Strafford County

The Strafford County Department of Corrections’ Programs Department connects incarcerated veterans with local VA resources for treatment, housing, benefits, Vet Court services and other supportive programming.

Incarcerated veterans. The connections are made for veterans in county custody; no rating is required.

The Board of Commissioners resolved on November 6, 2025 to declare Strafford County’s participation in NACo’s 5th Annual Operation Green Light for Veterans, the November campaign lighting county buildings green for veterans.

Countywide recognition, no eligibility test. Participation is a county resolution; no veteran eligibility or application is involved.

The county’s 215-bed Riverside Rest Home runs monthly Veteran Luncheon Trips and a monthly Vets Meet Vets group for its residents, and hosts a flag-retirement ceremony and barbecue, a Veterans Day observance and the Memorial Day parade.

Resident veterans. The programming is for the home’s veteran residents; no application or rating is involved.

One permanent application by April 15 covers every later year, a written decision is due by July 1, and an appeal goes to the board of tax and land appeals or the superior court by September 1. A late application is allowed for accident, mistake or misfortune, but not after the tax rate is set.

One permanent application by April 15, signed under penalty of perjury. RSA 72:33, I and II. The application is on a form provided by the commissioner of revenue administration and continues to operate annually so long as the applicant does not change residence. A change of residence requires an amended application by December 1 following.

Every veteran property tax benefit above the $50 statewide floor is adopted town by town under RSA 72:27-a, and the town picks the amount. A later increase in a statutory ceiling does not reach a town that already adopted the credit until that town votes again.

The town or city must have voted to adopt the provision. RSA 72:27-a, I and II. Adoption is by town meeting warrant article, by petition under RSA 39:3, or by a city or chartered town’s legislative body or official ballot. The vote specifies the amount.

The same amount as the town’s RSA 72:28 credit, but with the wartime requirement removed, so peacetime service qualifies. Since August 31, 2026 it accepts a general discharge under honorable conditions and an uncharacterized discharge based on a service-connected injury.

90 days of active service in any era, wartime not required. RSA 72:28-b, IV. Training for active duty and state active duty by a National Guard or reserve member both count as service under this paragraph, which is wider than the "training for active duty" language in RSA 72:28, IV(a).

One free set of plates for an amputee, paraplegic, permanently and totally disabled or totally blind veteran, carrying the accessibility symbol and the free parking that goes with it. A Purple Heart, prisoner of war or Pearl Harbor plate is free but is expressly denied that parking privilege.

Evaluated by VA as permanently and totally disabled from service connection. RSA 261:86, I(a) third route. No adapted vehicle and no amputation is required, only a VA evaluation of permanent and total disability from the service-connected disability. These plates carry the international accessibility symbol.

The division must help any New Hampshire veteran or dependent secure every state and federal benefit, and must publish a state veterans handbook every two years. Any public record the VA needs to decide a claim must be certified free of charge.

The free records provision turns on the VA needing the record, not on the veteran’s status. RSA 110-B:86. The duty arises when a copy of any public record is required by the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine eligibility for VA benefits, and the certified copy goes without charge to the applicant, a person acting on their behalf, or an authorised VA representative.

A full exemption from all property taxation on the homestead of a veteran whose house was adapted with a VA SAH or SHA grant, or bought with the proceeds of selling one. Individual unemployability is expressly inside it, because the statute cites the federal regulation by number.

100 percent permanent and total as prescribed in 38 C.F.R. 3.340. RSA 72:36-a, I(a) names the regulation and the caption "total and permanent total ratings and unemployability", so the federal provision covering total ratings governs the test rather than a bare schedular percentage.

A grant-making authority created on September 8, 2026 to fund work on veteran homelessness, employment, health care access, suicide prevention, skills transfer and education. It is a public instrumentality organised as a nonprofit, governed by an eleven-member board, and it makes grants rather than paying veterans directly.

