Lewis and Clark County

Each Veterans Day the Board of County Commissioners lights county buildings green as part of Operation Green Light, the National Association of Counties initiative, and invites residents, businesses and organizations to replace one light bulb with a green one in honor of the more than 6,000 veterans who call the county home.

A countywide observance, not a gated benefit. Operation Green Light is a recognition and awareness initiative open to all; recorded so the rating filter never hides it.

Lewis and Clark County employs no veterans service office; state claims help runs through the Montana Veteran Services Program office in Helena, (406) 324-4774, [email protected], and the county site names no county veteran programme beyond its Operation Green Light observance.

State claims help is free to any veteran. The Montana Veteran Services Program assists veterans, spouses and dependents with federal claims at no charge, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Every Montana county must pay up to $500 toward interring a veteran who lived in the state, plus up to $100 to ship and raise a federal headstone. The figure has not moved since 1999 and the burial may not be in a pauper plot.

A Montana resident at the time of death, honorably discharged. The allowance reaches a veteran who was a resident of Montana at death, using the strict definition in 10-2-101 that requires an honorable discharge. Section 10-2-506 excludes a veteran with no legal residence in the state.

Nine state service offices and a county network of accredited officers who file federal claims free of charge. Counties may fund an office but are not required to have one.

Free claims help, and accreditation is required. State and county service officers assist with federal VA claims at no charge. Section 10-2-115(3) requires county service officers to be trained, accredited and supervised under 38 CFR 14.629. Anyone charging a fee to prepare an initial VA claim is outside that framework.

A 100, 80, 70 or 50 percent cut in the tax rate on the primary residence of a veteran rated 100 percent or paid at the 100 percent rate, on an income test. Unlike the general program it puts no ceiling on the value of the home.

A 100 percent service-connected rating. A qualified veteran is one currently rated 100 percent disabled by VA for a service-connected disability. A rating below 100 does not qualify on the schedular path.

Five years of free conservation and resident fishing or combination sports licences for a Guard or Reserve member who spent two months outside Montana on a contingency operation. Another deployment resets the five years.

Two months outside Montana on a contingency operation. The trigger is participation in a contingency operation as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13) that required at least two months of service outside Montana, by a Montana resident in the Montana National Guard, the federal reserve, or otherwise on active duty. No rating or discharge character test applies.

Half-price deer and antelope tags for a veteran whose combat-connected injury leaves them substantially mobility-impaired. The statute caps the whole program at 50 of each tag a year for the entire state.

A mobility test, not a rating. The gate is the 87-2-803(9) standard: certified by a physician, chiropractor, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse to be nonambulatory, to have substantially impaired mobility, or to have a documented genetic condition limiting walking or carrying weight for long distances, arising from a combat-connected injury. No combined rating figure appears in the section.

A medallion and a joint resolution of the Legislature for the family of a Montana service member killed or missing in action since 1939, and a commemorative coin for the family of an eligible veteran.

A Montana resident killed or missing in action since September 8, 1939. The service member must have been a Montana resident on active duty, killed in action or declared missing in action on or after September 8, 1939 in a Department of Defense recognised operation, in one of the four circumstances the statute lists.

Resident tuition waived at Montana University System campuses, but only after the GI Bill has run out. A veteran who still has federal entitlement left, or who never elected it, is not eligible.

Federal education benefits must be exhausted or expired. The veteran must have elected eligibility for Title 38 or Title 10 education benefits and have exhausted them or lost them through passage of time. Remaining GI Bill entitlement disqualifies. A VEAP participant who withdrew any part of their contribution before expiration is disqualified.

A Purple Heart recipient fishes and hunts game birds on a conservation licence alone, a Legion of Valor member fishes on one, a veteran residing in a VA hospital fishes with no licence, and a stationed nonresident buys at resident prices.

Purple Heart: a conservation licence and nothing else. A Montana resident awarded the Purple Heart may fish and hunt game birds other than wild turkeys on a conservation licence and a resident aquatic invasive species prevention pass. A nonresident recipient gets the same only on a nonprofit rehabilitation expedition.

Active duty salary is exempt from Montana income tax, but only for a resident who entered active duty from Montana. Guard pay is exempt on federal orders and on some Title 32 duty. Old war bonuses are exempt with a refund route.

Entered active duty from Montana. The active duty salary subtraction requires the taxpayer both to be a Montana resident serving on active duty in the regular armed forces and to have entered active duty from Montana. A resident who entered from another state does not meet the second half.

Grants of $250 a dependent, up to $2,000 for hardship, and $2,000 for a combat injury, for Guard and Reserve families. Officers at O-4 and above and warrant officers at W-4 and above are cut out of the first two.

