Erie County

Buffalo City Court started the country's first veterans treatment court in 2008, and it remains Erie County's: veterans charged with crimes are linked to VA care and veteran mentors under the court's supervision, whatever their discharge.

A veteran with a criminal case. Every character of discharge is accepted. Eligibility is decided case by case. No rating is needed.

The Erie County Clerk records a DD-214 free, gives certified copies free whenever needed, and issues an honorably discharged Erie resident a free Thank A Vet photo card honoured by more than 1,400 local businesses. The Clerk also issues the free veteran's peddler permit, a Gold Star family card and an Honorable Service certificate.

Honorable discharge; Erie residence for the card. Recording, copies, the card and the peddler permit are free. No rating is needed.

Since Local Law 3 of 2023, every Erie County department aims for at least six percent of County contracts to go to businesses certified by the State as service-disabled veteran-owned, with the County's Equal Employment Opportunity office doing the outreach.

A business certified by the State as service-disabled veteran-owned. The State certification requires a service-connected disability rating of at least 10 percent; see the State entry.

Erie County's Fair Housing Law, Local Law 4 of 2018, bars housing discrimination because of military status, meaning service in the armed forces, the National Guard, the New York Naval Militia or the New York Guard. Complaints go to the County within one year.

Military status. No rating is involved.

Erie County Parks charges veterans $15 for 18 holes on weekdays, holidays excepted, at its two golf courses: Grover Cleveland in Buffalo, where the regular weekday fee is $18, and Elma Meadows, where it is $20.

A veteran. No rating is needed.

Erie County's Dwyer peer-to-peer programme offers veterans and their families free, confidential peer support, support groups, social events, short-term care management and referrals for food, housing and benefits, from an office on Niagara Street in Buffalo.

Veterans and families. Free. No rating or discharge test is stated.

Against Erie County's own tax, the alternative veterans exemption runs to $30,000, $20,000 and $100,000 since Local Law 3 of 2022, Gold Star parents qualify, and the Cold War exemption (15%, up to $12,000 and $40,000) lasts as long as the owner qualifies. Erie County has not adopted the full exemption for permanently and totally disabled veterans.

A rating adds an exemption equal to half its percentage. No rating is needed for the wartime, combat or Cold War parts. A service-connected rating adds assessed value times half the rating, up to $100,000 for the alternative exemption.

Erie County's Veterans Service Agency, the first county veterans office in New York, files and appeals VA claims at no cost through accredited American Legion service officers, reviews State and local benefits, and arranges the burial of indigent veterans and their next of kin at County expense. Call 716-858-6363.

Veterans, service members, dependents and survivors. Any veteran or family member can use the agency. No rating is needed.

Takes 15% off the assessed value of the home of a wartime veteran, another 10% for combat service, and a further slice equal to half the disability rating. The standard ceilings are $12,000, $8,000, and $40,000, but every locality sets its own, and school taxes are only covered where the district opted in.

A rating adds an exemption equal to half its percentage. No rating is required. The wartime and combat parts stand on service alone. A service-connected rating adds assessed value multiplied by one half of the rating, so the benefit grows with the rating rather than switching on at a floor.

Each county, and New York City, must arrange the burial of an honorably discharged veteran, or a veteran's spouse, surviving spouse, minor child or parent, who dies without enough money for a funeral, never in a pauper's plot, and mark an unmarked grave with a headstone. For a veteran with no next of kin it asks a veterans' organization to conduct the funeral, which the State repays up to $2,000.

Died without means, with an honorable or qualifying discharge. The veteran, or the spouse, unremarried surviving spouse, minor child or parent of one, died without enough money for a funeral. No rating is needed.

Ten points added to an open-competitive civil service exam score for a veteran rated 10% or more, five points for other veterans. Promotion exams get half that. The credits can be used once in a career, and using them is a decision worth timing.

A rating of 10% or more doubles the credits. Every qualifying veteran receives credits. A disability rated 10 per centum or more, with entitlement to disability payments, raises the award from 5 points to 10 on an open-competitive examination and from 2.5 to 5 on a promotion examination.

