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Minnesota benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official Minnesota source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) can help you apply for them at no cost.
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.
Help from your state veterans office
MDVA, LinkVet and County Veterans Service Officers
In effect
MDVA's one-stop line is 1-888-LinkVet (546-5838). By statute, every Minnesota county must hire a County Veterans Service Officer, and MACVSO keeps the directory.
Market value exclusion for disabled veterans ($150,000 / $300,000)
In effect
Homesteads of veterans rated 70% or higher get a $150,000 market value exclusion, and 100% P&T veterans get $300,000. Some surviving spouses and primary family caregivers also qualify.
Who qualifies
Veterans rated 70%+ service-connected or 100% P&T; qualifying surviving spouses; primary family caregivers.
Amount or details
$150,000 (70%+) or $300,000 (100% P&T) excluded from market value.
How to apply
Apply to the county assessor by December 31 for taxes payable the following year.
Military pension subtraction (or Credit for Past Military Service)
In effect
Minnesota lets taxpayers subtract qualifying military retirement pay, including reserve retirement and SBP payments, from Minnesota taxable income. Taxpayers who take the subtraction cannot also claim the Credit for Past Military Service.
Who qualifies
Recipients of federally taxable military retirement pay under 10 U.S.C. 1401-1414 or 12733, and SBP payments.
Amount or details
Subtraction on Schedule M1M; alternatively, the Credit for Past Military Service.
“You may be able to subtract certain military retirement pay (including pensions) from your Minnesota taxable income and alternative minimum taxable income.”
100% disabled veteran registration, title and sales tax exemptions
In effect
Veterans with a 100% service-connected rating (including TDIU) are exempt from most registration fees on up to two vehicles. They are also exempt from title fees, sales tax, and all driver's license and ID fees. Vehicles bought with VA funding are exempt from sales tax.
Who qualifies
Veterans with a 100% VA service-connected rating (Minn. Stat. 171.01 subd. 51) who own or lease the vehicle.
Amount or details
Registration fees waived on up to 2 vehicles; title and sales tax exempt; DL and ID fees waived (fast-track fees not covered).
How to apply
Provide VA documentation once at a DVS office or by mail.
Note
The DPS pages render their accordion text through JavaScript. Quotes come from the official page's embedded content payload in the reviewed HTML.
Separated veterans with at least 181 days of active service and an honorable or general discharge can add a veteran indicator. Retired National Guard and Reserve members also qualify.
Who qualifies
181+ days active service, honorable or general; retired Guard or Reserve.
Amount or details
Optional indicator.
How to apply
Provide a DD214 or other proof when applying.
Note
Quote comes from the DPS page's embedded content payload, which is rendered through JavaScript.
“You will need to provide proof of veteran status with at least 181 total days of ACTIVE military service and either Honorable or General (under Honorable conditions) indicated.”
The Minnesota GI Bill helps eligible veterans, service members, National Guard and reserve members, and some spouses and children, with a lifetime maximum of $15,000. A 2026 law effective August 1, 2026 consolidates veterans' education statutes. It closes a rarely used $750 benefit for veterans but keeps it for survivors and dependents of POW, MIA, or deceased veterans.
Who qualifies
Minnesota residents who meet program service criteria.
Amount or details
Maximum $15,000.
How to apply
Apply through the school's certifying official or MDVA's gibill.mn.gov portal.
The Veteran's Relief Grant is a once-per-lifetime grant that helps veterans and dependents stabilize during hardship. Applicants must show they can sustain themselves after the assistance.
Who qualifies
Minnesota veterans and dependents in hardship.
Amount or details
Case-by-case.
How to apply
Apply through your County Veterans Service Officer.
Free hunting/angling for 100% disabled veterans; free state park permit
In effect
Veterans with a 100% service-connected disability can get a free small game license, one free deer license per year, and a free permanent angling license. Veterans with any service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, get a free annual state park vehicle permit.
Who qualifies
100% service-connected (licenses); any service-connected rating or Purple Heart (park permit).
Amount or details
Free licenses; permanent card available; free year-round park vehicle permit.
How to apply
Show VA documentation at a license agent or the DNR License Center; show proof at a state park.
Minnesota has eight state Veterans Homes, including Bemidji, Fergus Falls, Hastings, Luverne, Minneapolis, Montevideo, Preston, and Silver Bay. Residents must need skilled nursing care, and they pay toward their care according to their means.
Who qualifies
Honorably discharged Minnesota resident veterans with 181 consecutive days of active duty (unless discharged early for a line-of-duty disability); spouses aged 55+.
“Veterans discharged under honorable conditions from any branch of the U.S. armed forces and a current resident of Minnesota, who served 181 consecutive days on active duty”
2026 law effective Aug. 1, 2026: forfeiture of state benefits, MDVA reorganization
In effect
A 2026 law effective August 1, 2026 makes veterans who forfeited federal VA benefits ineligible for state benefits. It also reclassifies an MDVA position and repeals the 1982 Environmental Hazards (Agent Orange) act.
“The law also provides that any veteran who has forfeited federal veteran benefits is also ineligible for state benefits.”
2026 bonding: $77M for veterans homes and cemeteries
In effect
The 2026 capital investment law includes $77 million for veterans affairs. That covers $45.1 million to renovate the Hastings home, $17.2 million for Minneapolis Building 16, and $15 million for asset preservation at homes and cemeteries.
We only publish what we could confirm on an official Minnesota source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) about anything here.
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.