Stephens County

Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs service officers serve Stephens County from the ODVA's Southwest Team - regional manager Doug Ferguson (405-982-2527) with service officers including Skylur Britz and Wallace Moore Jr. (580-354-4193), Allen Jacobson (918-397-2562) and Jason Payne (918-351-5226) - helping Stephens County veterans file claims free; no ODVA office sits in the county.

Stephens County veteran or eligible family member. The team files claims free; no rating is needed to schedule. The rating filter never hides this entry.

The Stephens County Assessor (Dana Buchanan, 101 S. 11th St., Room 210, Duncan, 580-255-1542) takes the 100% disabled veteran homestead exemption on the county's own Exemption and Benefits page - 'May qualify to be exempt from paying property tax on your homesteaded property. When making application a letter from the Muskogee VA is required' - with the exemption filings running January 1 to March 15.

100% schedular rating, permanent. One path is a 100% combined rating that VA has made permanent.

An honorably discharged veteran who lives in Oklahoma gets free admission to every state-owned or state-operated park and museum, on showing an Oklahoma licence or ID and the DD-214, or just a licence with the veteran emblem.

Honorable discharge and current Oklahoma residence. 72 O.S. § 7(A).

A veteran paid by VA at the 100 percent rate for a permanent disability pays nothing to get, renew or replace an Oklahoma driver licence or state ID. A "veteran 100%" emblem was due on licences by March 1, 2026, but Service Oklahoma's own pages do not yet offer it.

Paid at the 100 percent rate on a schedular rating. 47 O.S. § 6-101(P): "in receipt of compensation at the one-hundred-percent rate" for a disability that "shall be permanent".

The whole fair cash value of the home is exempt from property tax, and all household personal property too, for an honorably discharged Oklahoma resident whom VA certifies as 100 percent permanently disabled from service, and for the surviving spouse. The exemption moves with the veteran to a new home. There is no partial exemption below 100 percent.

Paid at the 100 percent rate on a schedular rating. Okla. Const. art. X, § 8E(A); OTC Form 998: "in receipt of compensation at the one-hundred-percent rate" for a disability that "shall be permanent".

An exemption card for up to $25,000 a year of purchases free of Oklahoma sales tax for a resident veteran paid by VA at the 100 percent rate for a permanent service-connected disability, and $1,000 a year for an unremarried surviving spouse or the unremarried spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty. Registration with the Veterans Registry comes first.

Paid at the 100 percent rate on a schedular rating. 68 O.S. § 1357(34), renumbered (31) from January 1, 2027: "in receipt of compensation at the one-hundred-percent rate" for a disability that "shall be permanent".

A court sentencing a veteran may treat post-traumatic stress disorder from combat zone service as a mitigating factor, if the defence proves combat zone service through the Department of Veterans Affairs and a PTSD diagnosis connected to it.

Combat zone service certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 22 O.S. § 973a(B)(1).

State agencies and political subdivisions must give a three percentage point bonus preference to Oklahoma businesses at least 51 percent owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs may also prefer veteran-owned vendors in its own purchasing.

51 percent owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans. 74 O.S. § 85.44E(A)(2).

A DD-214 recorded with a county clerk is confidential and, from November 1, 2026, a grandchild may see it as well as the veteran, spouse or child. County clerks record discharges and certify copies free, and courts and the state registrar give free certified records needed for a VA claim.

A veteran rated 50 percent or more, or who received a VA automobile grant or lost the use of a limb or an eye, can register up to two vehicles with the disabled veteran plate for $5 a year in place of the ordinary registration fee. An unremarried surviving spouse, or a spouse receiving DIC, can keep one. Guides saying four vehicles describe a bill that died.

50 percent or more, or a VA automobile grant, or loss of use of a limb or an eye. 47 O.S. § 1135.2(B)(31). Recorded rather than enforced because the grant and limb routes need no percentage.

From November 1, 2026, the spouse and children of a service member killed in the line of duty pay no tuition at Oklahoma public colleges and technology centers, and no fees or room and board for five years, if the service member was an Oklahoma resident or the survivor lives here. Oklahoma has no tuition waiver for children of living 100 percent disabled veterans, whatever some guides say.

