Essex County

The County Clerk issues a special Veterans Peddlers License free of charge to resident veterans on a DD-214 ($10 for the required photos, by appointment) and a Gold Star Parent Photo ID Card to the parents of service members who died on active duty; it publishes no DD-214 recording service.

Essex County veterans and Gold Star parents. The peddler licence needs a DD-214 and county address; the Gold Star card is for the parent, guardian or custodian of a service member who died on active duty. No rating is required.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office runs a Veterans Diversion Program established by N.J.S.A. 2C:43-26b, folded into its Mental Health Diversion Program, for service members charged with non-violent third- or fourth-degree crimes; applications go to named prosecutor email addresses.

Justice-involved veteran. Eligibility is a non-violent third- or fourth-degree charge (second degree reviewed case by case) plus a mental illness; the prosecutor decides admission. A disability rating is not the test.

The county’s veterans service operation sits in the Division of Community Action at 50 South Clinton Street, 3rd Floor, East Orange - Director Terrence McCoy, (973) 395-8350, with Consumer Advocate Melvin Williams - and Luis Salgado was nominated to the county’s Veteran’s Advisory Board by Advice and Consent in November 2025.

Any Essex County veteran. The division assists county veterans; the directory publishes no eligibility test and no rating is required.

Free burial, grave liner, marker and perpetual care for eligible veterans at New Jersey's state veterans cemetery in Arneytown, North Hanover Township, with eligibility following the national cemeteries. Spouses and dependent children are eligible too, and the department moves a veteran's remains from a pauper's grave at no cost.

National cemetery eligibility: other than dishonorable service, and eligible dependents. Department of Veterans Affairs, cemetery eligibility page.

Half fare on NJ Transit buses and trains at all times for a disabled veteran, except on peak commuter trains excluded from excursion fares. The statute borrows the civil service definition, which needs a compensable disability from war service.

A compensable service-connected disability from war service. N.J.S.A. 27:1A-65, borrowing N.J.S.A. 11A:5-1(a).

A $250 deduction from the property tax bill each year for an honorably discharged veteran with active service in any era who owns property and is domiciled in New Jersey, and for the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran or of a service member who died on active duty. Eligibility is fixed on October 1 of the year before.

Honorable discharge from active service, any era. N.J.S.A. 54:4-8.10(d) and (h), 54:4-8.11. Wartime removed by P.L.2019, c.413, operative on voter approval November 3, 2020.

A $6,000 personal exemption on the New Jersey income tax return for an honorably discharged veteran, and another $6,000 for a spouse on a joint return who is also a veteran. Documentation is needed once. It does not pass to a surviving spouse after the year of death.

Honorable discharge from active duty, a reserve component, or the New Jersey Guard in federal active duty status. N.J.S.A. 54A:3-1(b)7.

A full exemption from property tax on the home of a veteran whom VA has found totally and permanently disabled from service, by schedule or through unemployability, or who has one of the named catastrophic disabilities, and on the home of the unremarried surviving spouse. Any era of service since 2020.

100 percent schedular rating. N.J.S.A. 54:4-3.30(a): a disability declared "a total or 100 percent permanent disability, and not so evaluated solely because of hospitalization or surgery and recuperation". The named catastrophic conditions rate 100 percent under VA's schedule.

The state pays $1,800 a year, in monthly payments of $150, for life to a wartime veteran who entered service from New Jersey and is totally blind, paraplegic, hemiplegic or a double amputee from that service, and then to the surviving spouse. The department calls it the Catastrophic Entitlement.

Wartime or Korea and Vietnam emergency service, and a New Jersey resident at entry into service. N.J.S.A. 38:18-1 and 38:18A-1.

In New Jersey civil service, every disabled veteran who passes an open competitive exam is ranked above every veteran, and every veteran above every non-veteran, regardless of score, and must be appointed in that order. Veterans are also favoured in promotions and layoffs. It covers wartime service, listed operations and campaign medals, not peacetime service alone.

A listed war or operation, or a campaign or expedition medal. N.J.S.A. 11A:5-1(b)(1) to (16). Peacetime service without a medal does not qualify.

New Jersey public colleges must give veterans and service members priority course registration, readmit a student who left for military service with the same academic standing and no fee, and give in-state tuition to anyone living in New Jersey using VA education or vocational rehabilitation benefits.