For service between September 2, 1945 and December 26, 1991 that does not meet a wartime test. The locality picks 10% or 15% of assessed value, capped at $8,000 or $12,000, plus half the disability rating up to $40,000. The base part runs ten years unless the locality made it permanent.

A rating adds an exemption equal to half its percentage. No rating is required. A service-connected rating adds assessed value multiplied by one half of the rating, capped at $40,000, and that portion is not subject to the ten-year limit that applies to the base exemption.

Every New York county outside New York City must run a county veterans' service agency, led by a director who must be a veteran and VA-accredited, to help veterans and families with federal, State and local benefits at no cost. A city may run its own, and New York City does.

Veterans, service members and their families. Any veteran, service member or family member who lives in the State can use a local agency. No rating is needed.

The older exemption, worth up to $7,500 where a home was bought with pension, bonus, insurance, or prisoner of war money. Its far more valuable clause fully exempts the primary residence of a seriously disabled veteran eligible for a VA specially adapted housing grant.

Eligibility for a VA specially adapted housing grant, for the full exemption. The total exemption keys to eligibility for federal pecuniary assistance toward acquiring or adapting a housing unit, which is the Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation grant. That is a VA determination about specific severe disabilities, not a rating percentage, so the rating filter cannot test it and never hides this benefit.

Any county clerk in New York, New York City included, must record an honorable discharge or certificate of service free, and give the veteran or a parent, spouse, dependent or child a certified copy free whenever asked. The recorded copy stands in for the original for any New York purpose, and it is closed to the public.

An honorable discharge or certificate of service. Recording and certified copies are free. No rating is needed.

From assessment rolls based on taxable status dates on or after October 1, 2026, a county, city, town, village or school district may fully exempt the primary residence of a veteran VA considers permanently and totally disabled because of service, including special district charges. It exists only where that government has adopted it.

VA letter stating permanent and total disability from service. Real Property Tax Law § 458-a(11)(b): "considered by the United States department of veterans affairs to be permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service, as evidenced by a letter, official form, or other document". No percentage is named.

An annual annuity for the parents, spouse, domestic partner, and children of a service member who died on active duty. There is no income test, remarriage does not end eligibility for a surviving spouse, and the amount rises every year with the federal cost of living adjustment.

Death of the service member on active duty, and New York domicile. The gates are the service member having died while on active duty, the applicant being a qualifying parent, spouse, domestic partner, or child, and New York residency and domicile. There is no rating test and no income test, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

A free pass that never expires, giving a New York veteran free vehicle entry to state parks, historic sites, and DEC day-use areas, free greens fees and pool entry, and discounted camping. Gold Star parents, spouses, and children get one too.

New York residence and an other than dishonorable discharge. The gates are New York residency and veteran status with an other than dishonorable discharge, extended to discharges connected to sexual orientation, gender identity, military sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, or traumatic brain injury. No disability rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute. Covers the cost of attendance, up to the average at a state-operated SUNY college, for the child, spouse or financial dependent of a New York resident service member who died, went missing, or was severely and permanently disabled in service or in military training, and for the disabled member; no income limit.

Severely and permanently disabled in the line of duty. One qualifying path is that the service member, a New York resident, became severely and permanently disabled from injury or illness in service or in military training. That is an agency determination about the condition rather than a combined rating percentage, so the rating filter cannot test it.

Military pension payments are totally exempt from New York State, New York City, and Yonkers income tax, with no dollar cap and no age test. A nonresident service member pays no New York tax on military pay at all, and combat zone pay is excluded for residents too.

Receipt of a military pension, with no rating or age test. The exemption turns on the payment being a military pension, not on a disability rating, an age, or an income level. The rating filter never hides this benefit.

A New York high school diploma for a New York resident veteran with a satisfactory discharge who never finished high school, on any active-duty service (Education Law 305(29) to (29-c)); bring the DD-214 to any New York school that issues diplomas, with no fee and no need to have attended school in New York.

Active-duty service, no high school diploma, New York residence. The gates are active-duty service, a satisfactory discharge, New York residence and no high school diploma (an equivalency diploma does not bar it). No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

A New York State employee who served in a combat theater or combat zone gets up to five paid workdays a year, charged to no leave credit, for health care related to that service (Military Law 242(5)(b)); a city, county or other public employer may give the same by local law or resolution. Every public employee gets up to 30 days or 22 workdays a year of paid military leave.