It funds organisations; it is not a benefit an individual veteran applies for. RSA 110-B:94, I establishes a programme to provide funding. RSA 110-B:96, IV and VI give the authority power to direct expenditure from the fund and to enforce grant obligations, which is the grant-making frame.

A perpetual free license at total and permanent service-connected disability for a $10 one-time fee, and a half-price lifetime license at 80 to 99 percent. At the 80 percent tier the license is discretionary for the first two years and mandatory after that.

Totally and permanently disabled from a service-connected disability, for the perpetual license. RSA 214:13, I. The executive director shall issue a perpetual special veteran’s license, with a $10 administrative fee charged once upon application.

New Hampshire taxes no personal income at all. It never taxed wages, and the interest and dividends tax, its only personal income tax, was repealed for taxable periods beginning after December 31, 2024, so the whole of RSA 77 is gone.

No status test, because there is no personal income tax to be exempt from. RSA 77, the interest and dividends tax, was repealed in its entirety by 2021 chapter 91, section 99, II, effective January 1, 2025. New Hampshire has never taxed earned income.

Up to $1,000 to a Guard member or former member for each recruit they bring in, and up to $6,000 to a member who reenlists or reclassifies into a critical vacancy and is not eligible for a federal bonus. Paid from a continually appropriated nonlapsing fund the adjutant general controls.

A current Guard member in grades E-1 to O-3, or any former member, for a referral. RSA 110-B:60. The grade ceiling applies to current members. A former member of the New Hampshire national guard may collect the referral incentive with no grade limit stated.

A Guard member injured on state active duty is covered by the state workers’ compensation act rather than by a separate military scheme. The chapter also gives immunity for acts within lawful orders, privilege from arrest on civil process while under orders, and treats a member as a New Hampshire resident for state benefits regardless of where they live.

A National Guard member serving on state active duty, in or out of the state. RSA 110-B:66, I. The provision covers a member who sustains an injury or personal injury as defined in RSA 281-A while serving on state active duty, within or without the state.

Tuition-free courses at the state university and community college systems for an active New Hampshire Guard member, after federal tuition assistance is used first. The spouse transfer option is repealed effective July 1, 2027, and an out-of-state Guard member who cannot use the waiver still pays the in-state rate.

A sworn in active member of the New Hampshire National Guard, resident or not. RSA 110-B:63-c, I. Residence in New Hampshire is not required for the waiver. Active member is defined in RSA 110-B:63-b, I by reference to Army and Air Force satisfactory membership standards.

A credit of $50 to $500, rising to a $750 ceiling from April 1, 2027, for a Guard or reserve member who served in a combat zone during the tax year. It is the one property tax credit with no April 15 deadline: apply any time during the year you serve.

A Guard or reserve member called to active duty, not the active component. RSA 72:28-c, III limits the credit to a member of the New Hampshire national guard or a reserve component of the United States armed forces, called to active duty.

A $50 credit against the property tax bill everywhere in the state, which a town may raise to as much as $750, and to $1,000 from April 1, 2027 if it votes again. It needs 90 days of wartime service from a list that runs wider than the federal one, and an honorable discharge.

90 days of active service in a listed qualifying war or armed conflict. RSA 72:28, IV(a) and V. Training for active duty by a National Guard or reserve member counts. The post-1975 route requires an armed forces expeditionary medal or a theater of operations service medal, the latter determined by the director of the division of veterans services under RSA 72:29, VII.

One cemetery at Boscawen run by the adjutant general. The state’s obligation is capped by statute at a grave site, opening and closing the grave, and maintenance, and eligibility for interment is set by regulation rather than by the statute.

Eligibility for interment is set by regulation, not by the statute. RSA 110-B:78, I directs the adjutant general to adopt regulations, subject to approval of the governor and council, on standards and procedures for determining eligibility for interment. The statute states no service or discharge test.

A $700 credit statewide once the town has adopted RSA 72:35, which a town may raise to as much as $5,000. The statute gives the applicant a real evidentiary right: the assessors must treat the VA certification as conclusive unless they have specific contrary evidence and let the veteran rebut it.

