Veteran benefits in Chittenden County, Vermont
- Benefits you can claim here
- 29
- Property tax rate
- 1.53
- effective rate, ACS 2023 five-year
- $10,000 of appraised value, town-votable to $40,000, typical home
- $0
- a year at this county rate
- Veterans in this county
- 6,932
- US Department of Veterans Affairs VetPop2023 county model, as of 9/30/2025
What to do, in Chittenden County
The process is the same across Vermont for the statewide records. Only the office and the tax rate change.
Find what applies to you
29 benefits reach Chittenden County. Browse them below.
Check whether you qualify
Open any benefit and answer a few questions about that one specifically.
Get your proof
A VA Benefit Summary Letter from VA.gov covers most of them, in about two minutes.
File with Chittenden County
Form DR-501 to the Property Appraiser before March 1. File even without your letter.
How much is a property tax exemption worth in Chittenden County?
The rate shown is the county's effective property tax rate - aggregate taxes actually paid divided by aggregate home value, from the Census ACS 2023 five-year file. Every overlapping levy, credit and cap is already inside it, which makes it the honest basis for sizing an exemption's dollar value.
These are example savings for a typical home in this county, not an estimate of your own bill. Your actual saving depends on your assessed value, your taxing districts, and how this exemption interacts with any others you hold.
| Effective rate | what homeowners here actually paid |
|---|---|
| Basis | ACS 2023 five-year aggregates |
| $10,000 of appraised value, town-votable to $40,000 (32 V.S.A. §3802(11)) | about $0 a year against the county rate |
| Total exemption (32 V.S.A. §3802(11)) | the entire bill — about $3,825 a year against the county rate on a typical $250,000 value, and more once your other taxing units are added |
| Where to file | Chittenden County Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs, then the town |
| Deadline | May 1, annually, every year |
Which document does the Chittenden County Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs, then the town accept?
Statute sets the floor; the office picks the paperwork.
Easiest · VA Benefit Summary Letter
Sign in at VA.gov, choose Download VA Letters, then Benefit Summary — Veteran Benefits.
All 29 benefits you can claim in Chittenden County
All 14 Vermont counties get the same statewide law.
education(4)
The 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.
Tuition up to the in-state rate, for up to 130 credits
No 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.
Nothing for veterans themselves — tuition to the in-state public rate for a survivor
Guard 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.
Up 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
The 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.
A 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
licenses & fees(5)
CDL 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.
The CDL skills (road) test waived
Registration 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.
Registration and driver licence fees waived — scope disputed between two state sources
Certified 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.
The certified inspection mechanic examination waived
Military 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.
Military training credited toward licensure; expedited and temporary licences; a statutory 68W route to nursing assistant
VETERAN 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.
The word VETERAN added to the front of a Vermont licence or non-driver identification card
vehicles(3)
No 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.
Purchase and use tax and the title fee both waived
Gold 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.
A gold star or next-of-kin plate, certified by the Office of Veterans Affairs
Vermont 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.
Disabled plates issued without additional fees; permanent credentials recertified medically every four years
other(9)
Military 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.
100% exempt at AGI ≤ $125,000; phased between $125,000 and $175,000; nothing at $175,000+
The $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.
$250 refundable at AGI ≤ $25,000, phasing to $0 at $30,000
The 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.
Up to $500, once, for critical needs — the office names housing and utilities
The 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.
No 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
The 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.
A state-run brain injury screen, referral for medical diagnosis, and a statewide list of brain injury providers
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.
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
200,000 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.
Discharge record retrieval and verification documentation from a state-held archive of roughly 200,000 records dating from the First World War onwards
The 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.
Grant funding for veteran care, homelessness, transportation, service programmes and recognition, awarded through an annual request for proposals
Two 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.
A state women veterans coordinator for benefits and disability claims, and a separate federal coordinator at the medical centre for health care
recreation(2)
The 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.
Lifetime free day-use entry to the state parks for a one-off $2 charge at the town clerk
Free 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.
Free hunting, fishing or combination licence — permanent for a resident, one year for a qualifying non-resident
Filing in Chittenden County
- Office
- Chittenden County Property Appraiser
- Form
- DR-501 for most exemptions; DR-501DV for the combat-related discount; DR-501M for a deployment exemption.
- Deadline
- March 1, every year. Missing it costs the whole tax year — there is no late route back in.
Free help in Chittenden County
Chittenden County has a County Veteran Service Officer, and their help is free. Go to them for anything touching a federal VA disability claim.
Nobody should charge you to claim the benefits on this page. Unaccredited operators charging fees for VA claims are a real and growing problem.
Common questions about Chittenden County veteran benefits
- What can I claim here?
- The Vermont statewide records apply in every county. We have not researched county-level programmes here, so this page shows state law and complete geography rather than a local layer.
- What is it worth in this county?
- Dollar figures use the county's EFFECTIVE property tax rate - what homeowners there actually paid per dollar of home value, from the Census ACS 2023 five-year file. It is an estimate for sizing a saving; the levy table on your own bill governs.
- Where do I file for a veteran property tax exemption in Chittenden County?
- File with your County assessor. The form and deadline are on each benefit record.
- What document does the Chittenden County Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs, then the town accept as proof?
- The statute sets what must be proved. An office may tell you which document it prefers, but it may not add a requirement the statute does not contain. We have not researched per-county document quirks in Vermont.
Other counties
This is an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. Veterans Alliance is privately owned and is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Geography from the US Census; veteran population from the VA VetPop2023 county model.