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Three 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.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

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.

What it's worth: The 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

  • The office states the Veterans Medal is awarded to most veterans with an honorable discharge.
  • The office states the Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to veterans with an honorable discharge who served in a combat theatre.
  • The office states the Patriot's Medal is presented to the next of kin of state service members killed in action.
  • The application is the office's own medals application form with a copy of the discharge document attached.
  • Recipients may choose to have the medals posted, or to have them presented in a ceremony with a state official, usually at the State House in November.
  • The office does not state a fee on the page read.
  • The office does not state a residency requirement on the page read.

Who is entitled to it

  • Your discharge characterisation is within the range these run on.
  • You are in this state.

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. 1Apply in good time if you want the ceremony rather than the post. The presentation is usually held at the State House in November and that is a fixed point in the year, not something arranged on request.
  2. 2Ask about both medals in one application if you served in a combat theatre. They are separate awards with separate tests and there is no reason to claim only the general one.
  3. 3The Patriot's Medal is for the family, not the service member. A next of kin who has never been offered one should ask — it is not issued automatically to everyone entitled.
  4. 4Attach the discharge document. That is the proof the office asks for and the application will not progress without it.
  5. 5A family arranging this for an elderly veteran should weigh the ceremony seriously. This is one of the few state programmes whose entire value is the occasion.
Form
The state medals application, with a copy of the discharge document
File with
The state Office of Veterans Affairs, Montpelier
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThis carries no money and is still worth recording. It is a state act of recognition with a date attached, and it is the kind of thing a family finds out about after the funeral rather than before.
Known gapThe pages read do not state a residency test, a statutory basis, or whether a medal may be awarded posthumously to a veteran who was not killed in action. Ask the office before assuming any of the three.

Sources

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