Lawrence County

Stone, Barry and Lawrence counties make up the 39th Judicial Circuit, which the Office of State Courts Administrator's veterans treatment court map shades as running a Veterans Treatment Court Program, and the VA's southwest Missouri Veterans Justice Outreach page (updated July 2026) lists Lawrence and Stone among the counties with a veterans treatment court; the circuit publishes no rules or contact of its own, so ask a defence lawyer, the Circuit Clerk, or the VA's justice outreach staff.

Justice-involved veteran. For a veteran or service member with a pending case in the circuit who is screened and accepted. A disability rating is not the test.

The Lawrence County Recorder of Deeds, Denise Massie, at the Historic Courthouse in Mt. Vernon (417-466-2670), tells veterans there is no charge to record a DD-214, warns them off companies that charge $79 to $119 to do it, and posts the Recorders Association of Missouri's notarized request form for copies under RSMo 59.480.

Any veteran with a discharge. Recording and copies are free under the State statute; copies go only to the veteran or the people 59.480 names. No rating is needed.

Lawrence County has no county veterans office; the Missouri Veterans Commission's Mt. Vernon office, inside the Missouri Veterans Home at 1600 S. Hickory, Room A105 (Robert Miller-Morgan, 417-572-2128), serves Lawrence and Barry counties with free VA claims help, Monday to Thursday 8 to 4 and Friday 8 to noon.

Veterans and survivors. Free claims help; no rating is needed to ask.

The Veterans Commission Capital Improvement Trust Fund is funded by casino admission fees. It sits third in a waterfall out of the gaming commission fund and then takes one hundred percent of the residual, so capital funding for the homes and cemeteries tracks riverboat gambling receipts.

The fund consists of casino money, not general revenue. Section 42.300.1 says the Veterans Commission Capital Improvement Trust Fund consists of money collected under section 313.835, the gaming commission fund.

Not available for any service-connected disability. The plate needs either a disability of the kind that would have earned a federal automobile grant, or compensation at the total rate. One set is free; a second set pays full fees.

A disability of the kind that would have earned a federal automobile grant. Section 301.071 asks for a service-connected disability of such a nature that it would have entitled the veteran to be awarded an automobile by the United States Federal Government, which points at the impairments in 38 U.S.C. 3901 and 3902: loss or permanent loss of use of a foot or hand, and prescribed permanent impairment of vision of both eyes.

Every county recorder of deeds in Missouri, and the City of St. Louis recorder, must record a military discharge document free, and may not charge for a certified or uncertified copy or for notarising the request. The images are closed to the public for seventy-five years.

Any veteran or authorized party. Recording is free for any military discharge document. Copies are free for the veteran and any authorized party. No rating is needed.

A veteran at 60 percent or a former prisoner of war may hunt and fish without a permit, but not for deer, turkey, bear or elk, and not trapping. The rules sit in the Wildlife Code rather than the statutes, because the Conservation Commission is a constitutional body.

A service-related disability of 60 percent or greater. The Wildlife Code exemption runs at sixty percent for an honorably discharged veteran, resident or nonresident. The figure is regulatory rather than statutory and can be changed by the Conservation Commission without legislation.

Separating service members, current Guard and reserve members, and dependents of members stationed here all get resident tuition, on three different statutes with three different conditions. The Guard route is strictly last-dollar where the Returning Heroes cap is not.

Separating with an honorable or general discharge, declaring Missouri residency. Section 173.1150.1 and .2: in the process of separating from any branch with an honorable or general discharge, demonstrating presence and declaring residency in Missouri, or in the community college’s taxing district.

Active duty component pay is fully deductible including the signing bonus, Guard drill and annual training pay reached 100 percent in tax year 2024, and enlistment bonuses were added in 2025. A dual-status technician’s civilian pay is expressly outside all of it.

