Caldwell County

The Caldwell County Clerk (Teresa Rodriguez, Justice Center, 1703 S. Colorado St., Lockhart, 512-398-1804) files military discharges and issues certified copies at no charge - the January 1, 2024 fee schedule prints both under Local Government Code 192.002(b) and Government Code 603.003(a) - and posts a copy request that asks for a photo ID.

Any veteran with a discharge. Recording a discharge and a certified copy are free under the State statutes; copies go only to the people Government Code 552.140 lists. No rating is needed.

The Caldwell County Commissioners Court (County Judge Hoppy Haden) approved the FY2027 Fund for Veterans' Assistance application (November 25, 2025), ratified the year's Vets First and housing payments on its consent agendas, accepted the $100,000 FY2027 award (September 10, 2026), raised the Veteran Service Officer department to $192,444 for FY2027 and took up the FY2028 application (October 22, 2026); no benefit was narrowed or repealed.

No eligibility - a board record. The record documents the county’s veterans-services administration; it grants no individual entitlement.

Caldwell County's Veteran Services Office - Veteran Services Officer Sara Love, 1403 Blackjack St., Lockhart (512-398-6492, [email protected]), by appointment Monday to Friday - helps veterans, dependents and survivors with VA claims and education benefits, runs the county's Vets First financial-assistance grant and its October veterans resource fair; the FY2027 budget adds a second staff post.

Veterans, dependents and survivors. The office helps any veteran, dependent or survivor with VA and State claims. No rating is needed.

Caldwell County Veteran Services runs a Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans' Assistance grant - $100,000 for FY2027, accepted September 10, 2026, after $100,000 plus a $150,000 Housing for Texas Heroes grant in FY2026 - paying past-due utilities, rent or mortgage, groceries, fuel and vehicle repairs for county veterans and surviving spouses whose liquid resources are $12,500 or less; honorable, general, other-than-honorable and uncharacterized discharges are all weighed.

Caldwell County veteran or spouse in hardship. Monthly liquid resources of $12,500 or less; utility help needs a past-due or final notice; character of discharge is one criterion (honorable, general, other than honorable and uncharacterized all listed). No rating is needed.

A 12 to 24 month, three-phase diversion court for honourably discharged veterans and serving active duty members, typically on misdemeanor charges, whose completion erases the case-related criminal record. It registers with the Office of Court Administration as serving Hays, Caldwell and Blanco Counties, and its page adds a discharge test chapter 124 does not have.

Honourably discharged veteran or serving member with a pending case. The county page takes honourable discharges and serving members; the statute sets no discharge test. No rating is needed.

At a 50% rating, or 40% with a lower extremity amputation, the first set of Disabled Veteran plates costs $3 and additional sets are free. One vehicle registers with no registration fee at all. The plate no longer confers disabled parking by itself.

50% service-connected, or 40% with a lower extremity amputation. Section 504.202 requires a service-connected disability of at least 50 percent, or at least 40 percent because of the amputation of a lower extremity, plus compensation from the United States for that disability. The 40% amputation path is narrower than a rating percentage can express, so the 50% figure is recorded but does not hide the plates from a veteran rated 40% for an amputation.

A flat dollar amount comes off the appraised value of any one property a disabled veteran owns: $5,000 at a 10% to 29% rating, $7,500 at 30% to 49%, $10,000 at 50% to 69%, and $12,000 at 70% and above. At 65 or older, any rating of at least 10% gets the full $12,000.

Service-connected rating of at least 10%. The exemption amount is a step function of the rating: $5,000 at 10% to 29%, $7,500 at 30% to 49%, $10,000 at 50% to 69%, and $12,000 at 70% and above. A rating below 10% gets nothing under the schedule.

Texas has no individual income tax, so military retired pay, Survivor Benefit Plan annuities, VA compensation, and Thrift Savings Plan withdrawals are all untaxed at the state level. There is no form to file and no exclusion to claim.

No eligibility test. There is nothing to qualify for. Texas has no individual income tax, so no rating, income level, or filing status changes the result. The rating filter never hides this entry.

A service member on active duty, or a Guard member on federal active duty, preparing to deploy to a hostile fire zone pays no state or local fee for copies of birth, marriage, divorce, child support, guardianship or property tax records, for a marriage licence, or for transferring title to property, when arranging affairs for the deployment.

On active duty and preparing to deploy to a hostile fire zone. A member on active duty, or a Guard member on federal active duty, preparing to deploy to a designated hostile fire zone. No rating is involved.

