Virginia Veteran Benefits 2026

Income Tax Treatment

Virginia has a state income tax.

Military Retirement Pay: Virginia's military benefits subtraction is $40,000 per year (fully phased in for 2025 and beyond), available at any age; retired pay above that is taxed.

Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay earned outside Virginia may be partially exempt.

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

Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in Virginia

Type: Full exemption at 100%

Virginia provides a 100% exemption from local real estate tax on the principal residence (plus up to 1 acre) of any veteran rated 100% service-connected permanent & total (P&T) by the VA. Mandated statewide by the Virginia Constitution (Art. X, §6-A) and Code §58.1-3219.5; no income limit, no age requirement.

• Income limit: None.
• Age requirement: None.
• Surviving spouse: Surviving spouse retains the full exemption if the veteran died on/after Jan 1, 2011 and the spouse does not remarry; may carry it to a new principal residence. Remarriage permanently terminates it.
• Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Yes — being paid at the 100% rate via Individual Unemployability (TDIU) qualifies

Source: Code of Virginia §58.1-3219.5; Va. Const. Art. X §6-A and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.

To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the Virginia 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

Motor vehicle sales & use tax (SUT) exemption — 100% P&T: Virginia exempts one motor vehicle owned and used primarily by or for a veteran the VA has rated with a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability from the motor vehicle sales and use tax. Unusually, this exemption is not one of the statutory exemptions in § 58.1-2403 — DMV administers it directly under the voter-ratified constitutional amendment, Va. Const. Art. X, § 6(a)(8), which covers only automobiles and pickup trucks and lets a married couple qualify if either spouse is the qualifying veteran. Per the DMV disabled veteran SUT exemption page: one vehicle at a time (you must sell or trade the current exempt vehicle before claiming a new one); eligible vehicles are passenger vehicles and pickups under 10,000 lbs (motorcycles, trailers, mopeds, ATVs, RVs, and motorhomes do not qualify); the veteran or spouse must purchase the vehicle and hold title; claim it at titling with the Purchaser’s Statement of Exemption (form SUT3) plus a VA Benefit Summary letter stating the 100% service-connected, permanent, and total rating.

Local vehicle (“car tax”) exemption — 100% P&T: The same constitutional amendment also exempts one vehicle from local personal property tax under Va. Code § 58.1-3668 — a meaningful benefit in a state known for its annual car tax. It covers one passenger car, pickup, or panel truck registered for personal use and owned and used primarily by or for a veteran rated 100% service-connected, permanent, and total (either spouse may be the qualifying veteran). The exemption applies from the date the vehicle is acquired or January 1, 2021, whichever is later, ends on the veteran’s death, and — unlike the real-estate exemption above — does not pass to a surviving spouse. Claim it with your local commissioner of the revenue.

Disabled Veteran plates & registration-fee waiver: Under Va. Code § 46.2-739, any veteran with a VA-certified service-connected disability (no minimum percentage) can get the red-white-and-blue “DV” plates for a $10 special plate fee plus normal registration fees (in place since July 1, 2015). A veteran who (1) has lost, or lost the use of, a leg, arm, or hand, (2) is blind, or (3) is permanently and totally disabled as certified by the VA gets one set of Disabled Veteran (or standard passenger) plates free, with no annual registration fee on one vehicle owned and personally used by the veteran; effective July 1, 2026, an unremarried surviving spouse of such a veteran qualifies for the same free set, and DV plates transfer at the veteran’s death to the unremarried surviving spouse. Note the standard DV plate does not grant accessible parking — veterans whose disability limits walking can request the DV disabled-parking plate (wheelchair symbol) with a medical certification. Details and forms: DMV Disabled Veteran plates.

Purple Heart & Gold Star plates: Purple Heart plates carry no annual special plate fee and include one free registration per qualifying applicant (emissions and personalization fees still apply); prove eligibility with the award certificate, official records, or your DD-214, and unremarried surviving spouses remain eligible. Gold Star plates for family members carry a $0 special plate fee (normal registration fees apply); certify eligibility with DMV form VSA 10A.

Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing

Veteran Disability Passport — 100% rating: Virginia State Parks issues a free Veteran Disability Passport to veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating. It covers parking and admission for the pass holder and necessary assistants, boat launch, and horse-trailer parking, plus a 50% discount on camping, swimming, shelters, standard yurt stays of two or more nights, and equipment rentals (25% off a single-night yurt stay). The pass is valid 12 months; apply with form DCR199-036 and VA paperwork showing the 100% rating, emailed to resvs@dcr.virginia.gov. Details: Virginia State Parks annual passes.

Disability Passport — any VA disability benefits: Veterans below 100% aren’t left out: the free Disability Passport requires only a Social Security or VA disability benefit verification letter. It provides free vehicle parking at all Virginia State Parks and free admission for the pass holder and necessary assistants at the two parks with per-person entrance fees (Natural Bridge and Southwest Virginia Museum). Also valid 12 months, same application form.

Lifetime hunting & fishing licenses — resident disabled veterans (30%+): Under Va. Code § 29.1-302, Virginia-resident veterans with a service-connected disability can buy nontransferable lifetime licenses at rates tied to their VA rating (per DWR’s Resident Disabled Veteran lifetime license application): rated totally and permanently disabled — lifetime freshwater fishing $0 and lifetime hunting $0 (lifetime trapping $15); 70% or more — $50 each; 50% to under 70% — $75 each; 30% to under 50% — $100 each. The lifetime hunting license is equivalent to the annual small game license and includes the archery, muzzleloader, bear, and deer/turkey licenses; the lifetime freshwater fishing license does not cover trout-stocked waters or state/national-forest permits. You must show Virginia residency (Virginia driver’s license or DMV ID) and VA disability certification — the federal VA ID card alone is not accepted — and allow up to 45 days’ processing.

Active duty: Active-duty personnel stationed and living in Virginia — and their immediate family — qualify for resident hunting and fishing licenses. See the DWR Veterans & Military page for all programs, including licenses for disabled active-duty personnel and non-resident disabled veterans.

Education & Other Virginia Benefits

VMSDEP — tuition waiver for survivors and dependents: The Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program waives all tuition and mandatory fees at Virginia public colleges and universities for the spouse or children (ages 16–29) of (1) a service member who was killed, went missing in action, or was taken prisoner of war while on active duty during military operations against terrorism, a peacekeeping mission, a terrorist act, or any armed conflict, or (2) a veteran whom the VA has rated totally and permanently disabled or at least 90 percent permanently disabled due to such service, with a discharge under other than dishonorable conditions (Va. Code § 23.1-608). The Commissioner of Veterans Services can certify a dependent child past age 29 when extenuating circumstances prevented earlier use, and stepchildren of deceased members qualify in defined cases. Virginia domicile rules apply — generally the service member’s Virginia domicile at entry into service, or five years of Virginia domicile or physical presence, under the tests in the statute. A companion fund (§ 23.1-608.1) also provides stipends — up to $2,000, or as set in the state budget — toward room and board, books, and supplies. Apply through the Virginia Department of Veterans Services VMSDEP portal.

VA Healthcare in Virginia

Virginia has approximately 4 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 Virginia Veterans Resources

• Virginia Department of Veterans Services
• Virginia DMV — Disabled Veteran Sales & Use Tax Exemption
• Virginia DMV — Disabled Veteran License Plates
• Virginia State Parks (DCR) — Annual Passes & Disability Passports
• Virginia DWR — Veterans & Military Licenses
• Virginia DVS — VMSDEP Education Program
• VA Facility Locator
• 2026 VA Disability Compensation Rates