Kansas Veteran Benefits 2026

Income Tax Treatment

Kansas has a state income tax.

Military Retirement Pay: Kansas fully exempts military retirement pay from state income tax.

Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay is fully exempt from Kansas income tax.

VA Disability Compensation: VA disability compensation is tax-free at both the federal and state level in all 50 states. Kansas does not tax VA disability payments.

Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in Kansas

Type: Income-tax credit (refund)

Kansas has no direct disabled-veteran property tax exemption; instead, veterans with a 50%+ permanent service-connected disability rating and household income at or below the annual limit may claim a Homestead Property Tax Relief refund (Form K-40SVR) that refunds the increase in their homestead property tax above a base year, effectively freezing their tax bill.

• Income limit: Household income at or below the annual statutory threshold; $58,041 for 2025. Updated annually by KDOR.
• Age requirement: None for the disabled-veteran track.
• Surviving spouse: A surviving spouse of a qualifying disabled veteran receiving benefits at the time of death may continue until he or she remarries.
• Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Varies / not explicitly addressed — confirm with the assessor or state VA

Source: K.S.A. 79-4502 and K.S.A. 79-4501 et seq.; Form K-40SVR and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.

To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the Kansas Department of Veterans Affairs. You will typically need your VA disability rating letter (and often your DD‑214) and proof that the home is your primary residence.

Real estate vs. personal property: this benefit applies to real-estate (home/homestead) property tax. Personal-property taxes — such as the annual tax some states levy on vehicles — are separate and generally still apply, even at a 100% rating, unless your state specifically exempts them.

Check your exemption by rating & state →

Vehicle & Registration Benefits

Free Disabled Veteran plate & registration (50%+ rating): Kansas registers one vehicle and issues its distinctive Disabled Veteran license plate free of charge under K.S.A. 8-161. To qualify under K.S.A. 8-160 you must be a Kansas resident who was discharged under an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions, whose disability was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, and whose service-connected evaluation is 50% or greater; the Kansas Department of Revenue also accepts VA compensation for loss (or permanent loss of use) of one or both feet or hands, or permanent visual impairment of both eyes. The no-fee registration covers a passenger vehicle, a truck of 20,000 lbs or less, or a motorcycle owned or leased by the veteran — no registration fee at application or at renewal. Apply with KDOR form TR-103, signed by the VA. Since July 1, 2022 the plate comes in two versions: with the international wheelchair symbol (only if you also meet the disabled-person definition in K.S.A. 8-1,124) or without it. Additional Disabled Veteran plates beyond the first pay standard registration fees.

Vehicle property tax is not waived: KDOR states that property tax “must still be paid for the vehicle to which the free Disabled Veteran plate is issued” — Kansas has no disabled-veteran exemption from the annual motor-vehicle property tax. Under K.S.A. 79-5107(e) (applicable after December 31, 2021), up to two vehicles are exempt from the motor-vehicle tax only for resident individuals in full-time U.S. military service (stationed in Kansas, absent on military orders, or mobilized/deployed) and current members in good standing of the Kansas Army or Air National Guard or a U.S. reserve unit — a benefit for currently serving members, not for veterans or retirees.

Parking privileges: under K.S.A. 8-161, a Disabled Veteran plate printed with the international symbol of access allows parking in marked accessible spaces; both plate versions allow parking without charge (and exempt from posted time limits) at metered spaces, and free parking in accessible-marked spaces of attended public pay lots.

No-fee plates for POW and Medal of Honor recipients: a resident former prisoner of war may be issued one distinctive POW plate without payment of the regular registration fee under K.S.A. 8-177c, with free annual renewal; the surviving spouse may keep the plate until remarriage if it was issued before the veteran’s death. Congressional Medal of Honor recipients likewise register without the regular license fee under K.S.A. 8-1,145.