Guard, or a Montana resident reservist on a contingency operation. A member is a Montana Army or Air National Guard member, or a Montana resident in a reserve component on federal active duty in a contingency operation since July 1, 2007. A family member must be enrolled as a dependent in DEERS.

120 hours of paid military leave a year for a public employee, banking to 240, and a state reemployment right for Guard members on state duty. The reemployment right can be lost by never telling the employer you are in the Guard.

120 hours of paid leave, after six months, public employers only. A state or local government employee with at least six months of service who is in the National Guard or a reserve component gets 120 hours of paid military leave a calendar or academic year, credited in full at once, not charged against vacation, carrying over to a maximum of 240 hours. Private employers are not required to pay for military leave.

Half of a military pension comes off Montana taxable income, but only up to the veteran’s Montana wage income, for five years, and only for a retiree who moved to Montana after June 2023 or was a resident before the pension started.

Capped at Montana source wage income. The subtraction is the lesser of 50 percent of the military pension or the taxpayer’s Montana source wage income, which is wages and salary for services performed in the state plus net income from a Montana trade, business, profession, occupation or farm. A retiree with no Montana earned income gets nothing.

Around two dozen plate designs, a $10 cemetery fee on each veteran set, and a DV plate that carries disabled parking. A surviving spouse may keep the deceased veteran’s plates, except the DV ones.

A 100 percent rating for the DV plate. One route to the disabled veteran plate and its parking privilege is a current rating of 100 percent for a service-connected disability.

A $50,000 state payment to the beneficiary of a Guard member who dies in the line of duty on state orders. It is untaxed by Montana, and it does not apply to a death on federal orders.

Paid from state and not federal military funds. The Department of Military Affairs must certify that the member died in the line of duty under Article VI, section 13 of the Montana Constitution or on state duty for special work under 10-1-505(2), and that the member was being paid or was to be paid from state rather than federal military funds.

An enlisted Guard member called out by the Governor is paid double the federal rate for the grade, with no day limit since 2025. An officer is paid the ordinary federal rate.

Double pay is for enlisted members on the Governor’s call-out. Section 10-1-502(3) doubles the federal rate for an enlisted member ordered into active duty under Article VI, section 13 of the Montana Constitution. An officer receives the ordinary federal rate for the grade under subsection (1).

Tuition waived at Montana University System campuses for a serving Guard member, undergraduate or graduate. A Guard member who is not a Montana resident gets in-state status for the purpose of the waiver.

A serving member in good standing, certified by the Adjutant General. The student must be a bona fide member of the Montana National Guard and have applied for the waiver no later than the third week of the first semester, must be certified in good standing, and must maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Montana boards must count military training toward licence requirements, must license a qualified spouse or member moving in from another state, and must stop charging fees and continuing education to a deployed licensee.

Boards must count military training. Section 37-1-145 requires every board and program to accept relevant education, training or service completed in the armed forces, the reserves or a state National Guard toward licence qualifications. It sets no fixed amount of credit.

A private employer in Montana may lawfully adopt a policy of preferring veterans in hiring. It creates nothing a veteran can claim, but it answers the discrimination objection an employer would otherwise raise.

Permissive for the employer, not a right for the veteran. The section authorises a private employer to adopt a veteran hiring preference. It does not require any employer to do so and creates nothing a job applicant can claim or enforce.

The same rate reduction on the surviving spouse’s own income table, which is lower than the veteran’s. It reaches a death on active duty and a death from a service-connected disability, not only the death of a veteran already rated 100 percent.

Unmarried surviving spouse, owner and occupant. The spouse must own and occupy the home as a primary residence for at least seven months of the year and must not have remarried. Remarriage terminates participation at the Department’s annual verification rather than merely failing a later test.

A $1,000 scholarship for a Montana student who holds the Purple Heart or a higher combat decoration. A student whose tuition is fully covered by VA education benefits is expressly excluded.

Purple Heart or a higher combat medal. Eligibility runs to a recipient of the Purple Heart or a higher medal for combat-related service, verified by a DD 214 or other authentic discharge form listing awards. A dishonorable or other than honorable discharge disqualifies; a general discharge does not.

Half off overnight camping fees at Montana state parks for a resident veteran, with no rating and no discharge test in the statute. Day use is already free to anyone paying the state park vehicle registration fee.

A Montana resident veteran, with no rating or discharge test. Section 23-1-105(2)(c) requires only that the camper be a Montana resident and a veteran of the armed forces. No disability rating, wartime service or discharge characterisation appears in the subsection.

Four state cemeteries where a veteran is interred at little or no charge and a spouse pays an opening and closing fee. Guard and Reserve members who fail the federal burial test can still be buried here.

Federal national cemetery eligibility, and no Montana residency test. Eligibility follows the VA national cemetery rules: an other than dishonorable discharge, sufficient qualifying service for the period served, and legible discharge documentation. There is no requirement to have lived in Montana. The cemetery manager verifies eligibility.