The full Super Combo package, hunting and all-water fishing with five endorsements, free every year for a veteran rated 50% or more or who lost the use of a foot or leg. Residents and non-residents both qualify. It has to be obtained in person.

50% service-connected. The rating path is a disability rating of 50 percent or more with compensation from the United States for the disability. A rating below 50% does not qualify for the free package.

Every Texas county clerk must record a veteran's discharge free. A DD-214 recorded since September 1, 2003 is confidential for 75 years, and the veteran and a listed circle of relatives and representatives get free copies. A county clerk may also waive the assumed name (DBA) filing fee for a veteran.

Any veteran with a discharge. Any veteran can record a discharge free; copies go to the people the statute lists. No rating is needed.

Up to 150 credit hours of tuition and most fees waived at any Texas public college or university. A veteran who has unused hours can hand them to one child at a time under the Legacy provision, and a spouse or child of a veteran who died in service or is totally disabled for employability gets 150 hours of their own.

Service and residency, not a rating, for the veteran. The veteran path tests entry into service from Texas, more than 180 days of active duty, an honorable discharge, current Texas residence, and exhausted or insufficient federal education benefits. No disability rating is required, and the rating filter does not hide this benefit.

A Texas entity owned entirely by honorably discharged veterans pays no $300 formation filing fee and owes no franchise tax for its first five years. House Bill 346 of 2025 struck the January 1, 2026 sunset, so the program is now permanent.

100 percent veteran ownership and formation on or after January 1, 2022. The gates are an honorable discharge for every owner, 100 percent veteran ownership, formation or organization in Texas on or after January 1, 2022, and a Veteran Verification Letter obtained before formation. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Every Texas licensing agency has to process a military applicant within 10 business days, waive application and examination fees, credit military training toward requirements, and issue a licence to a holder of an out-of-state licence similar in scope of practice. It applies to a military spouse as well, on the rules House Bill 5629 set from September 1, 2025.

Military service member, veteran, or military spouse status. Chapter 55 turns on being a military service member, a military veteran, or a military spouse as those terms are defined in section 55.001. No disability rating is involved, and the rating filter never hides this benefit.

An officer or employee of the State, a city, a county or another Texas political subdivision who serves in the Texas military forces or a reserve component gets up to 15 workdays a fiscal year of paid leave for authorized training or duty, plus up to 7 more for state active duty in a disaster, without losing vacation, sick leave or efficiency rating.

Guard, State Guard or reserve member working for a Texas public employer. An officer or employee of the State or a Texas city, county or other political subdivision who serves in the Texas military forces, a reserve component of the armed forces, or an authorized urban search and rescue team. No rating is involved.

Free entry to every Texas state park for an honorably discharged veteran, for life. A veteran at 60% or higher, or with the loss of a lower extremity, brings a companion in free too. Active duty and Gold Star family passports exist alongside it.

60% for the companion privilege. An honorably discharged veteran gets free entry with no rating at all. A rating of 60% or higher, or the loss of a lower extremity, upgrades that to free entry for the veteran and a companion.

When a charity donates a home to a partially disabled veteran, or sells it for no more than half its market value, the homestead is exempt by the same percentage as the disability rating. A 60% rating means 60% of the appraised value comes off.

Service-connected rating below 100%. The exemption percentage equals the disability rating percentage, so the rating both opens the benefit and sets its size. A veteran rated 100% is covered by section 11.131 instead, which exempts the whole value.

Five state veterans cemeteries, in Killeen, Corpus Christi, Mission, Abilene and, since 2026, Lubbock. Eligibility and burial benefits match a VA national cemetery, and there is no charge for a veteran, spouse or eligible dependant. Casket burial, cremation, columbarium placement, and a scattering garden are all available.

Service, not a rating. Eligibility follows the VA national cemetery standard: an honorable, under honorable conditions or general discharge and VA's service rules (generally 24 months of active duty after 1980, or the full period called up for). No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

Ten state-owned skilled nursing homes for veterans, with staff trained on military experience and post-traumatic stress. A veteran with a 70% or higher service-connected disability generally lives there at no cost. Spouses and surviving spouses with a year in Texas, and a parent all of whose children died in service, may be admitted too.

A rating of 70% or more generally means no cost. Admission does not require a rating. A service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher is the point at which the Land Office says a veteran generally lives in the homes for free, because VA then covers the full cost. Below 70%, a veteran still qualifies for admission and the discounted per diem rate.

