VetTOC · Veteran benefits reference
Find a VA-accredited representative: www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/find-rep
The Madison County Tax Assessor, Canton (601-859-1921), takes homestead applications by April 1, including the State's full exemption for a veteran rated 100% service-connected,…
Gate: 100% service-connected, or an honorably discharged veteran 90 or older
Any service-connected disability, at any percentage, exempts a veteran from concealed carry permit and renewal fees.
Gate: Any service-connected disability, at any percentage
A complete exemption from all ad valorem taxes on the homestead, with no dollar cap and no acreage cap, for an honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected total…
Gate: Service-connected total disability
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2026/pdf/HB/4000-4099/HB4044SG.pdf
Two motor vehicle plates and one motorcycle tag at one dollar each, for a veteran at 100% permanent service-connected disability or at least 70% nonpermanent.
Gate: At least 70% nonpermanent service-connected disability; 100% permanent service-connected disability; Permanence on the 100% path
Mississippi furnishes birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce and adoption decrees, and other records free of charge when needed to establish a VA dependency,…
A complete ad valorem exemption on the homestead for the unremarried surviving spouse of a servicemember who was killed or died on active duty, including a reserve or National…
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2026/pdf/HB/1300-1399/HB1380SG.pdf
A complete ad valorem exemption for an honorably discharged veteran with no rating at all, based only on age.
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2026/pdf/HB/4000-4099/HB4044SG.pdf
A local school board may award an honorary high school diploma to a veteran who left school to serve, on two specific timelines tied to 1941 to 1955 and 1963 to 1973.
A resident adjudged by VA as having a total service-connected disability needs no hunting or fishing license.
Gate: Service-connected total disability
Any veteran under Title 38, or anyone entitled to Title 38 education benefits including a transferee, pays in-state tuition in Mississippi.
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2025/pdf/SB/2500-2599/SB2526SG.pdf
Mississippi taxes no military retired pay, no VA compensation, no Social Security, and no combat zone hazardous duty pay, and excludes the first $15,000 of Guard and reserve pay.
Up to $10,000 a state fiscal year at a Mississippi college or university, or $5,000 at a community college, for an actively serving Guard member.
Listed in the state veterans guidebook, but the income ceiling is $900 a year, unchanged for decades.
A Mississippi statute names PTSD explicitly. A veteran diagnosed with PTSD who uses a trained support animal has a state law right of access to public accommodations with no…
Eight semesters of tuition at no cost at any state-supported college or university in Mississippi, for a child of a servicemember whose home of record is Mississippi and who is…
Since 2019 the State Personnel Board implements the statutory preference by placing veterans at the top of the eligible list, disabled veterans first, rather than by adding points.
Gate: 30% for the disabled veteran preference
A 15% discount off camping and lodging rates for veterans and active service members, excluding holidays and special events.
Gate: 100% service-connected for the disabled park permit rates
No daily charge at all for a resident of a Mississippi State Veterans Nursing Home with a combined service-connected rating of 70% or more, or a total rating based on individual…
Gate: Combined service-connected rating of 70% or more; Total rating based on individual unemployability
Five state-run skilled nursing homes, at Collins, Jackson, Kosciusko, Oxford, and the newest at Tradition in Biloxi.
The credit for employing an unemployed post-9/11 veteran was repealed effective January 1, 2018. Mississippi Veterans Affairs still lists it as a current benefit.
A state-run mortgage at 4.50% for 5 to 15 years or 5.00% for 16 to 30 years as of March 1, 2026, up to $400,000, at 100% loan to value, serviced by the state for the life of the…
A state medal for any honorably discharged Mississippi veteran, wartime or peacetime, including Guard and Reserve.
Two state cemeteries, at Newton and Kilmichael, burying veterans, spouses, and dependent children at no cost.
A higher VA pension for a veteran or survivor who needs another person’s help with daily living or is confined to the home.