Service member killed in the line of duty. 70 O.S. § 3218.7-2 (2026 Okla. Sess. Laws c. 293, § 2).

Resident tuition for up to five years at an Oklahoma public college, or part of tuition at a private college, for the child of a service member killed or fatally injured in the line of duty after January 1, 2000, if the parent filed an Oklahoma tax return the year before and the child enrols before 21.

Parent killed or fatally injured in the line of duty after January 1, 2000. 70 O.S. § 2603(B)(1)(a).

A school board may grant a diploma to an Oklahoma veteran who left high school to serve in World War II, Korea or Vietnam and was honorably discharged.

Service in the three wartime windows. 70 O.S. § 24-153(B)(2).

The unremarried surviving spouse of a service member whom the Department of Defense determines died in the line of duty owes no property tax on the whole fair cash value of the home, whatever the service member's disability rating. It ends on remarriage.

Death in the line of duty, as the Department of Defense determines. Okla. Const. art. X, § 8F(A).

A resident veteran rated 60 percent or more needs no annual hunting or fishing licence and can buy a lifetime combination licence for $25; below 60 percent the lifetime licence is $200. A veteran paid at the 100 percent rate is also exempt from the resident deer gun, archery and primitive firearms licences.

Free annual licences and the $25 lifetime licence at 60 percent. 29 O.S. §§ 4-110(C)(3), 4-112, 4-114(C)(2). Recorded rather than enforced because the $200 lifetime licence is open at any rating.

Veterans with 90 days of active service and their spouses and children, current service members with an Oklahoma home of record or stationed in Oklahoma and their families, ROTC scholarship students and Oklahoma Guard members qualify for in-state tuition at Oklahoma public colleges, regardless of residence.

Veteran route: 90 days of active uniformed service. 70 O.S. § 3247(A)(4).

All federal military pay of an Oklahoma resident, active duty, Guard or reserve, is deducted from Oklahoma taxable income. Department of Defense death payments for a service member killed in action in a combat zone are exempt in the year of death, and so is the surviving spouse's own income for that year.

Federal military pay only. 68 O.S. § 2358(E)(5)(b). State active duty pay is not "from the United States".

The Department of Veterans Affairs reimburses up to $1,000 of unpaid burial or cremation costs for a veteran whose remains were unclaimed or who could not afford a dignified burial. From November 1, 2026 the veteran must have been an Oklahoma resident rather than have died in Oklahoma.

A veteran under 72 O.S. § 2, not in Corrections custody at death. 72 O.S. §§ 34(B), 36(C).

VA disability compensation does not count as income for Oklahoma’s additional $1,000 homestead exemption (household income up to $30,000) or for the senior valuation freeze, so a veteran living on it can qualify for both. It does count for the separate circuit breaker and sales tax relief credits.

Household income up to $30,000, not counting VA disability compensation. 68 O.S. 2890(A) and (B). The senior freeze uses a HUD-based limit with the same income definition.

All military retired pay is exempt from Oklahoma income tax from tax year 2022, at any age and any amount. The state veterans agency's own benefits page still describes the pre-2022 cap of the greater of 75 percent or $10,000.

No age, cap or residency period. 68 O.S. § 2358(E)(18).

Oklahoma issues dozens of military plates. The Medal of Honor and Purple Heart plates carry no special plate fee, the prisoner of war, killed in action and Gold Star family plates are issued in place of the ordinary registration fee, and most service, campaign and decoration plates cost an $8 special plate fee on top of registration.

Current Oklahoma Guard members get resident tuition and fees paid at state colleges, up to 18 hours a semester, 120 undergraduate hours and 40 graduate hours, and tuition at technology centers for up to three years, in return for 24 months of further service. From 2025 a member with six years can transfer entitlement to a spouse or children.

Current Oklahoma Guard member with a year left on the contract. 70 O.S. § 3231(E)(1).

Oklahoma Guard members get full pay and medical care if injured or taken ill on duty, state-paid life insurance premiums up to $250,000, hardship grants from the Guard Relief Program, federal civil relief protections on state duty, paid military leave for public employees and job protection for private employees.

Current Oklahoma Guard member. 44 O.S. §§ 75, 77, 237.

