Mississippi veteran benefits
- Verified veteran benefits
- 14
- plus 4 general-law and correction records
- Counties covered
- 82
- every one has its own page
- Veterans in this state
- 0.18M
- Rating thresholds that matter
- 0
- each one opens something different
How to use this, in four steps
You are on step 1. Nothing is locked — browse everything first, then check the ones that look relevant.
See what you may be entitled to
Browse every verified benefit in your state. No questions, no account — everything is open.
Check whether you qualify
Open any benefit and answer a few questions about that one. We stop as soon as we know.
Get the letter that shows the finding
A VA Benefit Summary Letter configured to show service connection, the rating and permanence satisfies most offices without disclosing any diagnosis.
File before the deadline
Apply in person at the county tax assessor between January 1 and April 1, with the VA benefits letter.
Which of these sounds like you?
Pick one and we will narrow the list. You can change or clear it at any point.
Two things sharpen this a lot
Both optional. Your county decides where you file and what a property tax exemption is actually worth; your rating decides which thresholds you cross.
Where do you live?
We use this once to work out your county, because property tax is decided county by county. No benefit is ever matched on a ZIP code alone.
Your VA disability status
What does my rating actually unlock?
Read the record for the test that applies in Mississippi — service-connected total disability, claimed in the January-to-April window.
26 benefits worth checking
What you appear to qualify for — worth checking.
One question checks 15 of them. You can skip it and keep browsing.
Did you serve in the U.S. armed forces?
2 more questions could resolve others. We ask them one at a time.
The Firearm Permit Costs Nothing at Any Disability Rating — Renewals Too
Mississippi waives the concealed-carry permit fee, and the renewal fees, for a veteran with a service-connected disability. Any rating qualifies — there is no percentage floor. The state's ordinary 12-month residency requirement can be waived if you hold a valid out-of-state permit, are active military stationed in Mississippi, or are retired law enforcement, so someone who has just moved in is not necessarily shut out for a year. Because the renewals are free as well, this is a recurring saving rather than a one-off.
VeteransApplies statewidePermit fee and renewal fees waived
Read it and check if you qualify15% Off Camping and Lodging at Every State Park — Veterans, Not Just Disabled Ones
Mississippi takes 15% off camping and lodging rates at its state parks for veterans, and separately for active service members, people aged 62 and over, and those with a 100% service-connected disability. The point worth noticing is that VETERANS ARE THEIR OWN CATEGORY — you do not need a disability rating or to be 62. Holidays and special events are excluded. For the 100% category a VA letter stating a 100% service-connected disability is accepted as proof.
VeteransApplies statewide15% off camping and lodging at Mississippi state parks
Read it and check if you qualifyA Trained Support Animal Goes Where You Go — Including for PTSD
Mississippi gives veterans using trained support animals full and equal access to public conveyances and public accommodations. What makes this record worth having is the list of qualifying conditions: blindness, mobility impairment, hearing impairment, AND A PTSD DIAGNOSIS. Many state access laws stop at the physical disabilities, and a veteran turned away from a restaurant with a PTSD service dog often has no idea the statute covers them. Trainers working with animals in training are covered too.
VeteransApplies statewideFull and equal access to public conveyances and public accommodations
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Homestead Off the Roll at Total Disability
A service-connected total disability takes the homestead off the roll entirely — all ad valorem taxes — with the unremarried surviving spouse keeping it.
VeteransApplies statewideThe homestead, exempt from all ad valorem taxes
Read it and check if you qualifyIn-State Tuition for Any Veteran — and for Anyone Using a Title 38 Benefit
Mississippi public institutions charge in-state tuition to any veteran, and to any person entitled to federal education benefits under Title 38 of the U.S. Code. That second half is wider than it looks: it reaches dependants using transferred Post-9/11 entitlement and survivors using DEA, not only the veteran. No state residency is required — the classification takes the place of the residency test, so it applies from the first term rather than after a year of establishing residence.
