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Arizona benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official Arizona source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (ADVS) can help you apply for them at no cost.
13 benefits from official sources1 not yet finalizedLast verified
How to read the labels:In effect confirmed on an official page. Not yet finalized announced or passed but not in force yet. Unverified — confirm with the agency we couldn't confirm it on an official page, so ask the agency.
ADVS Veteran Benefits Counselors are accredited by VA and the American Legion. They help for free with VA compensation, pension, appeals, survivor claims, discharge upgrades and state benefits, in person, by video, by phone or by email.
Who qualifies
Veterans, dependents and survivors.
Amount or details
Free; offices statewide plus counselors at the four state veteran homes.
Disabled veteran property tax exemption (full for 100%/TDIU; prorated otherwise)
In effect
Starting tax year 2026, a veteran rated 100% service-connected (or TDIU) gets a full exemption on the primary residence, which continues for an unremarried surviving spouse. Other disabled veterans get an exemption prorated by their VA rating. For 2026 that amount is $4,873 of assessed value times the rating. The assessed-value cap no longer applies to veterans, but the household income limit still does.
Who qualifies
Arizona-resident honorably discharged veteran with a VA service- or nonservice-connected disability rating.
Amount or details
100% SC/TDIU: primary residence fully exempt. Under 100% SC or NSC: 2026 amount $4,873 assessed value times disability %. (A.R.S. 42-11111(C),(D))
How to apply
New applications go to your County Assessor between the first Monday in January and March 1. Existing exemptions granted before Jan 1, 2026 don't need to reapply.
“Full exemption of the qualifying veteran’s primary residence. Includes a continued full exemption of the primary residence for the surviving spouse, as long as the surviving spouse does not remarry.”
Since tax year 2021, Arizona does not tax U.S. uniformed-services retired or retainer pay. Surviving spouses can exclude 100% of uniformed-services payments, and active-duty, Guard and Reserve pay is also excluded.
Who qualifies
Recipients of U.S. uniformed services retired/retainer pay; surviving spouses receiving uniformed-services payments.
Amount or details
100% subtraction (Form 140, line 29b; A.R.S. 43-1022).
MVD sells Veteran, Women Veterans and Freedom plates, which also support the Veterans' Donation Fund. Specialty plates cost $25 to start and $25 a year to renew. State law waives the annual personalization renewal fee on the standard Veteran plate, and a version with the disability symbol is available.
Who qualifies
Standard Veteran plate needs a DD-214/215 or similar, or a statement of honorable service; family members of an eligible person can also get it. Women Veterans and Freedom plates have no service requirement.
Amount or details
$25 initial plus $25 annual renewal; personalization $25.
VETERAN designation on driver license/ID; CDL skills-test waiver
In effect
Veterans can add a VETERAN designation to an Arizona driver license, CDL, ID or learner permit. Veterans applying for a CDL may be able to waive the skills test.
Who qualifies
Veterans with DD-214 or active military ID.
Amount or details
Designation on license (HB 2428, since Sept 16, 2013).
How to apply
Visit an MVD office with your DD-214 and apply for an updated license.
“allowing Veterans the option to have the VETERAN designation on their Arizona-issued driver license, commercial driver license, identification card or learner permit”
Immediate in-state tuition for veterans and dependents
In effect
Veterans, spouses and dependents using GI Bill (Ch. 30, 31, 33 or 35) benefits after 90+ days of active duty can get in-state tuition right away by living in Arizona and showing one sign of domicile, such as voter registration or an Arizona driver license.
Who qualifies
Veterans, spouses or dependents using VA Ch. 30/31/33/35 after 90+ days active duty.
Amount or details
In-state tuition (A.R.S. 15-1802).
How to apply
Provide residency evidence to the school's residency office.
“Eligible individuals must be a veteran, or a spouse or dependent of a veteran, that has been discharged from a period of active duty that was 90 days or longer”
Tuition Waiver Scholarship (A.R.S. 15-1808)
In effect
Undergraduate tuition (not books or fees) is waived at Arizona public universities and community colleges. It covers Purple Heart veterans rated 50%+ who were Arizona residents or stationed there, surviving spouses and children (up to 30) of service members killed in the line of duty, and some Arizona Guard members.
