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New York benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official New York source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the New York State Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) can help you apply for them at no cost.
20 benefits from official sources1 where sources disagreeLast verified
New York State Department of Veterans' Services (DVS)
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
DVS Veterans Benefits Advisors
In effect
DVS Veterans Benefits Advisors, who are all veterans, help with state and federal benefits and claims. You can meet them by phone, by video, at local offices or at mobile outreach vans.
Who qualifies
Veterans, service members and families.
Amount or details
Free.
How to apply
Call 1-888-838-7697 or use the office locator at veterans.ny.gov/office-locations.
A local-option exemption that reduces the assessed value of a veteran's primary residence: 15% for wartime service or an expeditionary medal, another 10% for combat-zone service, and another amount equal to half the veteran's service-connected disability rating. Each locality sets maximum dollar caps.
Who qualifies
Veterans of designated wartime periods (Persian Gulf conflict 8/2/1990 to present, Vietnam, Korea, WWII) or expeditionary medal recipients, discharged under honorable conditions. Also certain unremarried surviving spouses and Gold Star parents where the locality allows.
Amount or details
15% + 10% (combat) + half of the disability rating, subject to local maximums.
How to apply
File Form RP-458-a with your assessor by the taxable status date, which is usually March 1.
Full exemption for veterans with a permanent and total service-connected disability (RPTL 458-a(11))
In effect
A full exemption from property taxes, special ad valorem levies and special assessments on the primary residence of a veteran the VA rates permanently and totally disabled from service. It was enacted by L.2025 ch.672 and amended by L.2026 chs.59 (Pt. EE) and 77, and first applies to assessment rolls with taxable status dates on or after 10/1/2026.
Who qualifies
VA documentation that the veteran is permanently and totally disabled as a result of service. The veteran must also meet the alternative veterans exemption requirements and have an honorable discharge, or qualify under the Restoration of Honor Act.
Amount or details
Full exemption on the primary residence.
How to apply
File Form RP-458-a with your municipal assessor.
Effective
Note
Sources conflict on whether this is mandatory. A Feb 2026 ORPTS newsletter says Ch. 77 of 2026 made it mandatory for all municipalities, but the current Tax Dept overview says municipalities 'may offer' it and cites the later Ch. 59 Pt. EE. Confirm with your assessor.
“Municipalities and school districts may offer a full exemption from property taxes, special ad valorem levies, and special assessments on the primary residence of a veteran who has a permanent and total disability as a result of military service.”
“It removes the local option from that exemption, thereby making the 458-a(11) exemption mandatory for all municipalities”
Cold War Veterans Exemption (RPTL 458-b)
In effect
A local-option exemption of 10% or 15% of assessed value (the locality chooses) for veterans who served from 9/2/1945 to 12/26/1991. Disabled veterans get an extra exemption equal to half their disability rating. The base exemption lasts 10 years unless the locality removes that limit.
Who qualifies
Active duty, other than for training, between 9/2/1945 and 12/26/1991, with an honorable discharge.
Amount or details
10% or 15% (local choice) plus half the disability rating, subject to local maximums.
How to apply
File Form RP-458-b with your assessor by the taxable status date.
“10 or 15% of the assessed value to veterans who served during the Cold War, depending on the community. This exemption may only be granted for 10 years”
Exempts assessed value equal to the military pension, bonus, insurance or similar funds used to buy the home, generally up to $7,500. Localities may raise this after a reassessment.
Who qualifies
Veterans and certain others who bought their home with eligible funds.
“Military pension payments you receive as a retired military personnel or as their beneficiary are totally exempt from New York State, New York City, and Yonkers income taxes.”
Hire a Veteran Credit (employers)
In effect
A nonrefundable credit for employers that hire a qualified veteran who starts between 1/1/2014 and 1/1/2028: 15% of first-year wages (up to $15,000 full-time or $7,500 part-time), or 20% for a disabled veteran (up to $20,000 or $10,000).
