority needs a compensable service-connected rating of 30% or more; VEOA and VRA have no rating floor.

VA disability compensation, pension, DIC, education and grant payments are not federal taxable income, and retired pay replaced by a retroactive VA rating can be refunded.

Five or ten points added to a passing score, or priority in category rating, for a qualifying veteran applying for a federal competitive service job, with ten points for a service-connected disability.

Qualifying service and honorable conditions. A war, campaign, listed period, or a service-connected disability for 10 points.

A free government headstone or marker for the grave of an eligible veteran in any cemetery, or a medallion to fix to a privately bought headstone.

Eligible veteran or service member. Discharge other than dishonorable, with the service rules for the era.

Transitional housing with services, for up to about two years, from community agencies VA funds, for a homeless veteran.

Homeless veteran. The veteran must be homeless and eligible for VA health care or the program’s expanded criteria.

A HUD Housing Choice rental voucher paired with VA case management for a homeless veteran, with housing first and no sobriety or treatment precondition.

Homeless and low income. The veteran must be homeless and meet the public housing agency’s income limit.

Compensation at the 100% rate, $3,938.58 a month for a veteran alone, for a veteran whose service-connected disabilities keep them from holding a steady job, without changing the rating itself.

• Rate paid, veteran alone, effective December 1, 2025: $3,938.58 a month (read 2026-10-08)

Schedular rating gate. One disability at 60% or more, or a combined 70% with one disability at 40% or more. An extraschedular award below that is possible, so the filter uses the lowest schedular floor and does not hide the entry for an unanswered rating.

Free job search help from veterans’ employment specialists at American Job Centers, with priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in every Labor Department-funded job program.

Veteran or eligible spouse. Any veteran or eligible spouse; DVOP services target listed barriers.

VA pays back the fees for a licensing or certification test, up to $2,000 a test, and for prep courses, out of GI Bill or DEA entitlement.

• Maximum reimbursement per test: $2,000 (read 2026-10-08)

Covered by a VA education benefit. Chapter 33, 30, 1606 or 35.

Up to 36 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at the 100% level for the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001.

Line of duty death after September 10, 2001. The service member must have died in the line of duty, or from a service-connected disability within the listed windows, on or after September 11, 2001.

A special monthly pension of $5,780 for each living Medal of Honor recipient, paid regardless of income or other benefits.

• Medal of Honor pension, effective December 1, 2025: $5,780 a month (read 2026-10-08)

Medal of Honor Roll. The recipient must be entered on the Medal of Honor Roll.

An honor guard of at least two uniformed members, one from the veteran’s branch, who fold and present the flag and play Taps, at the family’s request and at no cost.

Eligible veteran. Active duty or Selected Reserve service with a discharge other than dishonorable.

Free VA treatment for any physical or mental health condition related to military sexual trauma, without having reported it at the time and regardless of discharge status or length of service.

MST during service. Care is for conditions related to military sexual trauma. Discharge status and length of service do not bar it.

Up to 36 months of education payments, $2,601 a month for full-time school from October 1, 2026, for a veteran who paid $1,200 into the program during active duty.

• Full-time monthly rate, effective October 1, 2026: $2,601.00 (read 2026-10-08)

Service and contribution. Active duty after June 30, 1985, with the $1,200 contribution and the required service, or another listed category.

Up to 36 months of education payments, $508 a month full time from October 1, 2026, for a Guard or Reserve member with a six-year Selected Reserve obligation.

• Full-time monthly rate, effective October 1, 2026: $508.00 (read 2026-10-08)

Six-year Selected Reserve obligation. A six-year obligation in the Selected Reserve, and continued satisfactory participation.

A direct VA mortgage, from 2.47% fixed for 30 years when read, to buy, build or improve a home on federal trust land for a Native American veteran or a veteran married to a Native American.

• NADL interest rate, as posted: from 2.47% (read 2026-10-08)

Native American veteran on trust land. A Native American veteran, or a veteran married to one, buying on trust land of a tribe with a VA memorandum of understanding.

Expanded VA health care and presumptive disability compensation for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation and other toxins, with health care enrollment open to every eligible toxic-exposed veteran since March 5, 2024.

Covered service. Service in a location and period the PACT Act covers, plus the basic service and discharge rules for VA health care.

Education assistance tied to qualifying active duty after September 10, 2001. Often called the GI Bill or Chapter 33.

• Private and foreign school tuition cap, August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027: $30,908.34 a year (read 2026-10-08)

Lets a service member with six years of service who agrees to four more transfer up to 36 months of unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child.