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…
www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/veterans-and-gold-star-families-free-access.htm
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…
Gate: Qualifying loss
www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/special-claims/automobile-allowance-adaptive-equipment
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.
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…
Gate: Permanent and total disability
www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/health-and-disability/champva
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…
www.irs.gov/individuals/military/tax-exclusion-for-combat-service
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…
Gate: Rated 10% or more
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…
Gate: Any service-connected rating
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.
Gate: Rated 50% or more
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.
www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/survivor-compensation/dependency-indemnity-compensation
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…
Gate: Sponsor status
www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance
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…
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.
www.va.gov/education/other-va-education-benefits/stem-scholarship
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.
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…
Gate: 30% for the disabled veteran authority
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…
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.
www.va.gov/burials-memorials/memorial-items/headstones-markers-medallions
Transitional housing with services, for up to about two years, from community agencies VA funds, for a homeless veteran.
A HUD Housing Choice rental voucher paired with VA case management for a homeless veteran, with housing first and no sobriety or treatment precondition.
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…
Gate: Schedular rating gate; Unable to keep substantially gainful work
www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/special-claims/unemployability
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…
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.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/test-fees
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.
www.va.gov/education/survivor-dependent-benefits/fry-scholarship
A special monthly pension of $5,780 for each living Medal of Honor recipient, paid regardless of income or other benefits.
www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/special-benefit-allowance-rates
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.
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…
www.va.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/military-sexual-trauma
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.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/montgomery-active-duty
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.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/montgomery-selected-reserve
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…
www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-types/native-american-direct-loan
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…
Education assistance tied to qualifying active duty after September 10, 2001. Often called the GI Bill or Chapter 33.
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.
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.
www.va.gov/burials-memorials/memorial-items/presidential-memorial-certificates
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…
Gate: Veteran rated 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.
www.sba.gov/business-guide/grow-your-business/veteran-owned-businesses
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.
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.
Gate: 100% P&T, or disabled on active duty
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…
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…
Gate: Permanent total rating for veterans
www.amc.af.mil/AMC-Travel-Site/AMC-Space-Available-Travel-Page
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.
Gate: A specific service-connected loss
www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/special-monthly-compensation-rates
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,…
Gate: Qualifying severe disability
Grant-funded help, including temporary rent, deposits, utilities and case management, to keep a very low-income veteran family housed or rehouse it quickly.
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…
Needs-based monthly payment for a surviving spouse or child of a wartime veteran with limited income and net worth.
www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/survivor-compensation/survivors-pension
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…
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.
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.
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…
Gate: Rated 30% or more, or another path
www.va.gov/resources/reimbursed-va-travel-expenses-and-mileage-rate
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…
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.
www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-types/cash-out-loan
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.
Gate: Service-connected disability
www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/special-claims/clothing-allowance
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…
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.
Gate: 100% for full dental (Class IV); Paid at 100% for unemployability
Monthly tax-free pay for an illness or injury VA decides is connected to military service.
Gate: Combined rating
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.
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.
Gate: Compensable rating, or another listed path
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…
Gate: Receiving or entitled to compensation
www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs
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.
www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-types/interest-rate-reduction-loan
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.
www.va.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/mental-health
Needs-based monthly payment for a wartime veteran with limited income who is 65 or older, or permanently and totally disabled.
Artificial limbs, wheelchairs, home oxygen, orthotics, mobility aids and home medical equipment for an enrolled veteran who needs them, 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.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/tutor-assistance
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…
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/vettec-high-tech-program
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…
www.va.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/mental-health
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.
Work support, and sometimes training, when a service-connected disability limits the work a veteran can do. Also called VR&E or Voc Rehab.
Gate: Service-connected rating
www.va.gov/careers-employment/vocational-rehabilitation/eligibility
SBA certification that lets a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business compete for federal sole-source and set-aside contracts.
Gate: Any service-connected rating for SDVOSB
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.
Gate: Any service-connected rating
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.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/work-study
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.
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.
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.
www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/work-opportunity-tax-credit
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.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11/yellow-ribbon-program