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Free Counselling for Gold Star Families — Paid for by a Credit to the Therapist

New Jersey provides mental health counselling to the families of members of the armed forces or National Guard who died while on active duty, through professionals linked to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The funding mechanism is unusual and worth understanding: the professional donates the time and takes A STATE TAX CREDIT for it. That means the counselling is free to the family and that availability depends on how many professionals have signed up in your area — so ask DMAVA who is participating rather than searching on your own.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

New Jersey provides mental health counselling to the families of members of the armed forces or National Guard who died while on active duty, through professionals linked to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The funding mechanism is unusual and worth understanding: the professional donates the time and takes A STATE TAX CREDIT for it. That means the counselling is free to the family and that availability depends on how many professionals have signed up in your area — so ask DMAVA who is participating rather than searching on your own.

What it's worth: Mental health counselling at no cost to the family

  • Counselling through professionals linked to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
  • It is tied to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard who DIED WHILE ON ACTIVE DUTY.
  • FUNDED VIA A STATE TAX CREDIT TO THE PROFESSIONAL for donated counselling time.
  • That means availability depends on participating professionals in your area — ask DMAVA who they are.
  • THE RESIDENCY TEST IS NOT ESTABLISHED from the sources reviewed.
  • The statute is reproduced in secondary sources; the Division of Taxation page describes the credit side.

Who is entitled to it

  • The member died while on active duty.
  • New Jersey administers it.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Contact the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and ask for the Gold Star family counselling programme by name.
  2. 2Ask which professionals near you are participating. Because it runs on donated time, coverage is uneven.
  3. 3Do not search for a therapist independently and then ask about the credit — the arrangement runs the other way.
  4. 4Ask whether it covers children as well as the spouse or parents.
  5. 5If nobody is participating nearby, ask DMAVA what alternative it can arrange.
Form
Referral through NJ DMAVA
File with
NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThe state page that documents this best is a tax page, because the credit goes to the counsellor. That is why families do not find it.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.