Who qualifies
Businesses that employ a qualified veteran in NY for 12 months. The veteran certifies on Form DTF-75.
Registration and plate fee exemption for disabled veterans, Medal of Honor and POW plates
In effect
Through DMV, veterans receiving a vehicle under federal Title 38 (automobiles and adaptive equipment), and those who apply for Medal of Honor or Former POW custom plates, can be exempt from registration and plate fees.
Who qualifies
A Title 38 adapted vehicle, or eligibility for Medal of Honor or Former POW plates.
Disabled veterans with a DMV fee-exempt vehicle registration can travel free, without limit, anywhere on the NYS Thruway. The disability percentage doesn't affect eligibility.
Who qualifies
A DMV fee-exempt registration in the veteran's name.
Amount or details
Free, unlimited Thruway tolls. Renew every two years.
How to apply
Submit Form TA-W5175 with a copy of the fee-exempt registration. Questions: (518) 471-5848.
“The New York State Thruway Authority's only qualifying criteria for the Disabled Veterans E-ZPass Non-Revenue program is a fee-exempt vehicle registration from DMV.”
"Veteran" designation on a driver license or non-driver ID
In effect
Honorably discharged veterans can have "Veteran" printed on their NY driver license, learner permit or non-driver ID. The designation itself is free, but regular transaction fees apply. It also serves as proof for the Lifetime Liberty Pass.
Who qualifies
Honorable or under-honorable-conditions discharge.
Amount or details
No extra fee.
How to apply
Submit Form MV-44 and proof of discharge at a DMV office or by mail. Phone and online applications aren't accepted.
Covers tuition, up to SUNY in-state undergraduate tuition, for full- or part-time undergraduate, graduate or approved vocational study in NY. There's no income limit. Lasts up to 4 years for undergraduate study, 3 for graduate and 2 for vocational.
Who qualifies
NY resident for 12 months, not dishonorably discharged, with 4+ years of active duty or combat or combat-theater service (Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, or an expeditionary medal).
Amount or details
Up to SUNY undergraduate tuition.
How to apply
File the FAFSA and TAP, then the VTA application. Applications are accepted year-round.
“Covers cost of tuition not to exceed the average tuition charged to NYS resident undergraduate students at a state-operated SUNY, or actual tuition, whichever is less.”
“Veterans with a minimum of four years of active-duty service or those who served in combat or the combat theaters of Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, or Afghanistan”
Regents Awards for Children of Deceased and Disabled Veterans, and the MERIT Scholarship
In effect
Regents Awards pay up to $450 a year to children of wartime veterans who died, have a service-connected rating of 40% or higher, were MIA or were POWs. The MERIT Scholarship helps children, spouses and dependents of NY service members who died or became severely and permanently disabled in military duty.
Who qualifies
See summary. The veteran must be a NY resident, or have been one at death.
Amount or details
Regents: up to $450 a year. MERIT: amount per HESC.
“provides up to $450 per year to students whose parent(s) served in the United States Armed Forces during specified times of war or national emergency”
On open competitive civil service exams, non-disabled veterans get 5 extra points and disabled veterans get 10, added to passing scores only. A 2014 constitutional amendment lets veterans who used non-disabled credits and were later rated disabled claim extra credits for a later appointment or promotion.
Who qualifies
Qualified veterans and disabled veterans under the Civil Service Law.
Amount or details
+5 or +10 points on open competitive exams.
How to apply
Claim credits on the exam application and provide documentation.
“Such candidate shall be entitled to 10 additional credits on civil service examinations, minus the number of credits already used for the prior appointment.”
Monthly payments to legally blind wartime veterans who live in NY, and to eligible unremarried surviving spouses. The blindness doesn't need to be service-connected. The 2026 rate is $145.29 a month.
