North Dakota veteran benefits
- Verified veteran benefits
- 23
- each with its statute
- Counties covered
- 53
- every one has its own page
- Veterans in this state
- 0.05M
- 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 once with the county by April 1; it then renews automatically.
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 arithmetic in North Dakota — the credit scales with the rating, and IU pays at the 100% tier.
5 likely, 25 possible
What you appear to qualify for — worth checking.
One question checks 11 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.
CDL Without the Road Test — and Without the Written One for Some Specialties
North Dakota waives the CDL skills (driving) test, and for a qualifying military occupational specialty the KNOWLEDGE TEST TOO, for current active-duty, Reserve or ND National Guard members and for VETERANS WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER DISCHARGE. You must have held a military operator's permit and operated representative commercial vehicles in the PRECEDING TWO YEARS. Apply on form SFN 60071. Written tests are otherwise still required and ordinary fees still apply.
VeteransApplies statewideThe CDL skills test waived; the knowledge test too for a qualifying MOS
Read it and check if you qualifyFree for Life at 50%, $28 a Year Below It — the Park Pass Has Two Tiers
North Dakota gives a FREE LIFETIME state park vehicle entrance permit to a resident veteran with a 50% or greater service-related disability, and to any former prisoner of war. Below 50%, a resident veteran with any service-related disability pays $28 for an annual permit — still a discount rather than nothing. Proof is a VA benefit letter or a North Dakota DAV or POW plate; for POW status a DD214 or National Archives record. ONE THING WILL BE REFUSED: THE GOLDEN ACCESS PASSPORT IS NOT ACCEPTED.
VeteransApplies statewideFree for life at 50% or as a former POW; $28 a year below 50%
Read it and check if you qualifyA PTSD Service Dog, Trained in North Dakota and Paid for by the State
North Dakota helps fund a PTSD service dog for a resident veteran through the Veterans Affairs department's partnership with Service Dogs for America, using money appropriated by the 63rd Legislative Assembly and private donations. Three conditions: a PTSD DIAGNOSIS, being ENGAGED IN COUNSELLING OR THERAPY, and A DOCTOR'S RECOMMENDATION for a service dog. NO RATING THRESHOLD IS STATED, so a diagnosis rather than a percentage is what matters. The grant amount is not published — ask. Applications go through a county veterans service officer or through SDA directly.
VeteransApplies statewideGrant support toward a trained PTSD service dog
Read it and check if you qualifyPOW Plates — Excise Tax Off Two Vehicles, and Personalisation Free
A former prisoner of war certified by the North Dakota Veterans Affairs Office gets a distinctive POW plate on up to TWO MOTOR VEHICLES AT A TIME, with the motor vehicle EXCISE TAX EXEMPT on both and PERSONALISATION AT NO ADDITIONAL FEE. Vehicles must be a passenger vehicle, house car or pickup under 20,000 lbs registered gross weight. Apply on form SFN 2872 with NDDVA certification. Registration fee treatment follows N.D.C.C. 39-04-18(2)(o).
VeteransApplies statewideExcise tax exempt on up to two vehicles, with free personalisation
Read it and check if you qualify$120,000 of Building Value Exempt — and the Paraplegia Need Not Be Service Connected
North Dakota exempts up to $120,000 of the true and full value of the fixtures, buildings and improvements on the homestead of a paraplegic disabled veteran, or of a veteran awarded VA specially adapted housing. Two things make this wider than it looks: THE PARAPLEGIC DISABILITY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SERVICE CONNECTED, and THERE IS NO INCOME TEST and no rating threshold. A physician's certificate of total disability is what evidences the paraplegia route. THE LAND REMAINS TAXABLE — the exemption is on what is built on it.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to $120,000 of building and improvement value exempt
Read it and check if you qualifyAll Military Pay Untaxed Since 2023 — Including Bonuses and Training Pay
Since 2023 North Dakota has deducted ALL military pay from state taxable income for resident members of the armed forces on federal active duty, National Guard members and Reserve members. The breadth is the point: it covers federal pay for TRAINING, EDUCATION, MOBILIZATION AND BONUSES, as well as state pay on state active duty. Most states that exempt military pay stop at active duty and leave drill and bonus pay taxable. The state put the saving to its members at about $4 million over the 2023-25 biennium.
