Wisconsin veteran benefits
- Verified veteran benefits
- 18
- plus 1 general-law and correction records
- Counties covered
- 72
- every one has its own page
- Veterans in this state
- 0.31M
- 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
The credit is claimed with your Wisconsin income tax return, WDVA certification attached the first year.
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 test that actually applies in Wisconsin — the credit turns on a 100% rating or individual unemployability, plus a Wisconsin-rooted service history.
31 benefits worth checking
What you appear to qualify for — worth checking.
One question checks 24 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.
Three State Veterans Homes — and Two Ways to Meet the Service Test
Wisconsin runs 24-hour skilled nursing at veterans homes in CHIPPEWA FALLS, KING AND UNION GROVE. The service test has two alternative routes and the second is the one people miss: 90 OR MORE DAYS OF ACTIVE DUTY WITH AT LEAST ONE DAY DURING A WARTIME PERIOD, OR TWO OR MORE YEARS OF PEACETIME ACTIVE DUTY — or completion of the full initial obligation. A peacetime veteran with two years in is inside this. Discharge must be under honorable conditions.
VeteransApplies statewide24-hour skilled nursing at three state facilities
Read it and check if you qualifySpring Turkey Without the Draw — $10, Any Zone, at 50%
A veteran with a 50% OR GREATER service-connected rating, or rated INDIVIDUALLY UNEMPLOYABLE, may buy a spring turkey harvest authorisation for $10 plus licence fees IN ANY ZONE AND TIME PERIOD, WITHOUT ENTERING THE DRAWING. Bypassing the drawing is worth more than the price: Wisconsin's spring turkey authorisations are allocated by lottery and a preferred zone and period can take years to draw. This lets you simply choose.
VeteransApplies statewide$10 spring turkey authorisation, any zone or period, no drawing
Read it and check if you qualifyOne Free Licence on Coming Home — and the Voucher Runs 365 Days
A recently discharged Wisconsin resident veteran gets ONE free licence of their choosing: SMALL GAME, ARCHERY, GUN DEER OR ANNUAL FISHING. It arrives as a VOUCHER CODE WITH A 365-DAY REDEMPTION WINDOW, which is the detail that matters — the clock starts when the voucher issues, not when the season opens, so a voucher taken in spring for a gun deer licence has to be redeemed before the following spring.
VeteransApplies statewideOne free small game, archery, gun deer or annual fishing licence
Read it and check if you qualifyVeterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit
One hundred percent of the property tax on your principal dwelling, refunded through the income tax return — at 100% disability or individual unemployability, with a Wisconsin-rooted service history.
VeteransApplies statewide100% of the property tax paid on your principal dwelling, back as a credit
Read it and check if you qualify$3,000 a Year to Retrain — for Unemployed or Underemployed Veterans
Wisconsin pays UP TO $3,000 PER YEAR FOR A MAXIMUM OF TWO YEARS toward technical education or on-the-job training completable within two years. FOUR-YEAR DEGREES ARE EXCLUDED — this is deliberately about getting back to work rather than about a degree. It reaches RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED veterans (involuntary, non-misconduct job loss within the year before applying, after six or more consecutive months in the same role) and UNDEREMPLOYED veterans with income below a federal threshold. Up to two grants, NOT IN CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to $3,000 a year, for a maximum of two years
Read it and check if you qualifyCertified Veteran-Owned Business — a Logo and a Directory, and Nothing More
Wisconsin certifies a business at least 51% owned by veterans meeting the WDVA service criteria, giving a Certified Veteran-Owned Business LOGO and a listing in the searchable state directory. Be clear about the limit: NO GRANT OR FEE CONCESSION ATTACHES. It is marketing and visibility, not money or contracting preference. If you have a service-connected disability, the DISABLED veteran-owned certification is the one with the 5% purchasing target — a different programme entirely.
Veteran business ownersApplies statewideA certification logo and a state directory listing
Read it and check if you qualifyPurple Heart — a $10 Conservation Patron Licence, and Resident Rates If You Live Elsewhere
Wisconsin sells the CONSERVATION PATRON LICENCE — its all-in package — to a Purple Heart recipient for $10 RESIDENT or $161 NONRESIDENT. Better still, a NONRESIDENT Purple Heart recipient may buy hunting, fishing and trapping approvals AT RESIDENT RATES, which on out-of-state licences is a large saving. There is also a one-time CLASS A BEAR LICENCE TRANSFER. All of it turns on the medal with proof, not on a disability rating.