StudentsApplies statewideIn-state tuition rate at Mississippi public institutions
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Honorary Diploma for the Veteran Who Left School to Serve
Mississippi awards an honorary high school diploma to honorably discharged veterans of WWII, the Korean Conflict or Vietnam who could not finish school because of their service. The recognised windows are 1941–1955 for WWII, the Korean Conflict, and 1963–1973 for Vietnam. It carries no money. It is here because it is the kind of thing a family asks for once and cannot find, and because there is no deadline on it — a veteran in their nineties can still receive one, and so can their family after them.
VeteransApplies statewideAn honorary high school diploma
Read it and check if you qualifyYour Military Handgun Training Counts — Swear an Affidavit Instead of Taking the Course
Mississippi's enhanced carry endorsement ordinarily requires an instructional course and a qualification. An honorably retired or serving veteran with law-enforcement or combat handgun training can have that requirement waived BY AFFIDAVIT — a sworn statement of the training you already have, rather than sitting the course again. It saves the course fee and a day, and it recognises training the state already trusts in other contexts. What it does not waive is the permit itself or any of the suitability requirements.
VeteransApplies statewideInstructional course and qualification requirement waived by affidavit
Read it and check if you qualify"Vet" on Your Licence — the Proof You Carry Every Day
Mississippi will put a "Vet" mark on a driver's licence, permit, ID or CDL, whether new, renewed or duplicate. The request is made IN PERSON at a Driver Service Bureau office with a DD-214, military retiree ID, VA ID or medical card, or NGB-22. Its practical use is that several Mississippi benefits — the state park discount among them — are claimed at a counter where nobody wants to look at a DD-214. A licence in your wallet settles it. The fee treatment is not published, so ask when you go.
VeteransApplies statewide"Vet" mark on a Mississippi licence, permit, ID or CDL
Read it and check if you qualifyMississippi Lends You the Money Itself — Up to $400,000, One to Two Points Under Market
Mississippi runs its own mortgage lender for veterans. The Veterans' Home Purchase Board makes VA-backed loans up to $400,000 at a FIXED rate for the whole term, typically one to two points below market — 4.50% on terms of 5 to 15 years and 5.00% on 16 to 30 years as at 1 March 2026. The credit report fee is $68. The residency test has two doors: Mississippi residence immediately before entering service, OR two consecutive years of Mississippi residence before applying. Six years in the Guard or Reserve qualifies as well as active duty.
Home and land buyersApplies statewideVA-backed loan up to $400,000, fixed at roughly 1–2 points below market
Read it and check if you qualifyNo Licence Needed at All — Under General Disability Law
A Mississippian with a total service-connected disability needs no hunting or fishing licence at all — under the same general exemption that covers residents who are visually impaired, paraplegic, multiple amputees, or adjudged totally disabled by the Social Security Administration.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitNo hunting or fishing licence to buy — the requirement itself is lifted
Read it and check if you qualifyRetirement Income Untaxed — If the Plan Requirements Are Met
Retirement income, pensions and annuities — military retirement included — are not subject to state income tax if the recipient has met the retirement plan requirements. Early distributions are not retirement income and may be taxed.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitQualifying retirement income excluded in full — all retirees, not veterans alone
Read it and check if you qualifyNational Guard and Reserve Pay — First $15,000 Excluded
The first $15,000 of salary for National Guard or reserve service is excluded from state income tax — drills, annual training, special schools and state active duty all qualify.
VeteransApplies statewideFirst $15,000 of Guard/reserve salary excluded from state income tax
Read it and check if you qualifyTop of the Eligible List — Disabled Veterans First
When an agency receives its list of eligible applicants for a state job, disabled veterans and veterans are placed at the top of that list, with disabled veterans ahead of veterans — and every applicant must state veteran status on the application.
VeteransApplies statewidePlacement at the top of the agency’s eligible list, disabled veterans first
Read it and check if you qualifyState Veterans Nursing Homes — No Daily Charge at 70%, or on a Service-Connected Diagnosis
There is no resident daily charge for a resident who needs nursing care for a VA-adjudicated service-connected disability, or who holds a service-connected rating of 70% or more, or who is rated total at 100% on individual unemployability.
