Veteran benefits in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut
- Benefits you can claim here
- 41
- Property tax rate
- 1.59
- effective rate, ACS 2023 five-year
- The primary residence (or one motor vehicle), exempt in full, typical home
- $0
- a year at this county rate
- Veterans in this county
- 8,687
- US Department of Veterans Affairs VetPop2023 county model, as of 9/30/2025
What to do, in Lower Connecticut River Valley County
The process is the same across Connecticut for the statewide records. Only the office and the tax rate change.
Find what applies to you
41 benefits reach Lower Connecticut River Valley County. Browse them below.
Check whether you qualify
Open any benefit and answer a few questions about that one specifically.
Get your proof
A VA Benefit Summary Letter from VA.gov covers most of them, in about two minutes.
File with Lower Connecticut River Valley County
Form DR-501 to the Property Appraiser before March 1. File even without your letter.
How much is a property tax exemption worth in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
The rate shown is the county's effective property tax rate - aggregate taxes actually paid divided by aggregate home value, from the Census ACS 2023 five-year file. Every overlapping levy, credit and cap is already inside it, which makes it the honest basis for sizing an exemption's dollar value.
These are example savings for a typical home in this county, not an estimate of your own bill. Your actual saving depends on your assessed value, your taxing districts, and how this exemption interacts with any others you hold.
| Effective rate | what homeowners here actually paid |
|---|---|
| Basis | ACS 2023 five-year aggregates |
| The primary residence (or one motor vehicle), exempt in full (Conn. PA 24-46) | about $0 a year against the county rate |
| Total exemption (Conn. PA 24-46) | the entire bill — about $3,975 a year against the county rate on a typical $250,000 value, and more once your other taxing units are added |
| Where to file | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region Town assessor |
| Deadline | September 30 for the Grand List, every year |
Which document does the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region Town assessor accept?
Statute sets the floor; the office picks the paperwork.
Easiest · VA Benefit Summary Letter
Sign in at VA.gov, choose Download VA Letters, then Benefit Summary — Veteran Benefits.
All 41 benefits you can claim in Lower Connecticut River Valley County
All 8 Connecticut counties get the same statewide law.
education(6)
Public Colleges MUST Award Credit for Your MOS Training
CGS 10a-149d requires UConn and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities to award college credit for military occupational specialty training. It is mandatory rather than discretionary, and there is no wartime test — any discharge other than dishonorable qualifies.
Mandatory college credit for military occupational specialty training
A High School Diploma for Leaving School to Serve
CGS 10-221a(i) lets a local or regional board of education award a high school diploma to an honorably discharged veteran of the Second World War, Korea or the Vietnam era who withdrew from high school before graduating in order to serve, and did not get a diploma as a result. The award is at the board's discretion rather than mandatory.
A high school diploma, at the board's discretion
Education Aid for the Children of Veterans Killed, Totally Disabled or Missing
CGS 10a-166 provides need-based education aid to children aged 16 to 23 whose wartime veteran parent was killed in action, died from an active-duty illness or accident, is permanently and totally disabled, or is missing in action in Vietnam. The statute states $400 a year. THAT FIGURE MAY BE OUT OF DATE — it is the statutory amount, not a verified current one, and it should be confirmed before anyone plans around it.
Need-based aid — the statute says $400 a year, which may be out of date
100% Tuition Waived for Every Wartime Veteran — 90 Days Is the Gate
An honorably discharged veteran with at least 90 cumulative days of wartime active duty, domiciled in the state at acceptance, attends the state universities and community colleges tuition-free — no disability rating, no income test. Fees, books and housing are not waived.
100% tuition waived at the state universities and community colleges; 50% at Charter Oak
Serving Guard Members Get the Same Tuition Waiver as Wartime Veterans
An active member of the state Army or Air National Guard receives the same tuition waiver at the state universities and community colleges that a wartime veteran receives — no 90-day wartime test, no discharge, because the member has not left.
Tuition waived at the state universities and community colleges for an active Guard member
Killed in Action Since 9/11, or Missing Since 1960 — Tuition Waived for the Family
A dependent child or surviving spouse of a member killed in action on or after 11 September 2001, or declared missing in action or a prisoner of war after 1 January 1960, receives the same tuition waiver at the state universities and community colleges. The member must have been a resident of this state.
Tuition waived at the state universities and community colleges for the family of a member killed or missing
property tax(4)
Primary Residence Exempt in Full — and From 2025 You Must Apply Every Year
CGS 12-81(83) fully exempts the primary residence — or one vehicle for a veteran without a home — at a 100% permanent and total service-connected rating. From assessment years beginning on or after 1 October 2025 the exemption must be claimed ANNUALLY: an application to your assessor by 1 January, on the form the Office of Policy and Management creates, attesting that you claim in one town only. Proof of qualifying service is due 30 September; proof of the rating is due 1 January.