Oklahoma licensing boards must credit military training toward a licence, expedite licences for military spouses, issue a licence within 30 days to a service member or spouse moving here with a licence from another state, waive the first fees, and keep a deployed member's licence alive without fees.

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 test, and a temporary licence if the board needs more than 30 days. Veterans rely on 59 O.S. §§ 4100-4100.8.

From July 1, 2026, the children of an active duty service member, or a reservist on active orders, who is moving to an Oklahoma installation are treated as district residents before they arrive, may choose their district, and cannot be refused early enrollment because of a special education plan.

Parent on active duty orders, moving to an Oklahoma installation. 70 O.S. § 8-103.1, as amended by 2026 Okla. Sess. Laws c. 264.

Up to $5,000, once, toward a specially adapted home for a veteran already approved for VA's Specially Adapted Housing grant, who lived in Oklahoma before entering service and lives here now. It depends on money being in the fund.

Approved for VA Specially Adapted Housing. 72 O.S. § 412(A)(1).

Oklahoma repealed its civil service preference points in 2022. A veteran found eligible by the Office of Veterans Placement is now guaranteed up to two interviews for a qualified position with the same job title at each agency in a year. A war veteran rated 30 percent may also be hired without the ordinary hiring procedures.

Full obligation or early release, and honorable or under honorable conditions. OAC 260:130-1-2; 72 O.S. § 2. The office's web page says honorable only.

Free tuition at a state technology center for an Oklahoma veteran who served 18 consecutive months between August 1964 and 1976, or was discharged with a service-connected disability, if used within 15 years of discharge, and for the child of a prisoner of war or missing service member. The Army benefits library describes it as open to any resident veteran; it is not.

18 months between August 10, 1964 and December 31, 1976, or discharged with a service-connected disability. 72 O.S. § 303(2).

A veteran paid by VA at the 100 percent rate for a permanent service-connected disability pays no Oklahoma motor vehicle excise tax on one vehicle every three years, or sooner if the vehicle is a total loss. There is no surviving spouse route.

Paid at the 100 percent rate on a schedular rating. 68 O.S. § 2105(16): "in receipt of compensation at the one-hundred-percent rate" for a disability that "shall be permanent".

Any veteran in the Oklahoma Veterans Registry can have a flag emblem and the word "Veteran" on the driver licence or state ID. It is also proof for free admission to state parks and museums.

Registered with the Veterans Registry. 47 O.S. § 6-124(B).

Seven state veterans homes, in Ardmore, Claremore, Clinton, Lawton, Norman, Sallisaw and Sulphur, provide long-term nursing care to veterans who qualify for the VA state home per diem, generally with 90 days of active duty. A veteran rated 70 percent or more pays nothing; others pay from income, but no wartime veteran may be refused for inability to pay.

Eligible for the VA state home per diem, generally 90 days of active duty. OAC 770:10-1-3.

Registering with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs is voluntary, but since November 1, 2020 it has been required before almost any state benefit: the sales tax card, the vehicle excise exemption, the free driver licence, the veteran designation, disabled veteran hunting and fishing licences and the $5 plate. The department's service representatives help with VA claims and state benefit letters at no charge.

Registration is the first step for most state benefits. 72 O.S. § 421; required by the sections for the sales tax, excise tax, driver licence, designation, hunting and fishing and private preference benefits, largely since November 1, 2020 (Laws 2017, c. 229).

A private Oklahoma employer may adopt a written policy preferring honorably discharged veterans in hiring, promotion and layoffs without breaking state anti-discrimination law. Nothing requires an employer to have one, and the veteran must be in the Veterans Registry.

Active duty, honorable discharge and registered. 40 O.S. § 801(B)(3).

Oklahoma's only state veterans cemetery, in Ardmore, buries eligible veterans at no charge with the same eligibility as a VA national cemetery. Spouses and dependents are currently free too, though the state says their fees may change.

Oklahoma's general definition requires the full service obligation, or an early release for medical reasons, hardship or a reduction in force, and a discharge that is honorable or under honorable conditions, so an other than honorable discharge is out. The big disability benefits add "honorably discharged from active service", and a few older programs still use wartime periods.

Full obligation, or early release for medical, hardship or reduction in force reasons. 72 O.S. § 2(1). Guard and reserve service counts on its own.

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.