Vermont veteran benefits
- Verified veteran benefits
- 17
- plus 6 general-law and correction records
- Counties covered
- 14
- every one has its own page
- Veterans in this state
- 0.04M
- 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.
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 how Vermont works — the state sets $10,000, your town may have voted up to $40,000, and the filing runs through the Office of Veterans Affairs.
5 likely, 24 possible
What you appear to qualify for — worth checking.
One question checks 11 of them. You can skip it and keep browsing.
How were you discharged?
2 more questions could resolve others. We ask them one at a time.
Veterans Exemption — $10,000 Base, Town-Voted to $40,000
At least $10,000 of appraised value is exempt for a wartime veteran receiving disability compensation at 50% or more — and towns may vote the figure up to $40,000. The 50% route is not the only one: a veteran receiving a non-service-connected 'improved pension', a veteran receiving permanent military retirement pay for a medical discharge, and the surviving spouse of an eligible veteran all qualify.
VeteransApplies statewide$10,000 of appraisal value at the state base — up to $40,000 where the town has voted it
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Armed Services Scholarship — 130 Credits for a Survivor
Vermont pays tuition UP TO THE IN-STATE RATE at a public Vermont institution, FOR UP TO 130 CREDITS, for survivors of members who died in service. It covers approved certificate and degree programmes; POSTGRADUATE STUDY IS EXCLUDED. One mechanic decides what you actually receive: PELL GRANT AMOUNTS REDUCE THE SCHOLARSHIP, so it is a last-dollar award rather than an addition to federal aid. Eligibility is determined by the Vermont National Guard education office or the Adjutant General; the application runs through VSAC.
StudentsApplies statewideTuition up to the in-state rate, for up to 130 credits
Read it and check if you qualifyVermont Guarantees a Burial for a Veteran Who Dies Destitute
The State of Vermont guarantees "an appropriate burial" for a veteran who dies destitute. It is arranged through the local ECONOMIC SERVICES DIVISION office on (800) 479-6151 — a welfare office rather than the veterans department, which is why families do not find it. The exact service and discharge conditions, and the amount the state will pay, are NOT ESTABLISHED from the sources reviewed. Ask before committing to a funeral director's estimate, and ask the Office of Veterans Affairs to help you make the call.
VeteransApplies statewideThe state guarantees an appropriate burial
Read it and check if you qualifyCDL Skills Test Waived for Military Drivers
Vermont waives the CDL skills (road) test under 23 V.S.A. §4108 for veterans applying for a Vermont-issued Commercial Driver's Licence who have qualifying military commercial-vehicle experience. The DMV states the position in general terms — that veterans applying "may qualify for a skills test waiver" — WITHOUT PUBLISHING THE PRECISE EXPERIENCE OR TIMING REQUIREMENTS. Ask the DMV what it needs before assuming you are inside or outside it.
VeteransApplies statewideThe CDL skills (road) test waived
Read it and check if you qualifyNo Purchase and Use Tax and No Title Fee on a VA-Assisted Vehicle
Where a veteran acquires a motor vehicle WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, Vermont exempts the purchase from the motor vehicle purchase and use tax under 32 V.S.A. §8911, and from the certificate of title fee under 23 V.S.A. §2002. The route in is the federal VA automobile or adaptive equipment grant, so this is disability-based in practice even though Vermont states no rating threshold of its own. Raise it with the DMV at the point of titling.
VeteransApplies statewidePurchase and use tax and the title fee both waived
Read it and check if you qualifyRegistration and Licence Fees Waived — but the Two Sources Do Not Agree
Vermont's DMV pages for 23 V.S.A. §378 (registration fees) and §609 (driver licence fees) both open with the words "No fees shall be charged to an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces" — which reads as a broad waiver for any honorably discharged veteran. But the Office of Veterans Affairs tax-exemptions page states that ONLY DISABLED VETERANS QUALIFY, tied to receipt of VA financial assistance for the vehicle. WE COULD NOT ESTABLISH WHICH READING IS CORRECT. Ask the DMV directly and get the answer before you budget on it.