Six years served, four more agreed. Must be requested while serving, with at least six years of service and a four-year added commitment.

An engraved certificate signed by the current President honoring a deceased veteran or reservist eligible for national cemetery burial, free to next of kin, family and friends.

Eligible for national cemetery burial. The veteran or reservist must have been eligible for burial in a national cemetery.

A monthly stipend, training, respite, mental health counseling and, in some cases, CHAMPVA health coverage for the family caregiver of a veteran rated 70% or more who needs in-person personal care.

Veteran rated 70% or more. The veteran must have a single or combined service-connected rating of 70% or more.

Free business training, counseling and loan guidance for veterans, service members and military spouses through Boots to Business and Veterans Business Outreach Centers.

Low-cost term life insurance of up to $500,000 for service members, at 5 cents per $1,000 a month plus $1 for traumatic injury coverage.

• Maximum coverage and premium: $500,000; 5 cents per $1,000 a month, plus $1 TSGLI (read 2026-10-08)

Serving member. Active duty, or Ready Reserve or Guard with scheduled drills, or another covered status.

Expedited Social Security disability claims for a service member disabled on active duty on or after October 1, 2001, and for a veteran rated 100% permanent and total by VA.

100% P&T, or disabled on active duty. A 100% P&T VA rating is one path to expedited processing; disability on active duty after September 30, 2001, is the other.

Extra earnings credited to a Social Security record for active duty from 1957 through 2001: $300 a quarter from 1957 to 1977, and $100 for each $300 of pay from 1978 to 2001, up to $1,200 a year.

• Military wage credit, 1978 to 2001: $100 per $300 of pay, up to $1,200 a year (read 2026-10-08)

Free seats left over on military aircraft for service members, retirees, Guard and Reserve members, their dependents, some surviving spouses, and veterans with a permanent service-connected disability rated as total.

Permanent total rating for veterans. A veteran who is not a retiree qualifies only with a permanent service-connected disability rated as total, and flies only within and between the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. Members, retirees, Guard and Reserve members and dependents have their own paths.

A higher or added monthly rate for a service-connected loss of a limb, an organ or its use, blindness, being housebound, or needing another person’s daily help. SMC-K adds $139.87 a month to any rating from 0% up.

• SMC-K, added monthly amount, effective December 1, 2025: $139.87 (read 2026-10-08)
• SMC-S, veteran alone, effective December 1, 2025: $4,408.53 (read 2026-10-08)
• SMC-R.2/T, veteran alone, effective December 1, 2025: $11,271.67 (read 2026-10-08)

A specific service-connected loss. Each SMC level is set by a specific loss, or loss of use, or by the need for aid and attendance or being housebound. SMC-K is paid at any combined rating, including 0%.

Grants to build, buy or adapt a barrier-free home for a veteran with certain severe service-connected disabilities: up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) in fiscal year 2026, with temporary residence grants of $50,961 or $9,100.

• SAH maximum, fiscal year 2026: $126,526 (read 2026-10-08)
• SHA maximum, fiscal year 2026: $25,350 (read 2026-10-08)

Qualifying severe disability. A specific service-connected loss, loss of use, blindness, burn or other listed condition. A combined percentage alone does not qualify.

Grant-funded help, including temporary rent, deposits, utilities and case management, to keep a very low-income veteran family housed or rehouse it quickly.

Very low income. A very low-income veteran family under 38 C.F.R. part 62, homeless or at imminent risk.

A monthly annuity to a military retiree’s surviving spouse or child, generally 55% of the chosen base amount of retired pay, and automatic coverage for the survivors of a member who dies on active duty.

• Standard annuity for a spouse: 55% of the base amount (read 2026-10-08)

Retiree election or death on active duty. The retiree elected coverage at retirement, or the member died on active duty.

Needs-based monthly payment for a surviving spouse or child of a wartime veteran with limited income and net worth.

• MAPR, surviving spouse with no child, effective December 1, 2025: $11,699 a year (read 2026-10-08)

Income and net worth. Survivors Pension is needs-based. Income and net worth must fall under the current VA limits. Confirm the survivors pension rate chart.

A one-time payment of $25,000 to $100,000 to a service member with SGLI who suffers a scheduled traumatic loss, such as amputation, paralysis, blindness or an inability to perform daily activities.

• TSGLI payment range: $25,000 to $100,000 (read 2026-10-08)

SGLI-covered traumatic injury. SGLI coverage at the time of a traumatic injury that causes a scheduled loss.