VeteransApplies statewideNursing home care with no resident daily charge on any of three service-connected routes
Read it and check if you qualifyProfessional Licence Reciprocity — Military Training Counted, Temporary Licence to Start Work
A servicemember or military spouse relocating here on an active duty transfer can obtain an occupational licence more quickly, count military training toward the requirements, and take a temporary licence so work can start while the permanent one is assessed.
VeteransApplies statewideA faster licence, military experience counted, and a temporary licence to work in the meantime
Read it and check if you qualifyState Veterans Memorial Cemeteries — Around $950 a Person, Not Free
Two state veterans memorial cemeteries, at Newton and Kilmichael, take veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, together with spouses and dependants. Under the Burial Equity Act the family pays roughly $950 per person, plus $115 for a niche cover or $445 for a ground burial.
VeteransApplies statewideA veterans cemetery place at roughly $950 a person, plus $115 for a niche cover or $445 for ground burial
Read it and check if you qualifyEvery Document a Claim Needs, Free — Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce and the Discharge
Four separate Mississippi provisions make claim documents free. Vital Statistics furnishes birth and death certificates without charge where they are needed to establish a dependency, disability or survivor claim; the chancery and circuit clerks do the same for marriage licences, divorce decrees, adoption decrees and any other record; the chancery clerk records discharges at no cost and furnishes certified copies free; and on a veteran’s death the vital records office furnishes up to five certified death certificates and one birth certificate without charge.
VeteransApplies statewideBirth, death, marriage, divorce and adoption records free for a claim; five death certificates free after a veteran dies
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Disabled American Veteran Plate — Two Cars and a Motorcycle, a Dollar Each
A Mississippi veteran rated 100% permanent and total, or rated 70% or above without permanence, and the unmarried surviving spouse of such a veteran, may buy TWO motor vehicle plates and ONE motorcycle plate each year, at one dollar in total cost each, in the county of legal residence. Vehicles registered this way are exempt from all ad valorem and privilege taxes. Several award plates go further: the Silver Star, Medal of Honor and Ex-POW plates are exempt from all fees and taxes, and the Purple Heart plate is free.
VeteransApplies statewideTwo car plates and a motorcycle plate a year, $1.00 each, and the vehicles exempt from ad valorem and privilege taxes
Read it and check if you qualifyState Educational Assistance for the Guard — $5,000 a Semester, and You Must Be a Registered Voter
The Mississippi Military Department pays tuition for serving Mississippi National Guard members: up to $5,000 a semester full-time at a Mississippi university, $2,500 at a junior or community college, with annual ceilings of $10,000 and $5,000. Eligibility closes ten years after the first payment, and the applicant must be a legal registered voter in Mississippi.
VeteransApplies statewide$5,000 a semester full-time at a university, $2,500 at a community college; $10,000 and $5,000 a year
Read it and check if you qualifyEight Semesters Without Cost — For the Child of a Prisoner of War or Missing in Action
A child of a servicemember whose official home of record and residence is in Mississippi, and who is officially reported as a prisoner of war or missing in action, may receive an eight-semester scholarship without cost at any state-supported college or university in Mississippi. Books, food, school supplies, materials and extracurricular dues are excluded.
VeteransApplies statewideEight semesters without cost at a state-supported college or university
Read it and check if you qualifyA Cemetery Place for the Guard, the Reserves and ROTC — Who Pays, and Who Is Inside
Since 1 July 2024 the State Veterans Affairs Board may provide interments in the state veterans cemeteries under the federal Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act. The class is named in the statute: a reserve component member, an Army or Air National Guard member, an Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC member, and the spouse, minor child or unmarried adult child of any of them. All costs of the interment are paid by the applicant unless federal or state aid is specifically provided.
VeteransApplies statewideA place in a state veterans cemetery for a class the national cemeteries do not take — at the family’s own cost
Read it and check if you qualifyDeployment Is Not a Change of Circumstances — and the Hearing Goes to the Front of the List
Where a parent receives temporary duty, deployment or mobilization orders, the absence and the disruption to the child’s schedule may not be factors in a change-of-circumstances finding on a motion to transfer custody away from the servicemember. A temporary custody order ends no later than ten days after the parent returns, visitation may be delegated to a close family member, hearings are expedited and may be taken by affidavit or electronic means, and they take precedence over all other causes not involving the public interest.