Who qualifies
Tier 1: Purple Heart, Arizona resident or stationed in Arizona when injured, 50%+ VA rating. Tier 2: survivors of those killed in the line of duty. Tiers 3–4: certain Arizona National Guard members.
Amount or details
Tuition only, for credits needed for an undergraduate degree.
How to apply
Submit the Tuition Waiver Verification Form to benefits@azdvs.gov.
“Veterans and surviving dependents eligible for the Tuition Waiver scholarship have tuition expenses waived for credits needed to obtain an undergraduate degree in any course of study.”
Veterans honorably separated after more than six months of active duty get 5 points on state and local merit exams. Disabled veterans get 10, and some spouses and surviving spouses get 5.
Who qualifies
Honorably separated veterans with 6+ months active duty; disabled veterans; certain spouses/surviving spouses.
Amount or details
5 or 10 points added to a passing score (A.R.S. 38-492).
How to apply
Claim on the job application with DD-214; search state jobs at azstatejobs.gov.
Military Family Relief Fund (emergency financial assistance)
In effect
The MFRF helps Arizona-connected veterans and service members who deployed (pre- or post-9/11) with unexpected hardships tied to service, such as rent, car payments and utilities. It doesn't cover VA debts, education, child support, credit cards or legal fees. A committee reviews applications monthly.
Who qualifies
Honorably discharged veterans and service members who deployed and meet one Arizona residency test (home of record, Arizona Guard, deployed from Arizona, or 12+ months of continuous presence).
Amount or details
Basic living expenses; amount set case by case.
How to apply
Apply through ADVS. Next cut-off dates are Nov 9, 2026 and Dec 7, 2026.
“MFRF is designed to bridge the gap for basic living expenses caused by unforeseen circumstances.”
Proposal to make the Military Family Relief Fund permanent (FY27 budget)
Not yet finalized
Not final yet: This was the Governor's proposed FY27 budget (Jan 2026). Whether the final enacted budget kept the sunset repeal was not confirmed on an official enacted-law page.
The Governor's FY27 budget proposal (Jan 16, 2026) would remove the sunset on the Military Family Relief Fund, scheduled to end after 2027, and make it permanent.
Amount or details
Proposal: remove sunset; allow transfers to the veteran homes and cemeteries trust funds.
“The FY27 proposal will also eliminate the sunset clause for ADVS’s Military Family Relief Fund (MFRF), which was scheduled to end at the conclusion of the 2027 year.”
Free license for 100% disabled veterans; discounts for other disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients
In effect
Veterans who have lived in Arizona at least a year get a complimentary license if rated 100% permanent service-connected, up to 25% off if they receive any service-connected compensation, and half off if they are Purple Heart recipients.
Who qualifies
Arizona resident for 1+ year immediately before applying.
Amount or details
100% permanent SC: free. Any SC compensation: up to 25% off. Purple Heart: 50% off. (A.R.S. 17-333)
How to apply
Apply at an Arizona Game and Fish Department office with your VA benefits letter.
“A complimentary license to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who has been a resident of this state for one year or more immediately before applying for the license and who receives compensation from the United States government for a permanent service-connected disability rated as one hundred percent disabling.”
“An applicant is eligible for admission if the applicant is an honorably-separated Veteran or the spouse of a Veteran and must require skilled nursing care as determined by a physician.”
ADVS operates veterans cemeteries at Camp Navajo (Bellemont), Marana, and Sierra Vista (Southern Arizona). Burial includes the gravesite, opening and closing, liner, government marker and perpetual care at no cost to eligible veterans.
Who qualifies
Veterans discharged under honorable conditions, some Guard/Reserve members, spouses and eligible dependents.
Amount or details
No-cost burial for veterans; sites assigned at time of need (no reservations).
“Burial in the cemetery includes a gravesite, opening and closing of the gravesite, a concrete liner (casket burials only), government marker and perpetual care at no cost.”
We only publish what we could confirm on an official Arizona source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (ADVS) about anything here.
AZGFD content came from the statute (A.R.S. 17-333) instead.
No state park veteran discount was verified on azstateparks.com.
Vehicle license tax (VLT) exemptions for disabled veterans were not verified on ADOT pages.
Whether the final FY27 budget made the MFRF permanent was not confirmed.
This state page was last reviewed against official sources on November 1, 2026. Our watcher re-checks those pages automatically and flags any item whose quoted wording disappears.