Who qualifies
Legally blind wartime veteran (or expeditionary medal recipient) with 90+ days of active duty who lives in NY, or an unremarried surviving spouse.
Amount or details
$145.29/month (2026).
How to apply
Mail the Blind Annuity application and the Report of Legal Blindness form to DVS. Phone: (888) 838-7697.
$5 hunting, fishing and trapping licenses for 40%+ disabled veterans
In effect
Resident veterans with a 40% or higher service-connected disability pay $5 for the first hunting, fishing or trapping license each calendar year. Later licenses that year are free. They also get free bowhunting and muzzleloading privileges and preference for Deer Management Permits.
Who qualifies
NY resident with a VA rating of 40% or higher.
Amount or details
$5 for the first license each year, then free.
How to apply
Provide a VA letter once at a license issuing agent. After that, buy online or by phone at 1-866-933-2257.
“Military veterans with 40% or more service-related disability who are residents of New York State | $5 fishing, hunting, or trapping license.”
Lifetime Liberty Pass (state parks and DEC areas)
In effect
A free pass that never expires, for NY resident veterans and Gold Star parents, spouses and children. It gives free vehicle entry to most state parks and DEC day-use areas, free greens fees at state golf courses, free State Park pool entry, and discounted camping and cabins. A DMV ID with the veteran designation works at staffed facilities.
Who qualifies
NY resident veterans (as defined in the Veterans' Services Law) and Gold Star family members.
Amount or details
Free and never expires.
How to apply
Order online from NY State Parks and submit a DD-214 or similar, or show a DMV ID with the veteran designation.
Skilled nursing homes at St. Albans/Jamaica ((718) 990-0353), Batavia ((585) 345-2049), Oxford ((607) 843-3121), Montrose ((914) 788-6000) and the Long Island State Veterans' Home at Stony Brook ((631) 444-8387). They're run by DOH and SUNY. DVS says veterans pay no out-of-pocket costs for routine skilled care, with no means test, and keep their income. Other honorably discharged veterans and spouses may be admitted at below-market cost.
Who qualifies
Needs skilled nursing care; entered service from NY or lived in NY for 1 year; honorable discharge; 30+ days of active service. Spouses may also qualify.
Amount or details
No out-of-pocket cost for routine skilled nursing care, per DVS.
NY State Veterans Cemetery – Finger Lakes (Romulus)
In effect
New York's first state veterans cemetery: 162 acres on Seneca Lake in Romulus, Seneca County, formerly Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery. DVS has run it since 2/1/2023. Veterans discharged other than dishonorably, their spouses and eligible dependents can be buried there. Contact the cemetery for the dependent burial fee.
Who qualifies
Veterans discharged under other than dishonorable conditions, with minimum-service rules; spouses and eligible dependents.
Amount or details
Contact the cemetery for the dependent fee.
How to apply
At time of need, the funeral home sends the documents to the cemetery.
“Enacts the Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (GUARD) VA Benefits Act, which protects veterans from fraud by making unaccredited representation of a veteran a class A misdemeanor”
Ch. 68 of 2026 (A9490/S8785): DVS must post volunteer fire and EMS opportunities, effective 3/19/2026
In effect
Requires DVS to provide information about volunteer opportunities with volunteer fire departments and emergency services providers.
“Requires the Department of Veterans' Services to provide information about volunteer opportunities with volunteer fire departments and emergency services providers.”
No veteran-specific DV parking placard found. NY uses the general disability parking permit, which is not separately sourced here.
No NY-specific veteran cash bonus or state income tax exclusion beyond military retirement pay was found.
The RPTL 458-a(11) local-option vs mandatory conflict is unresolved (see the item statusNote).
Gold Star Parent annuity, Veterans' Services Law section 1 definitions, and NY Housing (HCR) veteran programs were not itemized.
The NY Senate statute text (nysenate.gov) and its open legislation API (401 without a key) were not reachable, so statute text is cited through Tax Department publications.
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.