Active duty component pay is fully deducted, signing bonus included. Section 143.174, for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2016. The deduction reaches the active duty component of the Armed Forces of the United States, not a reservist on active duty orders, who is covered by section 143.175 instead.

A retiree’s own military retirement is subtracted in full with no cap and no income test, including Guard and state militia service. A surviving spouse’s SBP annuity is not, and is capped at the maximum Social Security benefit available.

Military retired pay for the taxpayer’s own service is fully subtracted. Section 143.121.3(12): one hundred percent of retirement benefits received as a result of the taxpayer’s service in the Armed Forces of the United States, including reserve components, the National Guard of this state and any other military force organised under the laws of this state. No cap, no age test, no income test.

Grants to the families of Missouri Guard and reserve members for expenses caused by a call to active duty, funded largely by a voluntary check-off on the state income tax return rather than by appropriation.

A family of a Missouri Guard or reserve member affected by a call to active duty. Section 41.216 authorises the adjutant general to make grants from the fund, subject to appropriation and on the recommendation of a panel.

Paid military leave for every public employee in the state rose from 120 to 160 hours a federal fiscal year in 2026, state-call duty is unlimited, and Guard members on state active duty for more than thirty days now get Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protection with a private right of action.

Any public employee of the state, a county, a municipality, a school district or other political subdivision. Section 105.270.1 reaches all of them, not only state employees.

One set of any military plate is free of special-plate and personalisation fees, and plates authorised after 2006 carry no count limit. Ten decoration plates and a free placard also give free metered parking and free parking on any public college campus.

One set of any military plate is free of special-plate and personalisation fees. Section 301.3030.1. Additional sets may be charged the ordinary fees.

A tuition and fee waiver at Missouri public institutions plus a grant programme, capped at University of Missouri average tuition and 120 completed credit hours. The 2026 session struck GI Bill entitlements from the offset list, and the waiter switches off entirely in any year the state appropriation share falls.

A current member of the Missouri National Guard in satisfactory service. Section 173.239.1 and 3(1)(a): the assistance is available while the person is a member, on a certificate of satisfactory service from the commanding officer.

An honorary high school diploma for any honorably discharged veteran who left school to serve and did not return, and for civilian prisoners of war. Former residents qualify, diplomas may be issued posthumously, and the diploma names the veteran’s school.

An honorably discharged veteran who left high school to serve and did not return. Section 160.360.2. The section does not limit itself to any war or period of service.

A private employer may prefer veterans without breaching state equal employment law, and every federally funded state training programme must run a five-tier veteran priority with special disabled veterans first and an annual report to the legislature.

A private employer may prefer a veteran, and is protected against state EEO claims only. Section 285.250.1 and .3. The safe harbour covers state equal employment opportunity law. It does not mention local ordinances and does not address federal law.

Two parallel three-point bonus preferences with three percent goals, one for any honorably discharged veteran-owned enterprise created in 2026 and one for service-disabled veteran businesses, and a business may take only one. Both bind every political subdivision as well as the state.

Any VA-certified service-connected disability, with no percentage. Section 34.074.1 defines a service-disabled veteran as any individual disabled as certified by the appropriate federal agency responsible for the administration of veterans’ affairs. No rating percentage appears in the section.

Outside a narrow exemption for a totally disabled former prisoner of war, Missouri has no veteran property tax exemption. A 100 percent service-connected disabled veteran instead enters the senior citizens circuit breaker without being 65, and is the one claimant whose VA payments are left out of the income test. The caps rose for calendar year 2026 for the first time since 2008.

A veteran who became 100 percent disabled as a result of service. Section 135.010(1) lets a claimant or spouse who is a veteran of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States or of this state, and who became one hundred percent disabled as a result of that service, claim without reaching age 65.

Since 2010 the Missouri Constitution exempts from property tax the whole homestead of a former prisoner of war who has a total service-connected disability. It is the only veteran property tax exemption in Missouri, and it is claimed from the county assessor.