Serving membersApplies statewideAll military pay deducted from North Dakota taxable income
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Honorary Diploma — One Form, One Discharge Paper
North Dakota awards an honorary high school diploma to a veteran who left high school to serve in the Second World War, the Korean War or the Vietnam War. The process is as simple as any in this corpus: form SFN 61347 and a DD214 or other discharge paperwork, to the Department of Public Instruction's School Approval and Opportunity office. There is no fee and no deadline published, and families can pursue it on behalf of a veteran who has died.
VeteransApplies statewideA North Dakota honorary high school diploma
Read it and check if you qualifyPriority in the Deer Gun Lottery for an Expeditionary Medal or Campaign Badge
A North Dakota veteran who received an expeditionary medal or a campaign badge during a previous deployment gets PRIORITY IN THE DEER GUN LICENCE LOTTERY in their chosen unit. In a state where the deer gun lottery is genuinely competitive and a preferred unit can take years to draw, priority is worth more than most fee waivers. A related provision covers resident armed forces members stationed outside the state. It is keyed to the MEDAL OR BADGE, not to a disability rating.
VeteransApplies statewidePriority in the deer gun licence lottery in your chosen unit
Read it and check if you qualifyYour Percentage of $9,000, Off the Taxable Value
From 50%, your rating percentage is applied to $9,000 of taxable value — recently raised from $8,100 — and once granted the credit renews itself.
VeteransApplies statewideRating % × $9,000 of taxable value, off
Read it and check if you qualifyMilitary Retirement — Subtracted Since 2019
Military retirement benefits are subtracted from North Dakota taxable income — since tax year 2019, surviving spouses included.
VeteransApplies statewideMilitary retirement benefits, subtracted in full
Read it and check if you qualifyHunting at $10, Fishing at $10 — From 50%
At a 50% service-related disability, the veteran combined hunting licence is $10 against the standard $62 — and the fishing licence is $10 against $27.
VeteransApplies statewideVeteran Combined Hunting $10 (vs $62 standard); fishing $10 (vs $27) — plus the $2 certificate
Read it and check if you qualifyDependent Tuition Waiver — Tuition AND Fees, No Month Cap Stated
A child, stepchild, spouse, widow or widower of a resident veteran who was killed in action, died of service-connected causes, holds a 100% service-connected disability, or was captured or missing attends the university-system institutions free of tuition and fee charges through a bachelor's degree or certificate.
VeteransApplies statewideFree of tuition and fee charges at university-system institutions, bachelor's or certificate — aviation flight charges excluded
Read it and check if you qualifyDAV Plates — Registration Fees Waived on Two Vehicles
A veteran with a 100% service-connected disability — or eligible under Public Law 79-663 — registers up to two vehicles of 26,000 lbs or less exempt from registration fees, with the distinctive DAV plate. The same two vehicles are also exempt from the motor vehicle excise tax when acquired, which on a new vehicle is worth far more than the annual fees: that exemption has its own record at nd-vehicle-excise-tax-exemption.
VeteransApplies statewideRegistration fees exempt on up to two vehicles of 26,000 lbs or less, plus the excise tax exemption when the vehicles are acquired
Read it and check if you qualifyThe State Veterans Home — 30 Days of Residence, and a Spouse on the Same Footing
A 149-bed home at Lisbon: 111 basic care beds and 38 skilled nursing. The residency bar is unusually low — 30 days — and can be waived outright for someone who served in a regiment of this state. A spouse or surviving spouse is admitted, in the statute's words, upon the same footing as the veteran.
VeteransApplies statewideBasic care and skilled nursing at the state home in Lisbon; spouses and surviving spouses admitted on the same footing
Read it and check if you qualifyProvisional Occupational Licence for Military Spouses — Three Years, No Application Fee
A military spouse holding an out-of-state licence in good standing can practise here on a provisional licence with no examination and no application fee, valid three years. A veteran's spouse gets the same route within six months of an honorable discharge — but that one does not renew.