Total and permanent service-connected disability. RSA 72:35, I. The test is total and permanent service-connected disability rather than a rating percentage, and paragraph III(a) requires certification from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that the applicant is rated totally and permanently disabled from service connection.

A $700 credit, which a town may raise to $2,000 and to $2,500 from April 1, 2027, for the surviving spouse of someone killed or who died on active duty. It is the only New Hampshire credit that applies to all of the spouse’s real and personal property rather than to a residence.

The spouse died while on active duty in a conflict listed in RSA 72:28. RSA 72:29-a, I. Death on active duty in a listed war, conflict, armed conflict or combat zone is required. A service-connected death after separation is handled by RSA 72:28, IV(c) instead.

The ordinary veteran plate costs the regular registration fee plus $4 per plate and accepts a general discharge under honorable conditions. A surviving spouse may keep it indefinitely until remarriage. Gold Star plates come in mother, father and family versions.

A veteran as defined in RSA 21:50, including a general discharge under honorable conditions. RSA 261:87-b, I. Proof is any document in the RSA 21:50, I(b) list, which includes the DD Form 214, 215 and 217, a DD Form 2 (Retired), an NGB Form 22, a VA Verification of Service letter and a notarised statement of service from a commanding officer.

A designated administrator in the department of military affairs and veterans services helps a veteran turn a military occupational specialty into a state occupational licence, and helps the licensing office decide what military training satisfies a licence requirement.

A veteran seeking to enter a profession licensed by a board under the OPLC. RSA 110-B:91, I(a) and II. A profession regulated outside the office of professional licensure and certification under RSA 310 is outside the section.

One home in Tilton taking a veteran who served on active duty, in a reserve unit, or in the New Hampshire Guard, with a discharge of a character outlined in RSA 21:50. One year of New Hampshire residency, waived where the DD214 shows a New Hampshire home of record.

Active duty, reserve unit, or New Hampshire National Guard service. RSA 119:1, I gives three alternative service routes and names no wartime period, no minimum days and no rating. Guard service alone qualifies.

Free civil legal representation through New Hampshire Legal Assistance, with an eligibility route open to a veteran whose bad-paper discharge was caused by traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual trauma or a combat-related injury. Its funding is contingent on grants, so check that it is operating.

A veteran as defined in RSA 21:50, or a mobilised reservist or Guard member. RSA 115-C:2, I and II. Paragraph II reaches a person ordered to active duty under 10 U.S.C. §§ 12301, 12302, 12304 or 12305 for an expansion of the active armed forces.

The statute is a tie-breaker and nothing more: preference where a veteran is one of several equally qualified candidates. The 5 and 10 point credits a veteran is told about are in a personnel rule and a Division of Personnel form, not in the statute, and they apply only on entry to state service.

For state employment, any veteran as defined in RSA 21:50. RSA 283:4, II. No wartime service, no 90 days and no state citizenship is required when the state is the employer. Amended by 2026 chapter 252, section 2, effective August 31, 2026.

A $100 state bonus for a Vietnam-era veteran who was a New Hampshire resident on entering service. It is still on the books with no application deadline, and it passes to a surviving spouse, children or parents if the veteran died before it was paid.

90 days in the uniformed forces between August 5, 1964 and August 15, 1973. RSA 115-A:3. Service anywhere counts on this route. The alternative route requires service in the Vietnam area between July 1, 1958 and August 5, 1964 plus the Vietnam service medal or the armed forces expeditionary medal.

New Hampshire has one statewide definition in RSA 21:50 and it is wide: an honorable discharge, a general discharge under honorable conditions, an uncharacterized discharge based on a service-connected injury, or more than 4 years served and still serving. A 2026 act then pointed much of the code at it, and four provisions still use their own tests.

One definition: honorable, general under honorable conditions, or uncharacterized for a service-connected injury. RSA 21:50, I(a)(2). A person who served more than 4 years and continues to serve is also a veteran, with no discharge required.

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.