Total service-connected disability, schedular 100%. One way to have a total service-connected disability is a 100% combined rating.

Eleven separate state-law reliefs for a Missouri resident on qualifying active duty of thirty days or more: insurance, licence renewal, vehicle registration, professional licences across thirty chapters, tax filing, administrative actions, and a stay of any disciplinary proceeding.

A Missouri resident on active duty of thirty days or more. Section 41.950.1: the service must be in a military conflict in which reserve components have been called to active duty under 10 U.S.C. 672(d) or 673b or a subsequent call by the President or Congress, for a period of thirty days or more.

Tuition capped at $50 per credit hour for a combat veteran at any Missouri public institution, and at 30 percent of tuition and fees for a graduate degree. The undergraduate right expires ten years after discharge and the graduate right at twenty, and professional degrees are excluded.

Served in armed combat, shown by theater service, combat medals or hostile fire pay. Section 173.900.2. The statute sets no minimum number of days and no post-September 11, 2001 cutoff. Documentation may be a combat theater record, combat service medals, or receipt of imminent danger or hostile fire pay or the combat pay tax exclusion.

Medallions, medals and certificates for six conflicts, three of them added in 2026. Eligibility reaches a veteran who was a Missouri resident at entry, at discharge or at death, or who simply served in a Missouri Guard unit, and a surviving spouse or eldest living survivor may apply.

Missouri residency at any one of four moments, or none at all. Legal residence now, at entry into military service, at discharge, or at death. Alternatively, service in a unit of the Missouri National Guard qualifies regardless of whether the veteran is or ever was a Missouri resident.

Seven homes, and admission is an entitlement rather than a discretion for a Missouri citizen who meets the federal definition of veteran or holds an honorable Guard discharge. Spouses are not admitted, and the co-payment may never exceed the average cost of care.

A citizen of Missouri meeting the federal definition of veteran. Section 42.105 applies the criteria established by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its successor for veteran status. There is no wartime requirement, no rating and no minimum period of Missouri residency.

The merit system preference is a tie-breaker and nothing more: it applies only "if all other relevant job-related factors are equal" and names no points. A Missouri National Guard member on the register has the stronger right, because an interview is mandatory.

Preference applies only if all other job-related factors are equal. Section 36.220.1, second sentence. The preference is a tie-breaker; the section names no points, no percentage and no ranking rule.

Commission staff may not accept or charge anything of value for helping a veteran, and doing so is a class A misdemeanour. The wider service officer network runs on matching grants from casino money rather than on a statutory officer in every county.

Commission services are free, and charging is a class A misdemeanour. Section 42.027 bars the commission, its members, the executive director and all employees from accepting, receiving or charging any money, article or thing of value for any service rendered to veterans, their dependents or legal representatives.

Any Missouri circuit court, or several together, may set up a veterans treatment court for veterans and current service members charged with a crime who have a substance use or mental health disorder, Guard and Reserve included, with preference for combat service. Each circuit sets its own eligibility rules.

Veteran or current service member charged with a crime. Guard and Reserve included; combat service gets preference. Each court sets further rules. No rating is needed.

Tuition, $2,000 a semester for room and board and $500 a semester for books, for the child or spouse of a service member killed, injured in combat, or rated 80 percent from combat injuries. Twenty-five grants a year statewide, with a waiting list written into the statute.

The member served after September 11, 2001 during time of war. Section 173.234.1(6). Active duty, reserve or National Guard all count.

Missouri writes no service test of its own for chapter 42. It adopts whatever the United States Department of Veterans Affairs says, which means the state definition moves when federal rules move, and several benefits then use narrower or wider tests of their own.

For chapter 42, whatever the federal Department of Veterans Affairs says. Section 42.002(5) defines veteran as any person defined as a veteran by the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs or its successor agency, for sections 42.002 to 42.135 and section 143.1001. Missouri writes no days-of-service test of its own there.

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.