VeteransApplies statewideProvisional licence for three years with no application fee; boards must prioritise and expedite military applications
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Veterans Aid Loan — $8,000, and Half Your Interest Back If You Pay On Time
A state loan of up to $8,000 at 8% over as much as 48 months, opened through your county veterans service officer rather than a bank. The part worth knowing: a borrower who repays on schedule may get half the interest back, which is what makes the headline rate misleading in the borrower's favour.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to $8,000 at 8% for up to 48 months, with half the interest returned to a borrower who repays on time
Read it and check if you qualifyHardship Grants — $5,000 a Year, Paid Straight to the Vendor
A set of grants, not loans, running off the interest on the veterans postwar trust fund: up to $5,000 in a calendar year for medical, dental, optical, hearing, transport and housing needs. The emergency-repair version adds a $7,000 lifetime ceiling and pays vendors directly, which is why it moves faster than a reimbursement scheme.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to $5,000 per calendar year for medical, dental, optical, hearing, transport and housing needs; the emergency-repair grant caps at $7,000 over a lifetime
Read it and check if you qualifyVeterans Preference — Absolute, Not Points
Most states add points to a score. This one does not. The Century Code gives a qualifying veteran preference "over all other applicants" for public employment — an absolute preference — and it reaches current Guard and reserve members, not only those already discharged.
VeteransApplies statewideAbsolute preference over other applicants in recruitment and hiring by governmental agencies
Read it and check if you qualifyMotor Vehicle Excise Tax — Exempt on Two Vehicles at 100%
A separate exemption from the plate benefit, and worth more. A resident disabled veteran rated 100% service connected — including by individual unemployability — pays no motor vehicle excise tax on TWO vehicles. A surviving spouse drawing Dependency and Indemnity Compensation keeps it on one.
VeteransApplies statewideNo motor vehicle excise tax on two vehicles for a 100% service-connected disabled veteran; one vehicle for an un-remarried surviving spouse receiving DIC
Read it and check if you qualifyMilitary Funeral Honors — What the State Pays the Honour Guard
Since July 2023 the state pays a congressionally chartered veterans organisation $50 for each funeral at which it renders honours. The family pays nothing and claims nothing. Knowing the stipend exists is what lets a family ask for full honours rather than accept a recording and a folded flag.
VeteransApplies statewide$50 paid by the state to the veterans organisation rendering honours — one organisation per funeral
Read it and check if you qualifyUnclaimed or Indigent Remains — The State Furnishes a Military Urn
Where a veteran's remains are unclaimed or the estate cannot pay, the state health and human services department may furnish a military urn, unless the extra cost runs past the statutory reimbursement rate. A family may decline it and choose a non-military urn instead — the choice sits with the surviving spouse or nearest kin.
VeteransApplies statewideA military urn furnished at state expense where remains are unclaimed or the estate is indigent, subject to the statutory reimbursement rate
Read it and check if you qualifyThe State Cemetery — Free for the Spouse Too, Since 2020
Opening and closing the grave, the burial itself and the headstone are all free of charge at the state veterans cemetery at Mandan — for the veteran, for an eligible spouse and for an eligible dependent. That was not always true. There used to be a burial fee for spouses and dependents; a 2019 appropriation abolished it with effect from 1 March 2020. One fee survives: $380 for a headstone where a Guard or Reserve member and their family do not meet veteran status under federal rules.
VeteransApplies statewideOpening and closing, burial and headstone free of charge for the veteran, an eligible spouse and an eligible dependent — with a $380 headstone fee only where a Guard or Reserve member does not meet federal veteran status
Read it and check if you qualifyDeployment and Custody — Temporary by Law, With an Expedited Hearing and Testimony by Video
A deploying parent can hand caretaking authority to the other parent, a family member or another nonparent by written agreement — and it is temporary by operation of law. Where it goes to court instead, the hearing is expedited if the motion is filed before deployment, and a parent who cannot attend may testify by telephone, video or internet. On return, an agreement ends sixty days after notice even if nobody signs anything.
VeteransApplies statewideTemporary custodial arrangements for a deployment of more than 90 days and less than 18 months: agreement or court order, expedited hearing, testimony by electronic means, and automatic termination 60 days after notice of return
Read it and check if you qualifyA Free Ride to a VA-Authorised Appointment — 36 of 53 Counties
The state veterans department has held a federal highly rural transportation grant since October 2015 and, working with the state transportation department, contracts existing transit providers to carry veterans to VA-authorised medical appointments at no charge. The appointment can be at a VA facility or at a non-VA facility, provided the VA authorised it. Thirty-six of the state’s fifty-three counties are eligible, plus several tribal nations. The test is population density: fewer than seven people per square mile.
