Eighth Circuit Veterans Court (Laurens County)
The Commission on Prosecution Coordination's 2026 directory lists a Veterans Court in the Eighth Circuit, whose solicitor prosecutes Laurens County; the circuit's diversion…
VetTOC · Veteran benefits reference
Laurens County, South Carolina
Free help with a VA claim
- Laurens County Veterans Affairs Military Hall of Heroes. The Hall of Heroes, begun in 2004 inside the county's Veterans Affairs Office, honours Laurens County veterans each September or October on a nomination of an honorable discharge, a DD-214, a 4x6 photo and a shadowbox, and its Lights of Honor tree takes a $5 minimum donation per veteran honoured, checks payable to the program at PO Box 193, Laurens. www.laurenscountysc.gov/departments/veterans_affairs/veterans_affairs_military_hall_of_heroes.php
- Laurens County Veterans Affairs Office. Laurens County's Veterans Affairs Office at 105 Bolt Drive, Suite B, Laurens (864-984-4041), under Director Dale Williams, assists veterans and their dependents with claims to the Columbia Regional Office and the Board of Veterans' Appeals, records and certifies DD-214s, and runs a free weekday van to the Greenville VA clinic and the Dorn VA Medical Center. www.laurenscountysc.gov/departments/veterans_affairs/index.php
- South Carolina County Veterans’ Affairs Officers. Every county has a veterans’ affairs officer who must be accredited within a year and take refresher training annually. The officer is appointed by the state secretary on the recommendation of the county legislative delegation. Section 25-11-40 lets the secretary remove an officer for cause, and a 2025 section says the secretary may not remove one for any reason; the two have not been reconciled. www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t25c011.php
- South Carolina Safeguarding American Veterans’ Benefits Act. Act No. 211 of 2026 bans compensation for veterans benefits claim work except as federal law permits, bars referral fees, outcome guarantees and upfront or nonrefundable fees, caps any lawful fee at the lesser of five times the monthly increase or $12,500, and makes a violation a misdemeanour and an Unfair Trade Practices claim. www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/695.htm
Find a VA-accredited representative: www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/find-rep
Laurens County benefits
Laurens County Auditor: Homestead Exemption
The Laurens County Auditor, James A. Coleman, 100 Hillcrest Square, Laurens (864-984-2535), determines homestead exemption eligibility for county residents - the State's $50,000…
www.laurenscountysc.gov/government/elected_officials/auditor.php
Laurens County: Recording a Discharge (Register of Deeds)
Laurens County's Register of Deeds, within the Clerk of Court at 100 Hillcrest Square, Laurens (864-984-3538), records DD-214 military discharges among its public records; the…
South Carolina benefits that apply here
South Carolina Disabled Veteran License Plates
Up to three free plates for a veteran considered totally and permanently disabled from a service-connected disability, in four designs including wheelchair and female variants.
Gate: Totally and permanently disabled from a service-connected disability; Or individual unemployability, on the VA letter
South Carolina Excused Absence for a Military Student
Any institution of higher education receiving state funding, directly or indirectly, must excuse a student called to military service, duty, training or disaster relief, may not…
South Carolina Free Tuition for a War Veteran’s Child
Free tuition at any state-supported college, university or technical college for the child of a wartime veteran who meets one of nine conditions.
Gate: One route is permanent and total disability "from any cause"
South Carolina Hunting, Fishing and State Park Access
A free three-year combination hunting and fishing licence for any resident receiving VA disability benefits, with no rating floor, plus free deer tags.
Gate: Any level of VA disability benefits opens the free licence
South Carolina In-State Tuition for a Veteran and Dependents
A veteran with ninety days of active duty using Chapter 30, 31 or 33 benefits pays in-state tuition with no waiting period, and so does a transferee.
South Carolina Income Tax Credit for Hiring a Veteran Apprentice
An employer earns $3,000, then $2,500, then $1,000 for a veteran hired into a federally validated registered apprenticeship.
South Carolina Income Tax on Military Retirement Pay
All military retirement income is deductible with no cap and no age condition, from tax year 2022.
South Carolina Income Tax on Military and National Guard Pay
Guard and reserve drill pay, inactive duty training pay and the customary annual training period are excluded from South Carolina gross income, with the annual training capped at…
South Carolina Licensing for a Military Spouse
A licensing board must approve a relocating military spouse to keep working on an out-of-state licence and must issue the South Carolina licence within fifteen business days of a…
South Carolina Military Family Relief Fund
Grants of $500 on mobilised status, $1,000 to next of kin on a service injury or death, and up to $2,000 on need, from a fund built out of income tax check-off donations.
South Carolina Military Leave for a Public Officer or Employee
Fifteen paid workdays a year for Guard and reserve duty, thirty more in an emergency, and thirty more for a state employee serving in a combat zone who has exhausted military…
South Carolina Military and Valor License Plates
Article 149 sorts military plates into six tiers, and which tier a plate sits in decides whether it is free and whether it parks free at a meter.
South Carolina National Guard College Assistance Program
Grants of up to 100 percent of tuition and fees, including textbooks, for a drilling South Carolina Guard member.
South Carolina Property Tax Exemption for a Disabled Veteran
The house and its lot are exempt from all property tax. The test is not a rating percentage: the statute defines permanently and totally disabled as the inability to perform…
Gate: Permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability; Or individual unemployability, which is the same functional test
South Carolina Property Tax Exemptions for a Former POW or Medal of Honor Recipient
A Medal of Honor recipient or a former prisoner of war is exempt on the dwelling and one acre, and on two vehicles.
South Carolina Recording and Confidentiality of a Discharge
A clerk of court records a discharge free of charge, certified copies cost no more than fifty cents, and since 2005 a recorded DD-214 is not a public record.
South Carolina Reemployment Rights After State Duty
A Guard or State Guard member released from duty ordered by the Governor has a right to the previous position, enforceable in circuit court with lost wages and benefits.
South Carolina Retirement Credit for Military Service
An active member of the state retirement system may buy up to six years of service credit for military service, at an actuarially neutral price with a floor of sixteen percent of…
South Carolina Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
South Carolina adopts the federal SCRA as state law, extends it to state active duty, and adds a right to terminate telecom, internet, television, gym and satellite radio…
South Carolina State Veterans Cemeteries
Burial at no charge for a veteran with an honorable discharge, and a fee not exceeding cost for an immediate family member.
South Carolina Vehicle Property Tax Exemption for a Disabled Veteran
Two private passenger vehicles are exempt from property tax.
Gate: Total and permanent disability, certified to the DMV; Or individual unemployability, on the same certification
South Carolina Veteran Designation on a Driver’s License
A free veteran designation on the front of a driver’s licence or identification card. Three document routes, and the National Guard route demands at least twenty years of service.
South Carolina Veterans Homes
Six state veterans homes, moved from the Department of Mental Health to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in 2024 and 2025.
South Carolina Veterans Preference in State Employment
South Carolina has no statutory veterans preference. The preference is a Department of Administration policy effective January 1, 2021 requiring that at least one qualified…
Who Counts as a Veteran in South Carolina
South Carolina has no single statutory definition of veteran.
79 federal benefits apply here as well and are left off this page; the place page lists them.