Combat service and New York State employment. The gates are documented service in a combat theater or zone, shown by a DD-214 or Defense Department documentation, and employment by the State (or by a local employer that has adopted the same leave). No disability rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

A $5 Sportsman license, covering fishing, big game, and small game, for a resident veteran rated 40% or more. Bowhunting and muzzleloading privileges are free on top of it, and the license carries preference for Deer Management Permits.

Service-connected rating of 40% or more. The reduced fee requires a service-connected disability rated 40% or more, documented by a VA letter stating the rating. A veteran below 40% pays the ordinary license fee.

A $450 a year award for a student whose veteran parent died, is missing, was a prisoner of war, or carries a service-connected disability rated 40% or more. It is small, it is not income tested, and it is paid on top of every other award.

Parent rated 40% or more service-connected. On the disability path the veteran parent has to carry a service-connected disability rated 40% or greater as a result of service during a designated period of war or conflict. A lower rating does not qualify on this path.

Up to 500 State positions in the noncompetitive class, filled without an examination by disabled veterans (a compensable VA rating, 10% or more) or by veterans the Department of Civil Service's employee health service certifies as disabled but able to do the job; combat-wounded Purple Heart veterans get priority.

Service-connected disability rated 10% or more. The disability test is a service-connected disability rated 10% or more. A veteran below that does not qualify on the rating path.

State certification that opens a 6% statewide goal for participation on New York contracts. Needs a service-connected rating of 10% or more, 51% ownership, real day-to-day control, small business status, and a genuine New York presence.

Service-connected rating of 10% or more. At least one owner has to hold a service-connected disability rating of 10% or more from VA, or from the New York State Division of Veterans Affairs for a National Guard veteran. A veteran with no rating cannot certify.

An annuity of about $1,395 a year, paid monthly, to a legally blind New York wartime veteran or an unremarried surviving spouse. The blindness does not have to be service connected, which is what makes this reach veterans no VA benefit touches.

Legal blindness and wartime service, with no rating requirement. The gates are New York residence and domicile, legal blindness, and wartime service. The Department is explicit that the blindness need not be service connected, so there is no rating test at all and the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Five state-run skilled nursing homes, at Batavia, Montrose, Oxford, St. Albans in Queens, and Stony Brook on Long Island. A veteran rated 70% or higher pays nothing. There is no means test, and residents keep their Social Security and pension income.

A rating of 70% or more means no cost. Admission does not require a rating. At a service-connected rating of 70% or higher VA pays the full cost of the care, so the veteran pays nothing. Below that, an eligible veteran is still admitted and the homes state there are no out-of-pocket costs for routine skilled nursing care.

A free VETERAN designation on a driver license, permit, or non-driver ID with an honorable discharge. Registration and plate fees are waived for a veteran with a VA-funded adapted vehicle, and that same status opens free E-ZPass travel on the Thruway.

Honorable discharge, for the designation. The VETERAN designation on a license or ID requires an honorable discharge and no rating at all.

A New York resident who was honorably discharged and served in a war or overseas, or that veteran's surviving spouse, can get a free licence from the county clerk to sell goods on the streets of the county, or across the whole city where a county lies within one. A veteran physically disabled by service gets further rights against local vending limits.

Honorable discharge with war or overseas service, and New York residence. The licence is free. The extra rights under sections 35 and 35-a need a physical disability from injuries received in service, which the rating filter cannot test.

Pays tuition up to the SUNY rate at a New York college or approved vocational program, for a veteran with four years of active duty or qualifying combat service. Four years of full-time undergraduate support, and it can be used for graduate and vocational study too.

Vietnam, Persian Gulf or Afghanistan service, four years of active duty, or an expeditionary medal. The gates are New York residence, a discharge under honorable conditions (general included), and one of the service routes in Education Law § 669-a(1). No disability rating is required and the rating filter never hides this benefit.

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)
• Pension net worth limit, December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026: $163,699 (read 2026-10-08)

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)
• SMC-R.2/T, veteran alone, effective December 1, 2025: $11,271.67 (read 2026-10-08)

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.