VeteransApplies statewideTransport to a VA-authorised medical appointment at no cost to the veteran, in 36 highly rural counties and several tribal nations
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Veterans Treatment Court — One, in the Northeast Central District
There is a veterans treatment court here, and there is one. It sits in the Northeast Central Judicial District and serves Grand Forks and Nelson counties. Eligibility is broader than most veterans expect on service — current or former members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, National Guard or Reserves — but narrower than most expect on geography, because you have to live in the service area. A serving member must be available for at least 18 months and must disclose any change of station, deployment or orders.
VeteransApplies statewideA judicially supervised treatment and mentorship track in the Northeast Central Judicial District, serving Grand Forks and Nelson counties
Read it and check if you qualifyWomen Veterans — A Registry Card and a Survey, and the Rest Is Still Being Built
What exists here today is a Women Veteran’s Registry card, which puts you on the department’s database, and a Women in the Military survey used to gather statistics. That is the honest extent of it. The department’s own page lists conferences, association membership, newsletters and committees as ideas "in development" — not as services. Everything else it points to is federal or a national charity, not a state programme.
VeteransApplies statewideA registry card and a survey — with conferences, membership, newsletters and committees described by the department as in development
Read it and check if you qualifyTwo Plates for a Family That Lost Someone — and the Second One Is the Forgotten One
The gold star plate goes to the family of a member who died on active duty during a time of military conflict. The military sacrifice plate goes to the family of a member who died OUTSIDE a combat zone while serving honorably. Both carry no additional plate fee, both may be personalised at no charge, and both are approved by the state veterans department before the transport department will issue them.
VeteransApplies statewideNo additional plate fee and no personalisation fee on either plate — ordinary registration fees still apply
Read it and check if you qualifyVeteran Indicator on Your Licence — Free at Renewal, $8 Any Other Time
A veteran may have an indicator of veteran status placed on the driver licence. It costs nothing if you add it when the licence is due for renewal, and $8 as a duplicate if you ask for it mid-cycle. Eligibility is 180 days of continuous federalised active duty — or the full period you were called for — plus an honorable discharge, and a veteran service officer has to verify it before the licence site will act.
VeteransApplies statewideNo charge when added at renewal; an $8 duplicate fee when added mid-cycle
Read it and check if you qualifyThe DAV Plate Parks Without a Placard — and the Placard Itself Is Free
The transport department states that the distinctive DAV plate allows parking privileges without a separate permit. If you need a placard as well — for a vehicle you are not driving — the mobility-impaired permit costs nothing to obtain, runs on a three-year cycle for a permanent blue permit, and replaces for $3.
VeteransApplies statewideAccessible parking on the plate alone, and a mobility-impaired permit at no charge if you need one as well
Read it and check if you qualifyCaregiver Respite — and the Clause That Shuts a Veteran’s Family Out
The state family caregiver programme pays for respite, safety equipment, incontinence supplies, training and counselling at no cost to the caregiver. But its own handbook says that if the care recipient is able to receive respite or a similar in-home support service through the federal veterans department, hospice or long-term care insurance, the caregiver is NOT eligible. For a veteran household this programme is a last resort, not a first call.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitRespite, supplemental safety and incontinence supplies, training and counselling at no cost — funded to a per-caregiver amount set in a Caregiver Option Plan
Read it and check if you qualify
Does my county change the answer?
For the statewide records, no — the same law applies in all 53 counties. What changes is the office you file with and the local tax arithmetic, which we do not yet hold for North Dakota.
- Adams County
- Barnes County
- Benson County
- Billings County
- Bottineau County
- Bowman County
- Burke County
- Burleigh County
- Cass County
- Cavalier County
- Dickey County
- Divide County
- Dunn County
- Eddy County
- Emmons County
- Foster County
- Golden Valley County
- Grand Forks County
- Grant County
- Griggs County
- Hettinger County
- Kidder County
- LaMoure County
- Logan County
- McHenry County
- McIntosh County
- McKenzie County
- McLean County
- Mercer County
- Morton County
- Mountrail County
- Nelson County
- Oliver County
- Pembina County
- Pierce County
- Ramsey County
- Ransom County
- Renville County
- Richland County
- Rolette County
- Sargent County
- Sheridan County
- Sioux County
- Slope County
- Stark County
- Steele County
- Stutsman County
- Towner County
- Traill County
- Walsh County
- Ward County
- Wells County
- Williams 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.