VeteransApplies statewideConservation Patron licence at $10 resident / $161 nonresident; resident rates for nonresidents
Read it and check if you qualifyUp to $2,000 a Semester at a Private School — and the School Has to Match It
Wisconsin pays a veterans grant at PRIVATE NONPROFIT institutions worth the LESSER OF $2,000 PER SEMESTER OR 50% OF TUITION MINUS applicable federal education benefits — AND THE PRIVATE INSTITUTION MUST MATCH THE GRANT. That matching requirement roughly doubles the effect and is unusual. The combined cap with the Wisconsin GI Bill is UP TO 128 CREDITS OR 8 SEMESTERS. Eligibility routes include 90 or more days wartime, two consecutive peacetime years, or discharge for a service-connected disability, hardship or reduction in force.
StudentsApplies statewideThe lesser of $2,000 a semester or 50% of tuition — matched by the school
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Certification That Actually Carries Weight — 5% Target and a Low-Bid Waiver
The Department of Administration's Supplier Diversity Program certifies disabled veteran-owned businesses, and this is the Wisconsin certification with real procurement force: AT LEAST 5% OF STATE PURCHASING AND CONTRACTING is targeted to certified minority and disabled veteran-owned businesses, and there is a LOW-BID WAIVER — the state may award to a certified firm whose bid is NO MORE THAN 5% ABOVE the low bid. That waiver is the part worth understanding: it means you do not have to be cheapest to win.
Veteran business ownersApplies statewideA 5% state purchasing target, and awards up to 5% above the low bid
Read it and check if you qualifyDIS/VET Parking Plates — Meters Free, Time Limits Waived, and Fuel Served
Wisconsin issues disabled veteran parking plates to a veteran certified by an authorised VA health care specialist as having a PERMANENT SERVICE-INCURRED DISABILITY THAT LIMITS OR IMPAIRS THE ABILITY TO WALK. They allow parking in DIS/VET reserved spaces, EXEMPTION FROM PARKING TIME-LIMIT ORDINANCES OF 30 MINUTES OR MORE, FREE PARKING AT MUNICIPALLY-OWNED METERED SPACES with a limit of 30 minutes or more, and FULL-SERVICE FUEL at self-service prices. The test is functional — cannot walk 200 feet without rest, mobility device dependence, severe lung disease, portable oxygen or significant cardiac limitation — not a rating percentage.
VeteransApplies statewideReserved spaces, time limits waived, free municipal metered parking, full-service fuel
Read it and check if you qualifyEx-POW Plates Free on One Vehicle — but They Still Have to Be Renewed
Wisconsin charges NO ISSUANCE OR REGISTRATION FEES for Ex-POW plates on ONE qualifying vehicle, for a motorist certified as a former prisoner of war by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Additional vehicles pay a $15 issuance fee plus the annual registration. The trap is administrative: THE PLATES EXPIRE ANNUALLY AND MUST BE RENEWED EVEN THOUGH NO FEE IS DUE. A free plate that lapses because nobody expected a renewal notice is a real problem.
VeteransApplies statewideNo issuance or registration fee on one vehicle
Read it and check if you qualifyFifty-Plus Service and Medal Designations on One Plate Programme
Wisconsin offers a military plate with OVER 50 SERVICE AND MEDAL DECAL DESIGNATIONS to any active or retired military veteran, or a military academy student or alumnus. You must be the vehicle OWNER, LESSEE OR TRUST BENEFICIARY — the trust route matters for older owners. Proof is a DD214, academy ID or equivalent. REGULAR REGISTRATION FEES APPLY and there are NO SPECIAL PARKING PRIVILEGES, so this is recognition rather than a saving. Personalisation is optional.
VeteransApplies statewideA military plate with over 50 decal designations
Read it and check if you qualifyMedal of Honor Plates — No Fees, and They Do Not Expire
Wisconsin issues Medal of Honor plates with NO ISSUANCE OR REGISTRATION FEES, and THE PLATES DO NOT EXPIRE — which sets them apart from the Ex-POW plates, which are equally free but must be renewed every year. They are TRANSFERABLE to another qualifying vehicle. There is no personalisation and no special parking privilege. Proof is a DD214, DD215 or official orders; you must be the owner, lessee or trust beneficiary.
VeteransApplies statewideNo issuance or registration fees, and the plates never expire
Read it and check if you qualifyMilitary Retirement Pay Exempt in Full
Every dollar of U.S. military retirement pay — and Survivor Benefit Plan payments — is exempt from Wisconsin income tax.
