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Oregon benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official Oregon source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA) 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
ODVA headquarters and county/tribal Veteran Service Offices
In effect
ODVA in Salem provides benefits help and works with county, tribal and VSO-partner service officers, who file claims for free.
Who qualifies
Veterans and their families.
Amount or details
700 Summer St NE, Salem, OR 97301; M-F 8-5; orvets.benefits@odva.oregon.gov
How to apply
Call ODVA or use the Locate a Veteran Services Office page.
Disabled Veteran or Surviving Spouse Property Tax Exemption: $27,092 or $32,512 of assessed value
In effect
Exempts $27,092 of a homestead's assessed value for veterans with 40%+ disability, or $32,512 if the disability is service-connected (or for qualifying surviving spouses). The amounts rise 3% each year (figures are from DOR's January 2026 publication; ORS 307.250-307.283).
Who qualifies
Oregon resident veteran certified 40%+ disabled by the VA or the Armed Forces (or by a physician each year), or a qualifying surviving spouse or partner.
Amount or details
$27,092 / $32,512 (2026 publication); +3% each year.
How to apply
File form 150-303-086 with your county assessor by April 1. Late filing until May 1 costs $10 for physician-certified renewals.
“you may be entitled to exempt $27,092 or $32,512 of your homestead property’s assessed value from property taxes. The exemption amount increases by 3 percent each year.”
Property tax deferral for disabled homeowners
In effect
Disabled veterans who receive, or qualify for, federal Social Security disability benefits can defer property taxes. DOR pays the county, puts a lien on the property, and the deferred amount is repaid with interest.
Military pay subtractions and federal pension subtraction (pre-10/1/1991 service)
In effect
Oregon generally taxes military retirement. The exception: you can subtract the share of a federal (including military) pension tied to service before October 1, 1991 (100% if all service was before then). For active duty, pay earned while stationed outside Oregon is subtracted, and up to $6,000 of other military pay can be subtracted.
Who qualifies
Retirees with pre-10/1/1991 service; active, Guard and Reserve members.
Amount or details
Pension: a pro-rata share by months of service. Other military pay: up to $6,000.
How to apply
Form OR-40 subtraction code 307 (federal pension); see Publication OR-17.
Veteran Educational Bridge Grant (up to $5,000) and state educational aid
In effect
ODVA grants of up to $5,000 help veterans finish a program that is delayed by class unavailability or by student-account debt (OAR ch. 274). HB 4132 (2026) amended the program. ORS 408.020 also allows state educational aid of up to $150/month full-time.
Public employment preference: +5 / +10 percentage points; Veterans Day off
In effect
Public employers add 5 percentage points to the scores of veterans and state service members, and 10 points for disabled veterans, at screening and on exams (ORS 408.230). Under SB 1 (2013), employers must give eligible veterans paid or unpaid leave on Veterans Day if they ask 21 days in advance.
Who qualifies
Veterans and disabled veterans as defined in ORS 408.225.
Amount or details
+5 / +10 points.
How to apply
Attach a DD-214 (and a VA letter) to the application.
Oregon Veterans' Emergency Financial Assistance Program (OVEFAP)
In effect
One-time emergency help for veterans and their immediate family: housing, utilities, rent or mortgage, emergency medical or dental costs, and transportation.
“Assistance is granted one time only and average award amounts vary.”
ORVET (ODVA) Home Loan Program
In effect
A state-run veteran home loan program, separate from VA loans: fixed-rate purchase loans for owner-occupied single-family homes up to the Fannie Mae limit, with up to four loans in a lifetime.
Free disabled veteran combination license (25%+) and discounted elk tag
In effect
Oregon-resident disabled veterans rated 25%+ get a FREE combination hunting, fishing and shellfish license with a Columbia River Basin Endorsement. ODVA says resident DVs can get a $25 elk tag.
Who qualifies
Oregon resident (6+ months per ODVA), VA rating of 25% or more.
Amount or details
Free combination license; discounted elk tag.
How to apply
First time: mail or fax the application and a VA rating letter to ODFW, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem; (503) 947-6101.
“Oregon residents who are disabled veterans (with a rating of at least 25 percent) are eligible for a FREE combination license that includes hunting, fishing and shellfish licenses and a Columbia River Basin Endorsement.”
“Resident disabled veterans also can qualify for a $25 elk tag.”
State Parks Special Access Pass: free camping and day-use parking for veterans with any service-connected disability
In effect
Oregon veterans with any level of service-connected disability get free camping and free day-use parking. The pass lasts 10 years and is limited to a set number of nights. It does not cover yurts or cabins, or the $10 reservation fee.
Who qualifies
Oregon veteran with a service-connected disability (any %).
Amount or details
Free camping and day-use parking; valid 10 years.
How to apply
Online form with a VA letter and an Oregon license/ID.
Note: Absence confirmed via VA NCA list of all grant-funded state/tribal cemeteries (no Oregon section).
Oregon has no state or VA grant-funded veterans cemetery. The VA's list of grant-funded cemeteries goes straight from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania. Oregon veterans use national cemeteries such as Willamette National Cemetery.
Requires the ODVA director to be a veteran, creates a veteran suicide prevention and workforce grant program funded from the Veterans' Services Fund, amends the Veteran Educational Bridge Grant, and orders a study of veterans' treatment court access.
“The Department of Veterans’ Affairs shall develop and implement a grant program for veteran suicide prevention and workforce training and preparation.”
HB 4099 (2026): Task Force on Responding to Veterans in Crisis
In effect
Signed March 5, 2026. Creates a task force that must report to the interim committee by September 15, 2026.
Amount or details
Report due 9/15/2026.
Note
Effective date not separately verified; governor-signed per ODVA digest.
We only publish what we could confirm on an official Oregon source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA) about anything here.
Disabled veteran parking: Oregon uses general disabled-person parking permits; no DV-specific parking rule found.
Exact Permanent DV plate fee amount not reviewed (DMV Form 6736 not opened).
Veterans' home phone numbers are not shown in the text of the ODVA contact pages (they appear only on map widgets).
No state bonus program.
ODFW elk tag price ($25) comes from ODVA only; the ODFW page just says 'discounted'.
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.