Lafayette Parish

Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Veterans Affairs Commission advises local government and expands access to resources for veterans and military families; it meets at City Hall, 705 W University Avenue.

Advisory body, no eligibility. The commission advises local government; no benefit is attached.

The Lafayette Parish Assessor’s own qualification list puts a totally or partially disabled veteran with a 50%-or-more service-connected rating on the special assessment level, with homestead and adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less, on a Special Assessment Level Form backed by last year’s tax return.

50% or more service-connected for the veteran freeze. A totally or partially disabled veteran with a service-connected disability of 50% or more as determined by VA qualifies for the special assessment level, with homestead claimed and AGI of $100,000 or less.

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs keeps the Lafayette Parish veterans service office at 2100 Jefferson Street, Lafayette, under Nakeisha Foots, helping veterans and families claim benefits; 337-262-5628.

Veterans, dependents and survivors. Open to any veteran, dependent or survivor. No rating is needed.

A veteran or military retiree moving to Louisiana pays $90 in state and local vehicle use tax instead of the full amount, on one primary personal vehicle, if it is registered within 90 days of the move.

Registered within 90 days of moving to Louisiana. The vehicle must be registered within 90 days of the move. This is the condition most often missed, and it cannot be recovered afterwards. No disability rating applies, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

A 25% discount on automobile liability insurance for military retirees and veterans at 50% disability or more, on any policy purchased in Louisiana. The carrier decides whether to grant it.

50% or more on the disabled veteran path. The disabled veteran path requires a disability of 50 percent or more. This gate is not enforced in the rating filter because retired military members are named as an independent qualifying group with no rating at all.

Three tiers on top of the regular homestead exemption: $2,500 more of assessed value at 50%, $4,500 more at 70%, and the entire remaining assessed value at 100% or unemployability. Municipal taxes are the catch.

Service-connected rating of 50% or more. The first tier opens at 50 percent. Fifty percent is where most of Louisiana's veteran benefits begin, which is lower than any other state in this catalog. A veteran who crosses from 40 to 50 percent should re-read the whole Louisiana list rather than just this entry.

Five points on the entrance test score for municipal fire and police jobs. Act 160 of 2026 widened this: 180 days of service now qualifies alongside wartime service, though the state agency described it as a new requirement.

Wartime service, or 180 days or more since Act 160 of 2026. Either service during times of war or service of 180 days or more qualifies, with an honorable discharge or a discharge under honorable conditions. Act 160 of 2026 added the 180-day alternative effective August 1, 2026; it did not impose a minimum on the wartime path. No disability rating applies, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

At 50% a veteran gets a free Louisiana driver license or ID and a free specialty plate with mobility-impaired parking privileges. At 100% the license adds a Disabled American Veteran designation.

Service-connected rating of 50% or more. The free license or ID and the free plate both open at 50 percent. Fifty percent is where most of Louisiana's veteran benefits begin, which is lower than any other state in this catalog. A veteran who crosses from 40 to 50 percent should re-read the whole Louisiana list rather than just this entry.

Free hunting and fishing licenses at a permanent 50% service-connected rating, and Louisiana grants this to nonresidents too. A private foundation pays the fee, and the license still has to be renewed every year.

Service-connected rating of 50% or more. The license is free at a permanent 50 percent classification. Fifty percent is where most of Louisiana's veteran benefits begin, which is lower than any other state in this catalog. A veteran who crosses from 40 to 50 percent should re-read the whole Louisiana list rather than just this entry.

From August 1, 2026 no Louisiana provider may charge for records requested to support a VA or state disability claim. The state veterans agency calls it once per facility; the statute says once per veteran.

Once per veteran, not once per facility. The exemption applies only once per veteran and does not apply to any subsequent request for medical records regardless of purpose. The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs describes it as once per facility, which the enacted statute does not support. No disability rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

State officials furnish certified birth, marriage and death certificates free when required for VA benefits, and a clerk of court records a discharge free and keeps it confidential rather than public.

Records required for a VA benefit. The fee waiver under R.S. 29:263 attaches to the purpose: the certified copy must be required for VA benefits. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Up to $10,000 for one need-based claim in a 12-month period, for housing, utilities, some medical care and other essential expenses. It is funded by private donations and reviewed monthly, so it is not fast money.

Honorable or under honorable conditions discharge, and Louisiana residency. A veteran with a discharge of honorable or under honorable conditions, or a current Louisiana National Guard or Reserves member in good standing, who is a current Louisiana resident. No disability rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Federal retirement benefits, military retired pay and military Survivor Benefit Plan annuities are all excluded from Louisiana income tax. The general rate is now a flat 3%, and 120 days stationed out of state deducts $30,000.

No rating and no age test on military retired pay. The Federal Retirement Benefits Exclusion carries no disability rating requirement, no age floor, and no dollar cap, and it reaches military survivor benefit plan annuities as well. The rating filter never hides this benefit.