VeteransApplies statewideRegistration and driver licence fees waived — scope disputed between two state sources
Read it and check if you qualifyCertified Inspection Mechanic Without the Exam
Vermont does not require a service member or veteran to pass the certified inspection mechanic examination where they hold specified ASE certifications, under 23 V.S.A. §1227. The DMV states it plainly: "A service member or veteran shall not be required to pass an examination...". It is a narrow, practical benefit — it turns an ASE certification you already hold into a Vermont inspection credential without re-testing, which is a direct route into paid work at a garage.
VeteransApplies statewideThe certified inspection mechanic examination waived
Read it and check if you qualifyMilitary Retirement Fully Exempt Under $125,000 AGI — Act 71
From tax year 2025, ALL military retirement and survivor benefit income is exempt for any filing status with adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less — phasing out to nothing at $175,000. Every uniformed service counts, PHS and NOAA corps included. You cannot claim this and the Vermont Social Security exclusion in the same year: a retiree drawing both has to choose.
VeteransApplies statewide100% exempt at AGI ≤ $125,000; phased between $125,000 and $175,000; nothing at $175,000+
Read it and check if you qualifyThe $250 Refundable Veteran Credit — Low-Income, Any Veteran
A resident veteran with adjusted gross income of $25,000 or less claims a $250 refundable credit on the state return — refundable meaning it pays out even with no tax owed. It phases to nothing at $30,000, and a married pair of veterans under $30,000 joint may both claim it.
VeteransApplies statewide$250 refundable at AGI ≤ $25,000, phasing to $0 at $30,000
Read it and check if you qualifyNo Waiver for Veterans Themselves — But a State Scholarship for Survivors
Vermont runs no tuition waiver or scholarship for veterans as such: the veterans office's education page lists federal programmes, the GI Bill above all, plus Guard tuition assistance for serving Guard members. Survivor families are a different case. The Vermont Armed Services Scholarship is a state programme under 16 V.S.A. §§2537-2541 that pays tuition up to the in-state public rate for the children, stepchildren and spouses of members who died in service. It is administered by VSAC.
VeteransApplies statewideNothing for veterans themselves — tuition to the in-state public rate for a survivor
Read it and check if you qualifyMilitary Training Toward a Professional Licence — Including 68W Straight to Nursing Assistant
The professional regulation office evaluates military education, training and credentials toward licensure, and offers expedited and temporary licences to veterans, active-duty members and their spouses. One route is written into statute: a combat medic with a national EMT registration can be licensed as a nursing assistant.
VeteransApplies statewideMilitary training credited toward licensure; expedited and temporary licences; a statutory 68W route to nursing assistant
Read it and check if you qualifyThe State Veterans Home — Gold Star Parents Admitted Alongside Veterans and Spouses
The home at Bennington describes itself as a community for all veterans of military service, not only those who served in wartime, and admits spouses and Gold Star parents alongside them.
VeteransApplies statewideLong-term care at the state home; veterans, spouses and Gold Star parents
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Veteran Assistance Fund — Up to $500, Applied For By Telephone in Ten Minutes
A one-time payment of up to $500 from the Office of Veterans Affairs for a low-income veteran or family in a financial crisis, aimed at housing and utilities. There is no form to download and no portal: the office takes the application over the phone and says it runs about ten minutes.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to $500, once, for critical needs — the office names housing and utilities
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Green Mountain Passport — $2 Once, Free Park Day Use for Life
A lifetime pass to day-use entry at the state parks that costs two dollars, bought from your town clerk. An honorably discharged veteran resident qualifies at any age, which is the part that gets missed — the same pass is better known as a benefit for residents aged 62 and over.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitLifetime free day-use entry to the state parks for a one-off $2 charge at the town clerk
Read it and check if you qualifyFree Permanent Hunting and Fishing at 60% — Not 100%
A resident veteran rated 60% service-connected or higher gets a free hunting, fishing or combination licence, and for a resident it is permanent rather than annual. Sixty per cent is a low threshold for this benefit; several states set it at total disability.