The primary residence (or one motor vehicle), exempt in full
Extra Exemptions Your Town MAY Have Adopted — Ask Which
Connecticut authorises a set of additional property tax exemptions that each municipality decides whether to adopt. They are not entitlements: what you get depends entirely on your town. The options include up to $20,000 or 10% of assessed value for an income-qualified wartime veteran, at least $3,000 more for a disabled veteran, a tripled income-based amount for a 100%-rated veteran under the income limits, an exemption for one specially equipped vehicle, a full exemption of a specially adapted house, and — from 2025 — a full-exemption equivalent for TDIU-rated residents and a full exemption for surviving spouses of members killed in the line of duty.
Whatever your town has adopted — nothing at all in a town that has adopted none
Property Tax Exemption Tiers From a 10% Rating Up
CGS 12-81(20) sets an exemption by rating band: $2,000 at 10-25%, $2,500 at 26-50%, $3,000 at 51-75%, $3,500 at 76-100% — and $3,500 at any rating from age 65. A severe service-related disability adds $5,000 for the loss of one arm or leg, or $10,000 for both or other listed disabilities. An income-based addition of 200% or 50% of the base applies on top, and towns multiply by their increase factor. It cannot be combined with the 100% permanent and total exemption.
$2,000 to $3,500 of assessment by rating band, plus $5,000 or $10,000 for a severe disability
A Property Tax Exemption for Every Wartime Veteran — No Disability Needed
Connecticut gives a $1,000 base assessment exemption to any veteran with 90 days or more of cumulative wartime service and an honorable discharge, and to veterans retired after 30 years of service. No disability is required. A mandatory income-based addition doubles it — 200% of the base where income is at or below the state threshold ($45,200 single, $55,100 married for 2025), 50% above. Most towns then multiply the amount by a revaluation increase factor.
$1,000 of assessment, doubled or halved by income, then multiplied by your town's revaluation factor
employment(2)
Retirement Service Credit for Military Service — State, Municipal and Teachers
Connecticut lets wartime veterans in the State Employees and Teachers Retirement Systems PURCHASE military service credit, and gives AUTOMATIC credit to municipal employees who left for wartime service and returned within six months — a window extendable for a service-related disability. The Teachers Retirement System allows up to 30 months, including peacetime service.
Purchased or automatic military service credit, up to 30 months in the Teachers system
Five Points, Ten if Compensated — and the Spouse Route Most People Miss
Five points are added to a passing examination score for a wartime veteran not eligible for disability compensation, and ten for one who is. The same five and ten reach the spouse who cannot work because of the veteran’s disability and the unmarried surviving spouse.
5 points added to a passing examination score, or 10 where disability compensation is payable
housing(2)
Veterans Preference in State-Funded Rental Housing
CGS 8-75 gives veterans an admission preference in certain state-funded low and moderate income rental projects, where housing needs are substantially equal to those of competing applicants. A related priority applies to Security Deposit Guarantee Program assistance under CGS 8-339.
Admission preference in certain state-funded rental projects, and priority for deposit assistance
Veterans Home at Rocky Hill — First Month Free, Then 30% of Income
The Residential Facility charges nothing for the first month, then bills 30% of the resident’s monthly income. Eligibility runs on the §27-103 definition, which counts residence at enlistment as well as residence now.
No fee for the first month, then 30% of monthly income
other(10)
The Connecticut Wartime Service Medal — Awarded Posthumously Too
Connecticut awards a state Wartime Service Medal, free, to a veteran with 90 days of active wartime service — or less where the war or operation lasted under 90 days — discharged honorably or under honorable conditions, or discharged for a line-of-duty injury. It reaches a current Connecticut resident, and equally someone who was a Connecticut resident during the qualifying period. It can be awarded posthumously on form VM2, and members of the Hmong Laotian Special Guerrilla Unit are eligible on form VM3.
A state medal, at no cost
Temporary Financial Assistance From the Veterans Affairs Commissioner
CGS 27-125 authorises the state veterans commissioner to give temporary financial assistance to a wartime veteran in need because of disability or another service-related cause — in an amount and for a period the commissioner decides. It also reaches the spouse, parents, children or siblings of a veteran who died from service-related causes, where they cannot support themselves. No amount is published.
Temporary assistance in an amount and for a period the commissioner decides
Military Retirement Pay — Fully Subtracted, Survivors Included
Military retirement pay is subtracted in full from state income — retired armed forces and National Guard members qualify, and so do survivors paid under an election the retiree made. Payments to a former spouse under a divorce decree do not.
100% of military retirement pay subtracted on the state return
Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Fund — Rent, Utilities, Medical, Funeral
A state fund established in 1919, held by the State Treasurer and administered by the American Legion, paying temporary aid for rent, mortgage interest, utilities, medical, dental, vision, hearing and funeral costs. The gate is ninety days of wartime active duty.