A Texas toll road operator, the State, a regional authority or a county, need not offer a discount, but one that runs a discount programme must give free or discounted tolls to an electronic toll account for a vehicle with Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart or Legion of Valor plates. Each operator sets its own terms.

Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart or Legion of Valor plate. The test is the plate on the vehicle. A Disabled Veteran plate needs a 50% rating, or 40% from a lower extremity amputation; a Purple Heart or Legion of Valor plate needs no rating.

The unmarried surviving spouse of a service member killed or fatally injured in the line of duty pays no property tax on the residence homestead. No disability rating is involved, and the exemption moves with the spouse to a later home as a dollar amount.

Death in the line of duty, and no remarriage. The gates are the service member being killed or fatally injured in the line of duty, marriage at the time of death, and the surviving spouse not having remarried. There is no VA rating test, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.

New for the 2026 tax year. The unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a condition the PACT Act presumes to be service connected pays no property tax on the residence homestead, whatever the rating was at death, and whenever the death occurred.

Death from a PACT Act presumptive condition, and no remarriage. The gate is the cause of death being a condition the PACT Act presumes service connected, not a rating. Section 11.136 says so explicitly: it applies regardless of the disability rating at death, and regardless of when the veteran died. The rating filter does not test any of that.

The entire appraised value of the residence homestead comes off the tax roll for a veteran awarded 100% disability compensation with a rating of 100% or individual unemployability. This is a full exemption, not a dollar cap, and an unmarried surviving spouse keeps it and can move it to a later home.

100% service-connected. Section 11.131 requires both a VA award of 100 percent disability compensation and a qualifying rating. One path is a VA rating of 100%.

The VETERAN designation on a Texas driver license or ID is free with an honorable or general discharge. A DISABLED VETERAN designation needs a 50% rating, or 40% with a lower extremity amputation. At 60% the whole license fee is waived, but not for a commercial license.

50% for the DISABLED VETERAN designation. The designation requires a rating of at least 50%, or at least 40% with a lower extremity amputation. The free VETERAN designation requires no rating at all and is a separate thing.

Every Texas county of 200,000 or more must keep a separate veterans county service office with at least one full-time employee. Its officers must help any county resident who served, and their dependents and orphans, with federal and state benefit claims, and may not charge or let anyone charge a fee.

Any county resident who served, or a dependent or orphan. The office serves any county resident who served in the armed forces or nurse corps and their dependents and orphans. No rating is needed.

A qualified veteran is entitled to preference over an equally qualified applicant for any state or public entity job in Texas, and gets 10 points added to any competitive exam score. Every state agency has to set a goal of filling 20% of its full-time positions with veterans.

90 consecutive days during a declared national emergency, or discharge for a disability. The preference tests 90 consecutive days of service during a declared national emergency or a discharge for an established service-connected disability, plus an honorable discharge and competence. No rating percentage is required, though a veteran with a disability ranks first in the agency priority order.

Up to $50,000 for repairs and improvements to a home a veteran already owns, with no down payment, on a 2 to 20 year term. A rating of 30% or more takes half a point off the rate. Accessibility work on an aging home is the common use.

A rating of 30% or more buys the discounted rate. The loan does not require a rating. A VA service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater lowers the rate by half a percentage point. Below 30%, the loan is still available at the standard rate.

A state-funded fixed-rate mortgage of up to $832,750 for a primary residence in Texas, with little or no money down. A VA service-connected rating of 30% or more takes half a point off the interest rate. The loan can be used again after it is paid off.

A rating of 30% or more buys the discounted rate. No rating is needed to get the loan. A VA service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater lowers the interest rate by half a percentage point. Below 30%, the loan is still available at the standard rate.

Up to $200,000 to buy a tract of one net acre or more in Texas, typically with 5% down on a fixed-rate 30-year term (7.25% in October 2026). Two veterans married to each other who are each individually eligible can borrow up to $275,000 on the same tract. No other state runs a program like it.

Texas residence and qualifying service, no rating. The gates are age 18, Texas residence, and qualifying service. No VA disability rating is required, and unlike the VLB home loan there is no published rating-based interest discount on the land loan. The rating filter does not hide this benefit.

A county may run a veterans treatment court for any misdemeanor or felony. A veteran or current member, Guard, reserve and State Guard included, whose service-related brain injury, mental illness or military sexual trauma affected the offense can choose it with the prosecutor's consent, and a pretrial participant who completes it gets the case dismissed. No discharge test applies.

Veteran or current member with a service-related condition. The defendant must be a veteran or current member, Guard, reserve and State Guard included. No rating or discharge test applies.

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.