VeteransApplies statewideFree hunting, fishing or combination licence — permanent for a resident, one year for a qualifying non-resident
Read it and check if you qualifyGuard Tuition — Full, But It Is a Forgivable Loan, Not a Grant
Full tuition at the state university system for a serving Guard member, and up to the state university rate at a private or out-of-state institution where the degree is not available here. Residency is not required. What is required is the obligation on the other side: two years of service for every academic year funded, and the money becomes repayable if the obligation goes unmet.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to full tuition at the state university system; capped at the state university rate at a private or out-of-state institution; tuition only, reduced by other grants and scholarships
Read it and check if you qualifyThe State Veterans Cemetery — Free for the Veteran, Not Always for the Spouse
A 280-plus acre state cemetery at Randolph Center, run by the state veterans office rather than by a federal agency. Veterans, spouses and some dependants may be buried there. The distinction families need in advance: a spouse or dependant burial may carry a fee where the veteran's does not.
VeteransApplies statewideNo cost for the veteran in the government-marker sections; a spouse or dependent child pays an opening and closing fee of $225 for an urn or $525 for a casket, payable in advance
Read it and check if you qualifyPreference Points — and the Door Into Promotion-Only Postings
Preference points on state job applications for a veteran with 90 days of service and an acceptable discharge, with more points for a service-connected disability, for the spouse of a totally disabled veteran, and for an unmarried surviving spouse. The part worth more than the points: an eligible veteran may apply for postings otherwise open only to current state employees.
VeteransApplies statewidePreference points on state applications, additional points for a service-connected disability, and access to postings recruited as promotion-only
Read it and check if you qualifyThe State Brain Injury Programme — a Five-Minute Screen, Then a Referral
A state programme within the human services agency that screens for traumatic brain injury, refers to a clinician for diagnosis, and holds a list of brain injury providers across the state. The veterans office points veterans at it for blast exposure, wounds above the shoulders, vehicle crashes, falls and blows to the head.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitA state-run brain injury screen, referral for medical diagnosis, and a statewide list of brain injury providers
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Diploma You Left For — And You Pick the School
A veteran of the Second World War, Korea or Vietnam who left a state high school before graduating, and who was honorably discharged, may be awarded a high school diploma. The detail that makes it worth doing: you choose the public school it comes from. It does not have to be the one you walked out of.
VeteransApplies statewideA state high school diploma from the public school of the veteran's choice, for a Second World War, Korean or Vietnam era veteran who left school to serve
Read it and check if you qualifyThree State Medals — and One Goes to the Next of Kin
The state issues its own medals. The Veterans Medal goes to most veterans with an honorable discharge; the Distinguished Service Medal to those who served in a combat theatre; and the Patriot's Medal is presented to the next of kin of a service member killed in action. You choose between having it posted and having it presented by a state official, usually at the State House in November.
VeteransApplies statewideThe state Veterans Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal for combat theatre service, and the Patriot's Medal to the next of kin of a service member killed in action — posted, or presented in a ceremony
Read it and check if you qualify200,000 Discharge Records, Held in Montpelier Since the First World War
The state veterans office keeps roughly 200,000 discharge records going back to the First World War, and provides discharge verification documentation from them. If a discharge document has been lost, this is a route that does not involve writing to a federal records centre and waiting — and it is the route almost nobody is told about.
VeteransApplies statewideDischarge record retrieval and verification documentation from a state-held archive of roughly 200,000 records dating from the First World War onwards
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Tax Return Tick-Box That Funds Grants — Including to Individuals
A fund endowed mainly by a check-off box on state income tax returns makes grants supporting long-term veteran care, homeless veteran assistance, veteran transportation, veterans' service programmes and recognition. The office states that both organisations and individuals may develop programmes it supports, and it runs an annual request for proposals.