VeteransApplies statewideThe whole of your military retired pay, exempt
Read it and check if you qualifyWisconsin GI Bill — Tuition Remitted in Full, for the Veteran and Their Family
Full tuition and segregated fees remitted at any UW System school or technical college — 128 credits or 8 semesters, whichever is longer, with no time limit. Spouses, unremarried surviving spouses and children aged 17 to under 26 are covered on the same cap, where the veteran holds a 30% or higher service-connected rating or died on active duty, from a service-connected disability, or in the line of duty.
StudentsApplies statewideFull tuition and segregated fees, up to 128 credits or 8 semesters — whichever is longer
Read it and check if you qualifyThe $7 Disabled Veteran Recreation Card — Five Privileges in One
A resident veteran with a service-connected rating of 50% or more — or rated individually unemployable — buys the Resident Disabled Veteran Recreation Card for $7 a year. The card carries fishing, small game hunting, vehicle admission to state parks, admission to Heritage Hill, and the state trail pass, all inside the one $7 price.
VeteransApplies statewide$7 a year for fishing, small game, park vehicle admission, Heritage Hill and the state trail pass
Read it and check if you qualifyFishing for $3 a Year — at 70%, on Unemployability, or on a Non-Service-Connected Pension
A resident veteran receiving disability compensation at 70% or more buys the annual fishing licence for $3, presented at any licence sales location with VA documentation. Two other routes reach the same price: a finding of individual unemployability, and receipt of a non-service-connected VA pension — which requires no rating at all.
VeteransApplies statewideAnnual fishing licence for $3
Read it and check if you qualifyState Park Admission Free at 70% — or on Unemployability or VA Pension
A disabled veteran rated 70% or more service-connected — or individually unemployable, or receiving VA pension — and any former POW gets state park vehicle admission free, certified once through the county veterans service officer.
VeteransApplies statewideA free Park Admission & Trail Pass Card — vehicle admission and the state trail pass, for two years or life
Read it and check if you qualifyBurial at the Three State Veterans Cemeteries — Free, No Residency Test
A veteran's interment at Spooner, King or Union Grove costs nothing — gravesite, granite or marble marker, opening and closing, perpetual care. State residency is no longer required, spouses and dependent children are eligible even if the veteran is buried elsewhere, and their interments carry set fees.
VeteransApplies statewideVeteran interment at no fee; spouse and dependent interments run $978 (cremated) to $1,700 (casket)
Read it and check if you qualifyInitial Credential Fee Waived Once, Then 10% Thereafter
Wisconsin waives the fee on a veteran’s first professional or occupational credential, and charges 10 percent of the standard fee on a later one. Renewal and examination fees are not covered.
VeteransApplies statewideThe initial credential fee, waived once
Read it and check if you qualifyNational Guard Tuition Grant — 100% of Tuition, Capped at the Public Rate
An actively drilling enlisted member of the Wisconsin National Guard without a bachelor’s degree can have 100% of tuition covered, capped at the in-state resident rate at UW Madison, for up to eight full-time academic terms.
StudentsApplies statewide100% of tuition, or the UW Madison in-state resident rate — whichever is less
Read it and check if you qualifyHealth Care Aid Grant — Dental, Vision and Hearing When Nothing Else Will Pay
WDVA pays a veteran’s dental, vision or hearing bills directly to the provider once other sources of aid are exhausted — up to $800 of dental care a year, $4,000 of extended dental care over two years, $400 of vision care, and $1,875 for each hearing aid.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to $800 dental a year, $4,000 extended dental over two years, $400 vision, $200 hearing care, $1,875 per hearing aid
Read it and check if you qualifySubsistence Aid — Up to $3,000 a Year When Illness or Injury Stops the Income
Where illness, injury or a natural disaster has cut a veteran’s income and other sources of aid are exhausted, WDVA pays subsistence aid for up to three 30-day periods — capped at $3,000 in any 12 months, and filed within a year of the loss.
VeteransApplies statewideUp to $3,000 in any 12 months, in 30-day awards to a maximum of 90 days
Read it and check if you qualifyAppointed Without Competing — the 30% Disabled Veteran Route Into State Employment
A veteran with a service-connected disability rated 30% or more can be appointed to a State of Wisconsin job without going through the competitive hiring process — provided the VA documentation is dated within the past twelve months.
VeteransApplies statewideConsidered for state vacancies without competing through the traditional hiring process
Read it and check if you qualifyCertified Veteran-Owned Farm — a Logo, a Listing and the Farm Center
WDVA and the agriculture department certify a veteran’s farm, issue a Veteran-Owned Farm logo and list it publicly, while the Wisconsin Farm Center supplies the business planning help a new agricultural enterprise needs.
