Updated August 2026
West Virginia Veteran Benefits 2026
The Mountain State — wild, wonderful, and loyal to the people who served.
West Virginia keeps its promises plain: free plates and licenses for its most disabled veterans and college help for Gold Star families. Every claim below is checked against West Virginia code and agencies.
West Virginia Highlights
- Full military retirement pay tax exemption
- Refundable real-property-tax credit for 90%+ P&T disabled veterans (claimed on the WV income-tax return)
- Free registration for one vehicle plus fee-exempt plates at 100% P&T; Purple Heart & Medal of Honor plates also fee-exempt
- No hunting or fishing license required for 100% P&T disabled veterans and former POWs
- 10% year-round state-park lodging & camping discount (code VETS10)
- Up to $500/semester Re-Education Assistance; Medal of Honor & Purple Heart tuition waiver
- State veterans nursing facilities in Clarksburg & Beckley
Income Tax Treatment
West Virginia has a state income tax.
Military Retirement Pay: West Virginia has fully exempted military retirement pay from state income tax since 2018.
Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay earned outside the state is exempt.
VA Disability Compensation: VA disability compensation is tax-free at both the federal and state level in all 50 states. West Virginia does not tax VA disability payments.
Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in West Virginia
Type: Income-tax credit (refund)
West Virginia does not grant disabled veterans a property-tax exemption at the assessor level. Since Jan 1, 2024 the benefit is a refundable state income-tax credit equal to 100% of the property tax paid on the primary residence, for veterans rated 90%+ service-connected (totally and permanently disabled). You pay the county, then recover it on your WV income tax return (Form DV-1). This replaced the old $20,000 homestead reduction.
| VA disability rating / category | What you get |
|---|---|
| 90%–100% VA combined, service-connected (totally & permanently disabled) | Refundable income-tax credit = 100% of WV real property tax timely paid on the primary residential homestead.Honorable discharge; residential use; taxes paid timely; primary residence only; claim via WV income tax return + Form DV-1 + VA rating letter. |
| Below 90% | No veteran-specific benefit.May qualify for the general $20,000 homestead exemption only if 65+ or independently certified permanently & totally disabled. |
- Income limit: None.
- Age requirement: None for the veteran credit (the 65+ requirement applies only to the separate general homestead exemption).
- Surviving spouse: An unmarried surviving spouse of a disabled veteran who previously received the credit may continue claiming it; terminates on the spouse's death or remarriage.
- Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Varies / not explicitly addressed — confirm with the assessor or state VA
Source: WV Code §11-13MM-2 & §11-13MM-4; Form DV-1; general homestead §11-6B-3 and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.
To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the West 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.
Vehicle & Registration Benefits
Free vehicle registration (100% permanent & total): Under WV Code §17A-10-8, not more than one vehicle owned by a veteran with a 100 percent total and permanent service-connected disability — as certified by the director of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance — is exempt from registration fees, provided the vehicle is not used for commercial purposes. The same section separately exempts any vehicle owned by a disabled veteran as defined by the federal VA automobile-grant laws (Public Law 663 of the 79th Congress, Public Law 187 of the 82nd, or Public Law 77 of the 90th) — for example, a vehicle bought with a VA auto grant — except vehicles used for hire.
Fee-exempt honorary plates: Under WV Code §17A-3-14d, the DMV issues special registration plates to disabled veterans, recipients of the Purple Heart, Congressional Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, and Air Force Cross, and veteran survivors of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor — and these plates are “exempt from all registration fees otherwise required.” A qualified applicant can get a second plate of the same type for a passenger vehicle titled in their name for a one-time $10 fee, and a surviving spouse may keep using the deceased spouse’s plate until he or she dies, remarries, or lets it lapse. The WV Department of Veterans Assistance lists free plates for veterans with VA auto-grant benefits, a 100 percent permanent and total service-connected disability rating, former POWs, Purple Heart recipients, and Pearl Harbor survivors.
Standard Veteran plate: Any honorably discharged veteran can get a West Virginia Veteran license plate for a one-time $10 fee on top of the regular registration fee, per the WV Department of Veterans Assistance. Applications are available on the DMV’s military plates page — contact your local DMV office to apply.
Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing
No hunting or fishing license needed — 100% P&T disabled veterans: West Virginia handles this as a license exemption, not a discounted license. Under WV Code §20-2-28, any West Virginia resident who was honorably discharged and receives a veteran’s pension based on a total permanent service-connected disability, as certified by the VA, may hunt, trap, or fish without obtaining a license. The same section extends the exemption to any resident disabled veteran certified by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles as exempt from vehicle registration fees (the §17A-10-8 group above).
Former prisoners of war: Under WV Code §20-2-62, an honorably discharged West Virginia resident who was a prisoner of war may fish, hunt, or trap lawfully permitted species without a license. Carry written evidence — a record of separation, a letter from one of the military forces, or other proof the DNR director requires.
Active duty on leave: West Virginia residents on active duty in the U.S. armed forces may hunt, trap, or fish in season without a license while on leave or furlough, also under WV Code §20-2-28.
State park discount — 10% year-round: West Virginia State Parks gives veterans and active-duty military personnel 10% off any lodge room, cabin, or campsite, every day — use code VETS10 when you reserve and present a valid military ID at check-in. The discount is not available at Stonewall Resort State Park, and some other exclusions may apply.
Education & Other West Virginia Benefits
Veterans Re-Education Assistance: The WV Department of Veterans Assistance offers up to a $500-per-semester stipend to veterans enrolled in a certified post-secondary education course, and can assist with vocational and non-traditional education on a case-by-case basis.
Medal of Honor & Purple Heart tuition waiver: All West Virginia public institutions of higher education waive tuition and mandatory fee charges for West Virginia residents awarded the Medal of Honor or the Purple Heart, per the WV Department of Veterans Assistance.
War Orphan Education Program: Surviving spouses and children (under 26) of deceased wartime veterans are not charged tuition and fees at West Virginia state post-secondary educational or training institutions, and the Department of Veterans Assistance can award up to $1,000 per semester (maximum $2,000 per year) toward room, board, books, and other living expenses.
High school diploma for wartime veterans: West Virginia veterans who served in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam and did not finish high school may be awarded a high school diploma through their current county of residence or the county where they attended school.
State veterans facilities: The Department of Veterans Assistance operates the State Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg, the Charles Calvin Rogers State Veterans Nursing Facility in Beckley, the West Virginia Veterans Home, and the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery.
VA Healthcare in West Virginia
West Virginia 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.