Temporary aid toward rent, mortgage interest, utilities, medical, dental, vision, hearing, funeral costs
State Veterans Cemetery — No Charge, Marker Included
The department operates the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown and the Colonel Raymond F. Gates Cemetery in Rocky Hill. There is no charge to an eligible veteran and the government grave marker is provided free.
No charge for burial of an eligible veteran; government grave marker at no charge
A Free 31-Day Bus Pass, Renewable, From the Veterans Department
The veterans department mails eligible veterans a bus pass at no cost, valid for 31 days from first use and renewable on request. Eligibility is proved by the veteran indicator on a state driver licence or non-driver identification card.
A 31-day transit pass at no cost, renewable
Military Relief Fund — up to $5,000 When Service Caused the Hardship
Monetary grants of up to $5,000 to serving members of any branch or component, and their immediate families, where military service caused or significantly contributed to financial hardship — or where there has been a serious injury, illness or death.
Up to $5,000
Treatment Instead of Trial — and the Charges Dismissed at the End
A veteran with a mental health condition amenable to treatment can be diverted out of prosecution on charges that are not serious. There is no fee. Finish it and the court dismisses the charges. The programme’s own definition of veteran reaches anyone not dishonorably discharged.
Dismissal of the charges on successful completion, at no fee
The Certificate the Court Programme Runs On — and Who Actually Issues It
The veterans department, not the court, certifies that a defendant meets the statutory definition of veteran for court programmes. It says in terms that it takes no part in whether the programme then admits you.
A state certification of veteran status, requested through an officer of the court
Up to $7,500 a Year of Respite for a Dementia Carer
The state respite programme pays up to $7,500 a year towards breaks for someone caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease or a related condition. The carer may use an agency or hire someone they trust, and a care manager sets the amount.
Up to $7,500 a year of respite, with the amount set by a care manager
burial(3)
$1,800 Toward the Funeral When the Estate Cannot Pay
CGS 27-118 pays $1,800 toward funeral services and merchandise, burial, cremation or disposition, and an obituary, for any veteran who dies leaving insufficient funds — as determined by the state veterans commissioner in consultation with the probate court. Members of the Hmong Laotian Special Guerrilla Unit are included. The claim must be made within one year of death, or of the return of the remains.
$1,800 toward the funeral, burial or cremation, and an obituary
Setting a Federal Marker in a Private Cemetery — Partial Reimbursement, Two Clocks
The state partially reimburses the cost of installing a Veterans Affairs-provided marker in a private cemetery. The vendor — usually the cemetery or funeral director — claims it on form CMS-3 within two years of the death, and payment must be requested within one year of certification.
Partial reimbursement of the cost of installing a federal marker in a private cemetery
The State Burial Allowance Is $1,800 and Is Not a Veterans Programme
Social services pays funeral and burial expenses for certain assistance recipients and for indigent persons with no legally liable relative able to pay. The maximum is $1,800 and the page names no veteran, no service and no preference.
$1,800 maximum, general-population, effective 1 July 2024
licenses & fees(3)
Military Training Counts Toward State Professional Licences
CGS 27-102b requires Connecticut licensing agencies to credit or exempt equivalent military training, schooling and experience — and forbids them from making you repeat training that is substantively similar. Named mandates run across police certification, apprenticeship waivers toward trade licensing exams, security guard training and EMT certification. Any discharge other than dishonorable qualifies.
Credit or exemption for equivalent military training, across state licensing
A Year Free of State Licence, Registration and Occupational Fees
For ONE YEAR after an honorable discharge or release under honorable conditions, CGS 27-102a exempts a veteran from annual and biennial state licence and registration fees, and from occupational taxes. It is not tied to any particular profession, which is why almost nobody thinks to ask about it — and why it is worth asking about whatever you do.
Annual and biennial state licence and registration fees, and occupational taxes, waived for one year
The Flag on the Licence — Two Agencies, 30 Days, and $30 If You Cannot Wait
A veteran can have an American flag symbol placed on a driver licence or non-driver identification card. The veterans department verifies status on Form VL1 first, at least 30 days before the motor vehicle visit. Free at renewal; $30 to add it beforehand.
No extra cost at renewal; a $30 charge to add the flag before the renewal notice arrives
recreation(2)
A Free Lifetime State Park Pass for Any Service-Connected Disability
A Connecticut resident veteran with a service-connected disability — any disability, no percentage stated — receives a free pass to state parks and forests, including entry at Gillette Castle, Dinosaur State Park and Fort Trumbull. It is issued at no cost, in person at eight DEEP locations or by post. Camping and separately charged special events are outside it, and accompanying visitors pay the standard fees.