Other military plates (regular fee): the U.S. Veteran plate under K.S.A. 8-1,146 is available to residents currently serving or discharged under honorable conditions from any branch — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, or Merchant Marine — for passenger vehicles, trucks up to 20,000 lbs, motorcycles, and travel trailers at the regular registration fee; show the veteran designation on your Kansas driver’s license or your DD-214/NGB-22, and add a military-branch decal for $2 (details on the KDOR U.S. Veteran plate page). Kansas also issues Purple Heart (K.S.A. 8-1,140, regular fee), Pearl Harbor survivor (K.S.A. 8-1,139, regular fee), and Gold Star mother (K.S.A. 8-177d, regular fee) plates, plus Korean War, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Silver Star, and Bronze Star plates (K.S.A. 8-1,185 through 8-1,205).

Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing

Free permanent hunting & fishing license — 30%+ disabled resident veterans: under K.S.A. 32-934, KDWP issues a free permanent license to hunt and fish to Kansas residents who were discharged under an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions, whose disability was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, and whose service-connected evaluation is 30% or greater; K.S.A. 32-988(f) exempts the same veterans from KDWP hunting and fishing license fees. 2023 House Bill 2039 upgraded the benefit from an annual license to a one-time permanent license. It does not cover separate big-game (deer), wild-turkey, or stamp purchases. Apply online through GoOutdoorsKS (gooutdoorskansas.com or the GoOutdoorsKS app) or by mail to the KDWP Pratt licensing office with your VA entitlement papers showing at least 30% disability, and allow about two weeks for processing — see the KDWP special licenses & permits page.

Active Kansas National Guard — free licenses and park permits: KDWP provides free hunting and fishing licenses and free state park vehicle permits to active members of the Kansas National Guard, as annual funding allows. Apply by mail to KDWP Licensing in Pratt with certification from your unit commander (same KDWP special licenses page).

State park permits: Kansas does not offer a disabled-veteran-specific state park permit. On the 2025 fee schedule an annual vehicle permit runs $25.00 and a daily permit $5.00 (including processing fees); persons with disabilities who display a state-issued disability license plate or placard — which includes a Disabled Veteran plate printed with the wheelchair emblem — can buy the reduced Senior/Disabled annual vehicle permit for $13.75 or daily permit for $3.25 at KDWP offices and vendors. Details on the KDWP state park entrance & camping fees page.

Education & Other Kansas Benefits

Kansas Military Service Scholarship: under K.S.A. 74-32,228 and 74-32,229, Kansas residents who served after September 11, 2001, in international waters or on foreign soil in support of military operations for at least 90 days (fewer than 90 if injured during that service) in an operation that drew hostile fire pay — and who are still serving or were discharged under honorable conditions — can receive a scholarship of up to the full tuition and fees for the academic year at the Kansas postsecondary institution where they are enrolled, for up to four academic years (five if the program requires a fifth year). Awards are prioritized by financial need within annual appropriations and administered through the Kansas Board of Regents; your DD-214 or active-duty orders must show the qualifying deployment.

Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance: under K.S.A. 74-32,148, eligible Kansas Army or Air National Guard members enrolled at a Kansas educational institution (and, when funds remain after members are covered, dependents they sponsor) receive tuition and required fees for up to 15 credit hours per semester, up to 150% of the credit hours needed to complete the program, capped at state-university rates and offset by federal Guard education benefits, subject to annual appropriations.

VA Healthcare in Kansas

Kansas has approximately 2 VA medical centers along with community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) throughout the state. Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare can receive care at any VA facility nationwide.

To find the nearest VA facility, visit VA.gov Facility Locator.

Official Kansas Veterans Resources

• Kansas Department of Veterans Affairs
• Kansas Department of Revenue — Disabled Veteran License Plate
• Kansas Department of Revenue — U.S. Veteran License Plate
• KDWP — Special Licenses & Permits (Disabled Veteran & National Guard)
• KDWP — State Park Entrance & Camping Fees
• VA Facility Locator
• 2026 VA Disability Compensation Rates