VeteransApplies statewideGrant funding for veteran care, homelessness, transportation, service programmes and recognition, awarded through an annual request for proposals
Read it and check if you qualifyTwo Women Veterans Coordinators — and They Do Different Jobs
There are two women veterans coordinators serving veterans here and they are not interchangeable. The state office of veterans affairs has one, at (802) 828-0382, who works on benefits issues including disability compensation applications. The federal medical centre at White River Junction has another, who is a patient advocate on health care issues. Sending a claim question to the health advocate, or a gynaecology question to the benefits coordinator, is the commonest way a woman veteran loses a month here.
VeteransApplies statewideA state women veterans coordinator for benefits and disability claims, and a separate federal coordinator at the medical centre for health care
Read it and check if you qualifyNo State Veteran Farmer Programme — the Five Listed Are All Somebody Else’s
The agency of agriculture’s new and beginning farmer page has a veterans section. It lists five things, and every one of them belongs to a national organisation or a private training provider: an agricultural disability project, a farm health learning lab, a beginner farmer training site, the national veteran farmer branding label, and a veterans-to-farmers training programme. There is no state veteran farmer grant, no state loan, no land-link scheme, no agricultural licence or fee concession, and no farmers-market vendor preference on that page.
VeteransApplies statewideNo state veteran farmer grant, loan, land link, fee concession or market preference — the listed veteran routes are national programmes
Read it and check if you qualifyGold Star and Next-of-Kin Plates — Two Plates, and the Second One Catches What the First Misses
Vermont issues gold star plates to the widow or widower, parents and next of kin of members who lost their lives in the circumstances described in 10 U.S.C. § 1126(a), and a separate next-of-kin plate for families of members who died on active duty, on active duty for training, in drill status, or from injury or illness incurred in that service. Both go through the Office of Veterans Affairs.
VeteransApplies statewideA gold star or next-of-kin plate, certified by the Office of Veterans Affairs
Read it and check if you qualifyVETERAN on a Vermont Licence — One Form Does the Licence and the Plates
The Vermont Certificate of Veteran Status, form VG-168, is certified by the Office of Veterans Affairs and then does two jobs: it adds the word VETERAN to the front of a Vermont driver’s licence or non-driver identification card under 23 V.S.A. § 610, and it is the form every veteran licence plate on the DMV’s military page requires.
VeteransApplies statewideThe word VETERAN added to the front of a Vermont licence or non-driver identification card
Read it and check if you qualifyVermont Disabled Plates and Placards — No Extra Fee, and the DV Plate Needs the Same Medical Form
Any Vermont resident may apply for disabled registration plates or a disabled windshield placard on a Universal Medical Evaluation/Progress Report signed by a licensed physician, certified physician assistant or licensed advanced practice registered nurse. Plates are issued without additional fees. The disabled veteran plate needs the same medical form unless one has been filed within the last four years.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitDisabled plates issued without additional fees; permanent credentials recertified medically every four years
Read it and check if you qualifyUtility Bills in Vermont — No Veteran Rate, and the State’s Own Answer Is 211 and a $500 Fund
The Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs was asked this question on its own website and answered it. Its route for a veteran who cannot pay for heat or power is Vermont 211 first, the Economic Services Division’s heating assistance second, and its own Veteran Assistance Fund third — a one-time payment of up to $500. No veteran discount on a utility bill appears anywhere in its answer.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitNo veteran utility rate exists in Vermont — the routes named by the state are assistance, not discount
Read it and check if you qualify
Does my county change the answer?
For the statewide records, no — the same law applies in all 14 counties. What changes is the office you file with and the local tax arithmetic, which we do not yet hold for Vermont.
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.