Protects a civilian job, seniority and health coverage when a worker leaves for military service, for up to five years of cumulative service with one employer.

Civilian employee entering service. Covers employees who leave a civilian job for uniformed service and meet the notice and return rules.

A free U.S. flag to drape the casket or accompany the urn of an eligible veteran or reservist, given to the next of kin.

Eligible veteran or reservist. Service in a listed period or status with a discharge other than dishonorable.

Mileage at 41.5 cents a mile, less a $3 one-way deductible capped at $18 a month, for travel to VA or VA-approved care by a veteran rated 30% or more, traveling for a service-connected condition, on pension, or with low income.

• Mileage rate: 41.5 cents a mile (read 2026-10-08)
• Deductible: $3 one way, $6 round trip, $18 a month cap (read 2026-10-08)

Rated 30% or more, or another path. A 30% rating qualifies for all care. Travel for a service-connected condition, pension, low income and C&P exams are other paths below 30%.

Burial in a VA national cemetery, a government headstone or marker, and in some cases a burial allowance.

Money toward a veteran’s funeral and burial: up to $2,000 for a service-connected death after September 10, 2001, and $1,032 each for burial and plot for a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026.

• Service-connected burial allowance, death after September 10, 2001: up to $2,000 (read 2026-10-08)
• Non-service-connected burial and plot allowances, death on or after October 1, 2026: $1,032 each (read 2026-10-08)

Paid the costs, not reimbursed. The claimant paid the burial costs, and the veteran was not dishonorably discharged and meets a service-connected or listed non-service-connected condition.

A VA-backed refinance of any existing mortgage, VA or not, that can take cash out of home equity, with a 2.15% funding fee on first use and 3.3% after.

• Cash-out refinance funding fee: 2.15% first use, 3.3% after (read 2026-10-08)

VA home loan eligibility. A valid Certificate of Eligibility and occupancy of the home.

A yearly payment of $1,053.19 for each qualifying item when a service-connected prosthetic or orthopedic device, or a prescribed skin medication, wears out or stains clothing.

• Clothing allowance, effective December 1, 2025: $1,053.19 (read 2026-10-08)

Service-connected disability. The device or medication must be for a service-connected disability. No percentage floor applies.

VA-paid care from a community provider when VA cannot see an enrolled veteran within 30 minutes’ drive and 20 days for primary or mental health care, or 60 minutes and 28 days for specialty care.

Enrolled in VA health care. The veteran must be enrolled in VA health care or otherwise eligible for VA care, and meet one of the six community care criteria.

Free comprehensive dental care for a veteran rated 100% or paid at the 100% rate for unemployability, or who is a former prisoner of war, with narrower classes for other veterans.

100% for full dental (Class IV). Full dental care needs a 100% schedular rating; individual unemployability and former POW status are other full-care paths, and narrower classes reach other veterans.

Monthly tax-free pay for an illness or injury VA decides is connected to military service.

Combined rating. VA assigns a combined rating from 0% to 100%. Monthly compensation generally starts at 10%. A 0% rating can still matter for health care and other benefits.

When VA decides a beneficiary cannot manage VA payments, it appoints a fiduciary to receive and manage them, and oversees that fiduciary.

Enrollment in the VA health care system. A disability rating can change priority and copays. It is not the only way in.

Enrollment. No single combined-rating minimum applies to everyone. A rating can change priority group and copays. Other enrollment paths exist.

Hearing aids, eyeglasses and contact lenses for an enrolled veteran with a compensable service-connected disability, a Purple Heart, former POW status, and other listed situations.

Compensable rating, or another listed path. A compensable (10% or more) service-connected rating is the most common path. Purple Heart, former POW and other listed paths have no rating floor.

No VA funding fee, which is otherwise 1.25% to 3.3% of a purchase loan, for a veteran receiving or entitled to VA compensation, a surviving spouse on DIC, a Purple Heart recipient on active duty, and a service member with a pre-discharge rating.

• Purchase funding fee, under 5% down, first use and after: 2.15% and 3.3% (read 2026-10-08)

Receiving or entitled to compensation. A compensable service-connected rating is the usual path. DIC surviving spouses and active-duty Purple Heart recipients are exempt without one.

A guaranty that helps an eligible veteran, service member, or some surviving spouses buy, build, or refinance a home with a private lender.