Free lifetime access to state parks and forests, including the paid-entry attractions
Active Duty Buys Hunting, Fishing and Trapping at the Resident Rate
Any active full-time member of the armed forces may buy a hunting, fishing or trapping licence here at resident fees, whatever their home state — but only over the counter, at the environment department or a town clerk, never online.
Resident fees on hunting, fishing and trapping licences for an active full-time member
vehicles(6)
Licence and Registration Fees Waived for One Period After Discharge
A veteran applying within TWO YEARS of leaving service pays no motor vehicle operator's licence fee and no registration fee, for one licensing period. There is no disability test and no wartime test — the only condition is the two-year window, and it does not reopen.
No operator's licence fee and no registration fee, for one licensing period
DMV Exam Waivers on Military Driving Experience — Two-Year Window
A veteran who held a military operator's licence for the same class of vehicle can have the Connecticut licence examination waived, applying within two years of separation. For a CDL the driving skills test is waived, and the knowledge test may be waived too where military experience meets the federal substitution criteria.
The licence examination waived; for a CDL, the skills test and possibly the knowledge test
An Accessible-Parking Placard on a VA Psychiatrist's Certification for PTSD
CGS 14-253a(b) lets a veteran with service-connected PTSD obtain a windshield accessible-parking placard on the certification of a U.S. VA psychiatrist, where the condition meets the federal walking-disability definition. It is a veteran-specific certification route into an ordinary placard — a different instrument and a different disability basis from the disabled veteran plate.
A windshield accessible-parking placard, certified by a VA psychiatrist
Free Registration on Two Vehicles for Former POWs and Medal of Honor Recipients
CGS 14-49(o) and 14-21d exempt former prisoners of war and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from the registration fee on TWO vehicles. A surviving spouse may retain the registration for life, or until remarriage. There is no disability requirement.
Registration fee exempt on two vehicles
Disabled Veteran Plates — Three Registrations a Year, No Fee
A wartime veteran whose qualifying disability is certified service-connected — blindness, hemiplegia, paraplegia, loss or loss of use of an arm or leg, or traumatic brain injury — registers up to three vehicles a year with disabled veteran plates for NO registration fee, on new registrations, transfers and renewals alike. An overtime-parking identification card comes with each renewal.
No registration fee on up to three vehicles a year — passenger, camper or combination class — with the disabled veteran plate
Gold Star Family Plate — $0, and Eight Relationships Qualify
The plate for the immediate family of a resident killed in action while on active duty sits in the motor vehicle office's free price group. Spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, child, grandmother and grandfather are all named.
$0 where you keep your current plate configuration and take the new background
business(2)
15% Price Preference — for Veteran-Owned Micro Businesses Only
Public Act 16-184 amended §4a-59 to give a 15% price preference to veteran-owned micro businesses. Two tests, not one: at least 51% veteran ownership, and gross revenues not over three million dollars in the most recently completed fiscal year. The state veterans department runs a Veteran Owned Micro-Business Certification process, and the preference runs through that certification.
A 15% price preference in state purchasing, for a certified business at least 51% veteran-owned and under $3 million in revenue
A Label, a Map and Free Marketing Help for Farmer Veterans
The agriculture department lets veteran farmers add the Homegrown by Heroes mark to their state-grown products, and points at a marketing programme giving farmer veterans free one-to-one help. The money behind the marketing programme is federal, not state.
A veteran-produced label on state-grown goods, plus free marketing assistance
Filing in Lower Connecticut River Valley County
- Office
- Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region Property Appraiser
- Form
- DR-501 for most exemptions; DR-501DV for the combat-related discount; DR-501M for a deployment exemption.
- Deadline
- March 1, every year. Missing it costs the whole tax year — there is no late route back in.
Free help in Lower Connecticut River Valley County
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has a County Veteran Service Officer, and their help is free. Go to them for anything touching a federal VA disability claim.
Nobody should charge you to claim the benefits on this page. Unaccredited operators charging fees for VA claims are a real and growing problem.
Common questions about Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region veteran benefits
- What can I claim here?
- The Connecticut statewide records apply in every county. We have not researched county-level programmes here, so this page shows state law and complete geography rather than a local layer.
- What is it worth in this county?
- Dollar figures use the county's EFFECTIVE property tax rate - what homeowners there actually paid per dollar of home value, from the Census ACS 2023 five-year file. It is an estimate for sizing a saving; the levy table on your own bill governs.
- Where do I file for a veteran property tax exemption in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
- File with your County assessor. The form and deadline are on each benefit record.
- What document does the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region Town assessor accept as proof?
- The statute sets what must be proved. An office may tell you which document it prefers, but it may not add a requirement the statute does not contain. We have not researched per-county document quirks in Connecticut.
Other counties
This is an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. Veterans Alliance is privately owned and is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Geography from the US Census; veteran population from the VA VetPop2023 county model.