Since January 9, 2026 New Jersey has a separate cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs, split from the old Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs. Its service officers help with VA claims at no charge in every county, and a new independent Veteran Advocate investigates complaints about the department's own homes and services.

State agencies aim to award at least 3 percent of contracts to New Jersey businesses at least 51 percent owned by veterans with any service-connected disability, and a resident veteran discharged under honorable conditions has a statutory right to a peddler's licence.

Any service-connected rating for the set-aside. N.J.S.A. 52:32-31.2.

A $15 Disabled Vet plate for any veteran with a service-connected disability, free municipal meter parking for 24 hours with that plate or a placard, disability parking for a veteran rated permanently 100 percent, and free registration of one car for a blinded wartime veteran, a veteran who qualified for VA's automobile grant, or a Medal of Honor holder.

Any service-connected rating for the Disabled Vet plate and the meter exemption. N.J.S.A. 39:3-27.15 and 39:4-207.10.

Free hunting, fishing and trapping licences, permits, stamps and tags for a New Jersey resident with any service-connected disability who was honorably discharged, and for an active New Jersey National Guard member who has finished initial training. Fish and Wildlife adds a six-month residency rule the statute does not contain.

Any service-connected rating, including 0 percent. N.J.S.A. 23:3-1e(b): "a service-connected disability of any degree".

Free undergraduate tuition at any New Jersey public or private college for a child of a service member from New Jersey declared a prisoner of war or missing in action after January 1, 1960. Eligibility, once established, is not lost if the parent returns.

Parent declared POW or MIA after January 1, 1960, and a New Jersey resident at entry. N.J.S.A. 38A:22-3(b).

New Jersey makes it a consumer fraud violation to charge for help with a VA claim except as federal law allows, to charge anything before a notice of disagreement is filed, to charge a referral fee, or to guarantee a rating. Paid advisers must tell you in writing and aloud that free help exists.

Military retired pay and military survivor benefit payments are fully excluded from New Jersey income tax at any age, with no dollar limit. Student loans discharged because a veteran is totally and permanently disabled are excluded too.

Student loan discharge exclusion at 100 percent or through unemployability. N.J.S.A. 54A:6-25.2. The pension exclusion itself has no rating condition.

Up to 16 credits a semester tuition-free at a New Jersey public college or university, undergraduate or graduate, for an active New Jersey Guard member in good standing who has finished initial training, and for the child or surviving spouse of a Guard member killed on duty. It pays after federal and state grants and the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Active New Jersey Guard member in good standing after initial training. N.J.S.A. 18A:62-24(a)(1).

A state-endorsed high school diploma, including after death, for an honorably discharged veteran of World War I, World War II, Korea or Vietnam who left a New Jersey high school to serve.

World War I, World War II, Korea or Vietnam service after leaving a New Jersey high school. N.J.S.A. 18A:7C-4.1(b).

Every New Jersey licensing board must license a military spouse transferred here by endorsement or with a one-year temporary courtesy licence, teachers get a 180-day temporary certificate, boards must credit equivalent military training toward a veteran's licence, and Gold Star family members pay no licence fee.

On military orders, federal law treats the existing licence as valid. 50 U.S.C. § 4025a, as amended by Pub. L. 118-159: no equivalence or prior-practice test and no one-year limit, with a temporary licence if the board needs more than 30 days.

A resident deployed in time of war, or a Guard or reserve member mobilized for federal active duty, can defer property tax bills that fall due during the deployment until 90 days after it ends, with no interest and no tax lien if paid within that window.

Deployed in time of war, or mobilized for federal active duty with the Guard or reserves. N.J.S.A. 54:4-8.25 as amended by P.L.2016, c.63.

Since January 2026 the Law Against Discrimination protects a person's service in the Armed Forces, not only liability for future service, in employment, housing, public accommodations and other areas. Firing or blocking a Guard or reserve member from work because of membership is a crime with a $2,500 minimum fine.

Free admission to state parks and forests for active New Jersey Guard members and Gold Star families, free entry for veterans at a veterans' organization event, and a free beach driving permit for disabled veterans. The statute does not give disabled veterans free park admission, although the Army benefits library says it does.