Up to half of a Survivor Benefit Plan annuity comes off Montana taxable income, and unlike the retiree’s version it is not capped at the survivor’s Montana wage income. The same five-year and residency conditions apply.

No Montana wage income cap on the survivor version. The lesser-of cap in 15-30-2120(8) is written to apply to the pension subtraction in (3)(n)(i) and does not reach the survivor benefit subtraction in (3)(n)(ii). A survivor with no Montana earnings still subtracts up to 50 percent.

Tuition waived for the spouse or child of a Montana National Guard member killed in the line of duty on state active duty. Federal duty deaths are covered by other programs and not by this one.

State active duty, not federal. The Guard member must have been killed or died from an injury, disease or other disability incurred in the line of duty while on state active duty. A death on federal Title 10 orders is not covered by this waiver.

All motor vehicle registration fees waived on two non-commercial vehicles for a 100 percent disabled veteran, a former prisoner of war, or several categories of surviving spouse. Two vehicles, not one.

A 100 percent service-connected rating. A veteran currently rated 100 percent disabled by VA for a service-connected disability qualifies for the waiver, as does their unremarried surviving spouse.

An employer gets $1,500 a year for a registered apprentice who is a veteran, double the ordinary amount, for up to five years. It is a reason to name your veteran status to an employer before they hire.

The wider employment-preference definition of veteran. The credit uses the definition in 39-29-101, which covers 180 days of active duty under honorable conditions including a general discharge, a reserve member called up during a war or campaign, and a Montana National Guard member with six years of service of which the last three were in the Montana Guard.

A "veteran" mark on a Montana licence or ID card, free to add but only at an issue, renewal or replacement, so the ordinary card fee applies. It proves status for the state park camping discount.

Free to add, but only at issue, renewal or replacement. There is no additional cost for the designation. It can only be added when the card is issued, renewed or replaced, so adding it mid-cycle means paying the ordinary replacement fee.

A property tax exemption for a veterans’ organization clubhouse, which survives running a bar in part of the building, and a separate 1891 exemption for property held by the guardian of an incompetent veteran that the state says nobody uses.

A society of honorably discharged military personnel. The clubhouse exemption runs to property owned, rented, leased or used primarily by an organization of honorably discharged United States military personnel for educational, fraternal, benevolent or purely public charitable purposes rather than for gain or profit.

Five points for a veteran and ten for a disabled veteran or eligible relative in public hiring, plus retention in a layoff. The preference is lost entirely unless it is claimed in writing before applications close.

Claim it in writing before applications close. Section 39-29-103(2) requires a written claim of preference before the filing deadline for the position, and makes failure to claim a complete defense to an enforcement action. Mentioning service on a resume or in an interview is not a claim.

A 30-year fixed mortgage at one percent below the Board of Housing’s posted rate, with no income, asset or purchase price limit. It is first-time buyers only, with no exceptions, and the fund is revolving and finite.

Serving Guard and Reserve members count, and so does a general discharge. An eligible veteran is a Montana resident who is or has been in the Montana National Guard or the federal reserve forces under Title 10, or is serving or has served on Title 10 active duty, or is the unremarried spouse of such a person killed in the line of duty. "Under honorable conditions" is defined to include a general discharge.

Three state homes at Columbia Falls, Glendive and Butte for nursing and domiciliary care. Honorable discharge is required, residents pay according to ability, and a spouse is admitted only if there is room.

Honorable discharge under the Title 10 definition. Chapter 2 of Title 10 uses the definition in 10-2-101: an honorably discharged individual who served on active duty other than for training, including the Coast Guard, the First Special Service Force, and the American merchant marine in oceangoing service between December 7, 1941 and August 15, 1945. A general discharge does not qualify.

Undergraduate tuition waived for a child aged 25 or under of a Montana service member killed in action or dead of a combat-related cause. The list of qualifying conflicts skips the Gulf War and every operation between Vietnam and Iraq.

Aged 25 or under, for undergraduate study only. The waiver runs only while the student is 25 or under, covers undergraduate tuition only, waives no fees, and cannot be combined with another tuition waiver. Satisfactory academic progress must be maintained.

Montana has at least three working definitions of "veteran" and they disagree about discharge character, length of service and whether a serving Guard member counts. Which one applies depends on which benefit you are asking about.

Title 10 chapter 2: honorable discharge only. Section 10-2-101 requires an honorable discharge from active duty other than for training, and includes the Coast Guard, the First Special Service Force, and the American merchant marine in oceangoing service between December 7, 1941 and August 15, 1945. It governs the veterans’ homes, the state cemeteries, the county interment allowance and the medallion.

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.