A Louisiana Guard member permanently and totally disabled on federal or state active duty since September 11, 2001 may receive a $100,000 or $50,000 state benefit. The amount turns on when the VA decision came.

Permanent and total disability on active duty since September 11, 2001. The member must have suffered a permanent and total disability while on federal or state active duty on or after September 11, 2001. State active duty counts, which many state programs exclude. No VA rating percentage governs the state benefit, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Two complementary programs for drilling Louisiana Guard members: STEP exempts all tuition charges for up to five academic years, and the Patriot Scholarship pays all mandatory fees for up to four.

Drilling Louisiana National Guard member in good standing. Both programs require current drilling membership in the Louisiana National Guard, good standing, Louisiana residency, and maintained academic standing. No disability rating applies, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Freezes the homestead assessment at its first qualifying year for a veteran at 50% or more, subject to an income cap of $100,000 indexed to inflation. A veteran under 65 must recertify income every year.

Service-connected rating of 50% or more. The freeze opens at a 50 percent service-connected rating. Fifty percent is where most of Louisiana's veteran benefits begin, which is lower than any other state in this catalog. A veteran who crosses from 40 to 50 percent should re-read the whole Louisiana list rather than just this entry.

Five points on the eligible list for a veteran, ten for a disabled veteran or qualifying family member. Two limits decide most cases: new hires only, and the VA disability letter must be under six months old.

New hires only: probational and job appointments. Points are added only in new hiring situations, meaning probational appointments and job appointments, for all jobs. They are not added to promotions within the classified service. The five-point preference needs no disability rating, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

A disabled veteran with a State Park Permit enters every Louisiana park free, and so does everyone riding in the same private vehicle. Active duty get 50% off day use and military families 15% off rentals.

A State Park Permit obtained through a parish veterans service office. The free admission runs on a State Park Permit, which is applied for at the local parish veterans service office rather than at a park. The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs sets the qualifying rating at 50 percent or greater. Other rates in this entry carry no rating at all, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Five state homes at Bossier City, Jackson, Jennings, Monroe and Reserve. Ninety days of active duty and an honorable discharge qualify, spouses and Gold Star parents may live there, and there is no monthly fee at 70% or more.

90 days of active duty and an honorable discharge. Admission requires 90 days or more of active duty with an honorable discharge, or fewer than 90 days where the discharge was for a service-connected disability. No disability rating is required for admission, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Not law yet. Act 39 of 2026 goes to Louisiana voters on November 3, 2026. If it passes it drops the occupy-and-own condition for surviving spouses and adds a one-time transfer to a new home from January 1, 2027.

Not law: statewide vote on November 3, 2026. This is a proposed constitutional amendment, Act 39 of the 2026 Regular Session, submitted to Louisiana voters at the statewide election on November 3, 2026. Nothing in it is in force unless and until it is ratified. No disability rating governs this entry, so the rating filter never hides it.

A child of a living veteran rated 90 to 100% or unemployable attends any Louisiana public college free of tuition and school-imposed fees, including nonresidency fees. Spouses qualify only through death, POW or MIA.

Living veteran rated 90 to 100%, or unemployable. For a child of a living veteran the rating must be 90 to 100 percent service-connected on evaluation of the rating schedule, or the veteran must be determined unemployable as a result of a service-connected disability.

A disabled veteran pays no tolls on state ferries and bridges and no fees at state parking facilities, plus free airport parking at 50%. The Crescent City Connection is excepted from the toll exemption.

50% or more for airport and cruise terminal parking. The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs administers the airport parking program at a service-connected rating of at least 50 percent, and R.S. 29:27.2 sets 50 percent for the cruise terminal. This gate is not enforced in the rating filter because the underlying toll and state parking exemption in R.S. 29:27 names no percentage at all.

Certification as a veteran-owned small business adds up to 12% of the total evaluation points on a state RFP and lets agencies skip extra bid quotes under $25,000. Two separate programs, two separate applications.

51% veteran ownership and a Louisiana principal place of business. The Veteran Initiative requires at least 51 percent veteran ownership, a principal place of business in Louisiana, Louisiana resident owners and officers who are U.S. citizens or legal residents, independent ownership and operation, and that the business not be dominant in its field. No disability rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Five state cemeteries. Burial of an eligible veteran is free, but a spouse or dependent child is charged a fee equal to the current federal VA plot allowance, which is the detail families discover at the worst moment.

Discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. Eligibility follows VA national cemetery standards: a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable from active duty, death while serving on active duty, 20 or more years of Guard or Reserve service qualifying for retirement or that would qualify at age 60, or an activated Reserve or Guard member. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

A state medal whose ribbon colour records the circumstance: blue for an honorable discharge, purple for a Purple Heart, black for a prisoner of war, yellow for killed in action. One medal per veteran.

Louisiana residency now, at entry into service, or at death. Any one of the three moments satisfies the residency test, so a veteran who enlisted from Louisiana and left, or who arrived after service, qualifies. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

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)
• 1 more dated figure

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)
• 1 more dated figure

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.