VeteransApplies statewideA ten-day return window, a bar on deployment counting as changed circumstances, delegated visitation, and an expedited hearing
Read it and check if you qualifyWhat a Creditor Cannot Take — Including a Shield Built for Military Retirement Pay
Mississippi’s exemption section protects $10,000 of tangible personal property chosen by the debtor, a mobile home used as a primary residence up to $30,000, disability insurance income, retirement accounts, and a further $50,000 of property of any kind for a resident aged 70 or over. It also puts ALL property in the state beyond a judgment in favour of another state for unpaid income tax on retirement benefits — and it names military retirement pay administered by the United States in the definition.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefit$10,000 of tangible property, a $30,000 mobile home, $50,000 more at 70, and total protection against another state’s tax judgment on military retired pay
Read it and check if you qualifyHeating and Cooling Help at 60% of State Median Income — and the Queue That Decides Your Date
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps households with energy costs and runs in all 82 counties, subject to funds. A household qualifies on income at or below 60% of the state median income for its size. Priority goes to vulnerable households — those with elderly or disabled members, or a child aged five or younger — and that priority is measured in appointment dates: about 30 business days for a vulnerable household against 45 days for everyone else.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitAssistance with energy costs for a household at or below 60% of the state median income
Read it and check if you qualifyA Veterans Treatment Court a Circuit Judge May Build — With the Prosecutor Holding the Key
Chapter 25 of Title 9 lets a circuit court judge establish a Veterans Treatment Court, either as its own programme or as a component of an existing intervention court, and lets one county in a circuit district run it for veterans from every county in that district. Two things must happen before a defendant gets in: the attorney representing the state must consent, and the court must find the defendant is a veteran as defined in Title 38. Violence offences and a prior felony crime of violence exclude.
VeteransApplies statewideA treatment docket instead of the ordinary track — where the circuit runs one and the prosecutor agrees
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Three Percent Disabled-Veteran Contracting Goal Is a Bill That Died, Not a Law
A widely repeated line has state agencies and political subdivisions here obliged to prefer disabled veteran businesses, with a three percent contracting goal. That text is Senate Bill 2792 of the 2010 Regular Session. It was referred to committee on 18 January 2010 and died there on 2 February. The state veterans agency’s own list of state benefits carries no veteran business preference, and nothing found this session put one in the code.
VeteransApplies statewideNo state contracting preference for a veteran-owned business was found
Read it and check if you qualify
Does my county change the answer?
For the statewide records, no — the same law applies in all 82 counties. What changes is the office you file with and the local tax arithmetic, which we do not yet hold for Mississippi.
- Adams County
- Alcorn County
- Amite County
- Attala County
- Benton County
- Bolivar County
- Calhoun County
- Carroll County
- Chickasaw County
- Choctaw County
- Claiborne County
- Clarke County
- Clay County
- Coahoma County
- Copiah County
- Covington County
- DeSoto County
- Forrest County
- Franklin County
- George County
- Greene County
- Grenada County
- Hancock County
- Harrison County
- Hinds County
- Holmes County
- Humphreys County
- Issaquena County
- Itawamba County
- Jackson County
- Jasper County
- Jefferson County
- Jefferson Davis County
- Jones County
- Kemper County
- Lafayette County
- Lamar County
- Lauderdale County
- Lawrence County
- Leake County
- Lee County
- Leflore County
- Lincoln County
- Lowndes County
- Madison County
- Marion County
- Marshall County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Neshoba County
- Newton County
- Noxubee County
- Oktibbeha County
- Panola County
- Pearl River County
- Perry County
- Pike County
- Pontotoc County
- Prentiss County
- Quitman County
- Rankin County
- Scott County
- Sharkey County
- Simpson County
- Smith County
- Stone County
- Sunflower County
- Tallahatchie County
- Tate County
- Tippah County
- Tishomingo County
- Tunica County
- Union County
- Walthall County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Wilkinson County
- Winston County
- Yalobusha County
- Yazoo County
Every benefit here was checked against the statute or rule behind it, and each page shows the date. This is an informational match, not a government eligibility determination — the responsible agency decides your application.