Watauga County Board of Commissioners: the Veterans Year in the Minutes
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners’ minutes from October 2025 to October 2026 approve the Veterans Services Office’s application for a State veterans affairs grant and…
VetTOC · Veteran benefits reference
Watauga County, North Carolina
Free help with a VA claim
- Watauga County Veterans Service Office (April Goodman, Veterans Services Officer), 126 Poplar Grove Connector, Boone. Watauga County’s Veterans Service Office - Veterans Services Officer April Goodman and Veterans Service Assistant Jennifer Kemp, 126 Poplar Grove Connector, Boone ((828) 265-8065), weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - helps veterans, dependents and retirees apply for and appeal VA hospitalisation, service-connected compensation, education, loans, scholarships, pensions and burial allowances. www.wataugacounty.org/App_Pages/Dept/Vets/home.aspx
- North Carolina County Veterans Service Offices. North Carolina counties may run a veterans services programme, affiliated with the State Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and partly paid for by it. Accredited service officers file and appeal VA claims and certify State benefits such as the property tax exclusion, free of charge. www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_143B/GS_143B-1211.html
Find a VA-accredited representative: www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/find-rep
Watauga County benefits
Watauga County Register of Deeds: Free Discharge Recording and Copies, and the Thank-A-Veteran Discount Card
The Watauga County Register of Deeds (Courthouse, Room 119, 842 West King Street, Boone; 828-265-8034 for vital records) records a military discharge free and gives veterans…
www.wataugacounty.org/App_Pages/Dept/Deeds/militarydischarges.aspx
North Carolina benefits that apply here
North Carolina Bailey Exemption for Retirement Benefits
A retiree with five or more years of creditable service as of August 12, 1989 pays no North Carolina income tax on their federal or military retirement benefits.
North Carolina Disabled Veteran Property Tax Homestead Exclusion
The first $45,000 of appraised value of the residence comes off the tax roll for a veteran certified permanent and total, or receiving a VA specially adapted housing grant.
Gate: Permanent and total service-connected disability
www.ncleg.gov/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_105/gs_105-277.1c.html
North Carolina Free Recording and Certified Copies of a Discharge
Every Register of Deeds in North Carolina has to record a military discharge and provide certified copies to the veteran free of charge.
www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_47/GS_47-113.2.html
North Carolina In-State Tuition for Service Members and Veterans
In-state tuition rates for active duty members stationed in North Carolina and their dependents, for every National Guard member regardless of residence, and for a veteran using…
North Carolina Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License for Disabled Veterans
A lifetime hunting and fishing license for a resident veteran rated 50% or more, for a one-time nominal fee instead of an annual one.
Gate: Service-connected rating of 50% or more
www.ncwildlife.gov/outdoors/accessible-opportunities/disabled-licenses
North Carolina Military Retirement Pay Deduction
Military retired pay is fully deductible from North Carolina taxable income for a retiree with 20 or more years of service or who was medically retired, and for a Survivor…
www.ncdor.gov/taxes-forms/individual-income-tax/military-retirement
North Carolina National Guard State Pension
A state pension of $105 a month at 20 years of creditable service, rising $10.50 for each additional year to a $210 ceiling, from age 60, for a Guard member with 15 years in the…
www.ncleg.gov/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_127a/gs_127a-40.html
North Carolina Private Employer Veterans Preference
State law expressly allows a private employer to prefer a veteran for employment without it counting as unlawful discrimination.
Gate: Total and permanent disability, for the spouse path
www.ncleg.gov/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_95/gs_95-28.4.html
North Carolina Property Tax Exemption for a Disabled Veteran's Adapted Vehicle
A disabled veteran's vehicle altered with special equipment for a service-connected disability is exempt from North Carolina's vehicle property tax, if the veteran is entitled to…
www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_105/GS_105-275.html
North Carolina Scholarship for Children of Wartime Veterans
Eight academic semesters for the child of a wartime veteran who died of wartime service, is or was rated at least 20% for a wartime disability, received a Purple Heart, was a…
Gate: Parent rated at least 20% for a wartime service-connected disability
www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/PDF/2025-2026/SL2026-41.pdf
North Carolina State Parks: Veteran Camping Discount and Free Annual Pass for Disabled Veterans
Six dollars off a state park campsite per night for any veteran or service member, a discounted entrance fee at the Falls, Jordan and Kerr Lake recreation areas, and, since…
www.ncparks.gov/about-us/state-parks-reservation-rates-and-activity-fees
North Carolina State Veterans Cemeteries
Four state veterans cemeteries, at Black Mountain, Jacksonville, Spring Lake and Goldsboro.
North Carolina State Veterans Homes
Four open state skilled nursing homes, at Salisbury, Black Mountain, Kinston and Kernersville, with 449 beds; the Fayetteville home is closed for replacement.
www.milvets.nc.gov/divisions/north-carolina-state-veterans-homes
North Carolina Veteran Designation on a Driver License
A free VETERAN designation on a driver license or identification card with proof of an honorable discharge.
www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices-services/military/Pages/default.aspx
North Carolina Veteran and Disabled Veteran License Plates
A free 100% Disabled Veteran plate, for a car and a motorcycle, at a 100% rating or individual unemployability paid at 100%, and a Partially Disabled Veteran plate below it at no…
Gate: 100% service-connected, for the free Disabled Veteran plate
www.milvets.nc.gov/benefits-services/military-and-veteran-license-plates
North Carolina Veterans Preference in State Employment
Year-for-year credit for military service toward the experience a state job requires, up to four years of credit for unrelated service, and 10 preference points where a numerical…
oshr.nc.gov/hr-governance/veterans-national-guard-preference-policy
79 federal benefits apply here as well and are left off this page; the place page lists them.