Free beach driving permit at any service-connected rating. N.J.S.A. 13:1L-12(b).

Seven state medals for New Jersey veterans, among them the Distinguished Service Medal for combat theater service, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Medal for 30 consecutive or 60 total days in a named operation. They can be awarded after death.

New Jersey residence at entry into service, or for a set number of years. N.J.S.A. 38A:15-10(a) (20 years for the Global War on Terrorism Medal).

The Motor Vehicle Commission prints a veteran designation on a driver licence or ID for a resident discharged honorably or under general honorable conditions from the Armed Forces, the reserves or the National Guard, and a Gold Star Family designation for a close relative of a member who died on active duty.

Honorable or general under honorable conditions, including Guard and reserves. N.J.S.A. 39:3-10f6(b).

A statewide program that lets police and prosecutors send a veteran or service member with a mental illness who is charged with a non-violent lower-level offense to treatment instead of prosecution, with a veteran mentor. Other than dishonorable service qualifies, and so do current members.

Veteran discharged other than dishonorably, or a current member. N.J.S.A. 2C:43-23(a) and (g).

Two state-run transitional housing programs for homeless veterans, Veterans Haven North in Glen Gardner and Veterans Haven South in Winslow Township, with counseling, addiction treatment and job training. Residents must be sober and registered with VA health care.

Homeless, sober at admission and registered with VA health care. Veterans Haven South admission criteria.

Three state nursing homes for veterans of any era with 90 days of service, their spouses, surviving spouses and Gold Star parents, with preference for two years of New Jersey residence. Admission is for people who cannot pay for care in the community, and residents pay 80 percent of their net income after spending assets down to $24,000.

Unable to pay for care in the community; assets spent down to $24,000 single or $110,000 couple. N.J.S.A. 38A:23-3; N.J.A.C. 5A:5-2.1(b).

A veteran in the Public Employees' Retirement System or the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund can retire at 55 with 25 years, or at 60 with 20, on 54.5 percent of the best 12 months' pay, a far richer formula than an ordinary service retirement. Veteran status for pensions uses a wartime test.

Veteran status determined by the commissioner under a wartime test. N.J.S.A. 38A:21-12 and 43:15A-6; department page for pensions.

Since January 2026 the primary home and one second home of a veteran, service member or military spouse are exempt from creditors without any value limit, along with retirement accounts, pensions and disability and veterans' benefits, and one vehicle up to $30,000. New Jersey gives no homestead exemption to anyone else.

Honorably discharged veteran, current service member, or the spouse or surviving spouse of either. N.J.S.A. 2A:17-17.3.

Two Vietnam-era programs, the Veterans Tuition Credit Program and Vietnam veterans tuition assistance, are still in the statutes and still advertised, but their application windows closed decades ago. The state's own guide and the Army benefits library describe them as available.

Application window closed: eight years from separation or March 3, 1976, and five years from April 9, 1985. N.J.S.A. 38A:22-4(c) and 38A:22-5(e).

Up to $500 a year for four years toward school or college for a New Jersey child aged 16 to 21 whose resident parent died in wartime service, died later of a disability from that service, or is listed as missing in action. The amount has not changed since 1952.

Resident parent died in or from wartime service, or is MIA; child 16 to 21 with a year in New Jersey. N.J.S.A. 38:20-1.

A refundable income tax credit of up to $675 a year for a New Jersey relative who cares for a post-9/11 veteran who meets VA's standard for individual unemployability and lives with the caregiver at least six months of the year, where the caregiver's income is $100,000 or less on a joint return or $50,000 otherwise.

The veteran meets VA's standard for individual unemployability. N.J.S.A. 54A:4-15(e). Recorded rather than enforced because a veteran rated 100 percent on the schedule is not addressed and the credit belongs to the caregiver.

New Jersey has no single definition. Property tax relief and the income tax exemption need an honorable discharge from active service in any era. Civil service preference still needs service in a listed war or operation, or a campaign medal. The new Department of Veterans Affairs statute counts anyone with 90 days of service and names no discharge at all.

Property and income tax: honorable, active service, any era since 2020. N.J.S.A. 54:4-8.10(d) and (h); N.J.S.A. 54A:3-1(b)7. Wartime requirement removed by P.L.2019, c.413 on voter approval, November 3, 2020.

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.