A streamline refinance of an existing VA-backed loan to a lower rate or from an adjustable to a fixed rate, with a 0.5% funding fee and usually no appraisal.

• IRRRL funding fee: 0.5% of the loan (read 2026-10-08)

Existing VA-backed loan. The loan being refinanced must already be VA-backed.

Mental health care from VA, including free emergency suicidal crisis care for any veteran and most former service members, whatever the discharge or enrollment status.

Discharge and enrollment. Routine care follows VA health care enrollment. Emergency suicidal crisis care does not need enrollment or a qualifying discharge.

Needs-based monthly payment for a wartime veteran with limited income who is 65 or older, or permanently and totally disabled.

• MAPR, veteran with no dependents, effective December 1, 2025: $17,441 a year (read 2026-10-08)
• Net worth limit, December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026: $163,699 (read 2026-10-08)

Income and net worth. Pension is needs-based. Countable income must fall under the MAPR ($17,441 for a veteran alone from December 1, 2025) and net worth under $163,699.

Artificial limbs, wheelchairs, home oxygen, orthotics, mobility aids and home medical equipment for an enrolled veteran who needs them, prescribed by a VA clinician.

Enrolled and prescribed. The veteran must be enrolled in VA health care and the item prescribed by a VA clinician.

Up to $100 a month, and $1,200 over a lifetime, for tutoring in a course a GI Bill student is failing or at risk of failing.

• Tutorial assistance limit: $100 a month, $1,200 lifetime (read 2026-10-08)

Using VA education benefits at half time or more. The student must be using a VA education benefit at half time or more.

Free help with a VA claim from a VA-accredited Veterans Service Organization representative, or paid help from an accredited attorney or claims agent after an initial decision.

Tuition, housing and books for a non-degree high-tech training program, for a veteran or separating service member with 36 months of active duty, limited to 4,000 paid participants a fiscal year.

36 months of active duty. At least 36 months of active duty, a discharge other than dishonorable or within 180 days of separating, and under 62.

Free, confidential counseling at community Vet Centers for combat veterans, service members, survivors and families, kept apart from the VA medical record and open without VA health care enrollment.

Combat theater or listed service. The service member or veteran must meet one of the 38 U.S.C. 1712A service descriptions. No rating or enrollment is needed.

A free digital Veteran ID Card for proof of service at businesses, for a veteran with an honorable or general discharge, and a VA health ID card for enrolled veterans.

Honorable or general discharge. The VIC needs an honorable or general discharge; the VHIC needs VA health care enrollment.

Work support, and sometimes training, when a service-connected disability limits the work a veteran can do. Also called VR&E or Voc Rehab.

Service-connected rating. The basic published gate is a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%, plus an employment handicap. A memorandum rating is a separate path for some serious employment handicaps.

SBA certification that lets a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business compete for federal sole-source and set-aside contracts.

Any service-connected rating for SDVOSB. SDVOSB needs a service-connected disability at any rating, including 0%. VOSB needs no rating.

Guaranteed-acceptance whole life insurance of up to $40,000 for a veteran 80 or younger with any service-connected rating, including 0%, with no health questions.

• Maximum coverage: $40,000 (read 2026-10-08)

Any service-connected rating. Any service-connected rating qualifies, including 0%.

Paid part-time work on VA-related jobs at a school, VA facility or veterans’ organization for a student using VA education benefits at three-quarter time or more.

Three-quarter time or more. Enrolled at least three-quarter time and using a listed VA education benefit.

Renewable term life insurance of $10,000 to $500,000 after separation, converting SGLI. No health review if the application is in within 240 days.

Within 1 year and 120 days of leaving. A former SGLI-insured member applying within the window.

Mortgage life insurance of up to $200,000, paid to the lender, for a veteran under 70 who has received a Specially Adapted Housing grant.

• Maximum coverage: $200,000 (read 2026-10-08)

Specially Adapted Housing grantee under 70. The veteran must have received an SAH grant and apply before 70.

A federal tax credit to employers of up to $9,600 for hiring a qualified veteran, for hires who began work on or before December 31, 2025. The credit has expired for later hires unless Congress extends it.

Qualified veteran hired by December 31, 2025. A veteran in a WOTC target group who began work on or before December 31, 2025.

Covers private, out-of-state, foreign or graduate tuition above the Post-9/11 GI Bill cap, matched by the school, for a student at the 100% benefit level.

• Private and foreign tuition cap, August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027: $30,908.34 (read 2026-10-08)

100% Post-9/11 level. The student must be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 100% level, and the school must take part.