VeteransApplies statewideCertification, a Veteran-Owned Farm logo, a public listing and Farm Center business planning support
Read it and check if you qualifyVetEd — Tuition Reimbursed After You Pass, on a Credit Bank Set by Your Service
A veteran without a bachelor’s degree can have tuition and fees reimbursed after completing courses with at least a C average, drawing on a credit bank of 30, 60 or 120 credits according to length of active duty — subject to a household income test.
StudentsApplies statewideTuition and fees reimbursed for completed courses, up to 30, 60 or 120 credits by length of service
Read it and check if you qualifyThe Veteran Identifier on Your Licence — and the Reserve Route Most People Miss
WDVA verifies your service and the DMV prints a Veteran identifier on your driver licence or state ID — and the eligibility rules reach a Reserve or Guard member who completed an initial term of obligated service without ever serving on active duty.
VeteransApplies statewideA Veteran identifier printed on your driver licence or state ID
Read it and check if you qualifyVeterans Housing and Recovery — a Residential Programme, Not a Shelter Bed
WDVA runs a residential programme at Union Grove giving homeless or at-risk veterans temporary housing, three meals a day and supportive services while they work towards permanent housing, employment, education or recovery.
VeteransApplies statewideTemporary residential housing with three meals a day, training and supportive services
Read it and check if you qualifyEnergy Bills — No Veteran Discount, but a Veteran Front Door to the Programme That Pays
The Department of Veterans Affairs sends veterans needing energy help to the Heat and Housing for Heroes campaign, whose method is a two-step: apply to the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program first, then call the campaign if you are denied or left short. WHEAP is administered by the Department of Administration, runs in all 72 counties and 7 tribes, and serves over 10,000 Wisconsin veterans.
VeteransApplies statewideNot a veteran benefitHelp with heating and electric bills, crisis assistance, furnace repair or replacement, and weatherisation referrals — income-tested, not service-tested
Read it and check if you qualifyRemarriage — It Ends Two Wisconsin Benefits and Not the Third
One Department of Veterans Affairs page sets the rules side by side. The Wisconsin GI Bill reaches unremarried surviving spouses. The property tax credit reaches an unremarried surviving spouse. Burial in a state veterans cemetery does not: the department states that surviving spouses who remarry retain burial eligibility.
VeteransApplies statewideA map of which Wisconsin family benefits survive remarriage and which do not
Read it and check if you qualifyMilitary Spouse Licensure — Reciprocity Under 2011 Act 210, on Five Conditions
Under 2011 Wisconsin Act 210, the spouse of an active-duty service member assigned to Wisconsin may receive a reciprocal professional credential: apply on the licensing board’s form, be temporarily resident because of the military assignment, hold a valid licence from another jurisdiction, pay the required fees and meet any additional board requirements.
VeteransApplies statewideA reciprocal professional credential without repeating the qualifying process — fees still payable
Read it and check if you qualify
Does my county change the answer?
For the statewide records, no — the same law applies in all 72 counties — and the credit refunds whatever your local rate produced, so the county changes the size of the refund, not the entitlement.
- Adams County
- Ashland County
- Barron County
- Bayfield County
- Brown County
- Buffalo County
- Burnett County
- Calumet County
- Chippewa County
- Clark County
- Columbia County
- Crawford County
- Dane County
- Dodge County
- Door County
- Douglas County
- Dunn County
- Eau Claire County
- Florence County
- Fond du Lac County
- Forest County
- Grant County
- Green County
- Green Lake County
- Iowa County
- Iron County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Juneau County
- Kenosha County
- Kewaunee County
- La Crosse County
- Lafayette County
- Langlade County
- Lincoln County
- Manitowoc County
- Marathon County
- Marinette County
- Marquette County
- Menominee County
- Milwaukee County
- Monroe County
- Oconto County
- Oneida County
- Outagamie County
- Ozaukee County
- Pepin County
- Pierce County
- Polk County
- Portage County
- Price County
- Racine County
- Richland County
- Rock County
- Rusk County
- St. Croix County
- Sauk County
- Sawyer County
- Shawano County
- Sheboygan County
- Taylor County
- Trempealeau County
- Vernon County
- Vilas County
- Walworth County
- Washburn County
- Washington County
- Waukesha County
- Waupaca County
- Waushara County
- Winnebago County
- Wood 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.