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Puerto Rico benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official Puerto Rico source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the Oficina del Procurador del Veterano (OPV) can help you apply for them at no cost.
15 benefits from official sources1 not yet finalized2 unverifiedLast 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.
Help from your state veterans office
Oficina del Procurador del Veterano (OPV): Office of the Veterans Advocate
In effect
The OPV is Puerto Rico's veterans agency. It enforces the Veterans Bill of Rights (Ley 203-2007), oversees the Casa del Veterano (Juana Díaz) and the Atlantic Garden Veterans Cemetery (Aguadilla), and runs the Beca 65 de Infantería scholarship and the veterans housing rent subsidy. Regional service offices are in Hato Rey (central), Guaynabo (VA), Ponce (VA clinic), Aguadilla and elsewhere. Federal VA presence: VA Caribbean Healthcare System, San Juan.
Property tax exemptions: $5,000 (all veterans/surviving spouses), $50,000 (50%+ VA disability), total for VA-assisted adapted homes
In effect
Ley 203-2007 Art. 4.C (Segundo) gives three exemptions. (a) The principal residence of any veteran or surviving spouse is exempt up to $5,000 of assessed value permanently ($50,000 was a temporary amount for FY2009-10 through 2018-19). (b) A home built, bought or remodeled by a disabled veteran is fully exempt, on up to 1,000 m² urban or 1 cuerda rural. (c) Veterans receiving VA compensation for 50%+ disability get an exemption on the first $50,000 of assessed value ($500,000 was a temporary amount for FY2009-10 through 2018-19). CRIM administers them. Approval is retroactive up to 3 years.
Who qualifies
As listed.
Amount or details
$5,000 / $50,000 of assessed value / total.
How to apply
Apply to CRIM (Centro de Recaudación de Ingresos Municipales).
Military pension 100% exempt from PR income tax (Ley 191-2024); $1,500 lifetime veteran deduction
In effect
Starting with the 2025 tax return, Ley 191-2024 fully exempts the U.S. military pension of veterans and retired Armed Forces members who live in Puerto Rico. Separately, every veteran gets a lifetime $1,500 deduction under Ley 203-2007 (Sec. 1033.18(a)(2) of the 2011 Internal Revenue Code).
Who qualifies
PR resident veterans and military retirees.
Amount or details
100% of military pension excluded. $1,500 deduction.
How to apply
Claim on the PR individual return and attach the DD-214 or 1099-R.
50% marbete discount; vehicle excise and license-fee exemptions for disabled veterans; fee waivers for veterans 60+
In effect
All veterans get 50% off the annual marbete (registration sticker) for one vehicle. Vehicles provided to disabled veterans by or with VA help are exempt from vehicle excise tax and license fees. Veterans rated 100% pay no vehicle license fees or driver's license fees. Veterans 60 and older are exempt from title transfer, license application and driver's license renewal fees.
Veteran designation on PR driver's license accepted as proof; VA ID cards must be honored
In effect
Ley 203 Art. 5 lists a driver's license with veteran designation as valid proof of veteran status. Agencies and regulated businesses must accept VA-issued ID cards. The DTOP issuance procedure for the designation was not reviewed.
UPR and public colleges: free tuition after GI Bill exhaustion; 50% off for spouses and children; full exemption for survivors of service deaths; Beca 65 de Infantería
In effect
Veterans who exhaust (or lack) federal education benefits get free tuition at UPR and public postsecondary schools. Veterans' spouses, children and dependents get priority admission and 50% off tuition, fees, books and materials. Children, surviving spouses and dependents of members killed in action or who died in active service get a full exemption. The OPV Beca 65 de Infantería scholarship (2026-2027 cycle) is for veterans' children under 26 (no age limit if disabled) with a 2.50 GPA who are not receiving VA education benefits.
Who qualifies
As listed.
Amount or details
Free / 50% / full exemption. Beca amount not stated in the requirements sheet.
How to apply
Submit the DD-214 and VA certification to the institution. Beca 65: OPV application (beca65@opv.pr.gov).
Hiring/promotion preference (public AND private employers); +10 points or 10% on exams; reemployment rights
In effect
Ley 203 Art. 4.F requires the PR government, municipalities and all private businesses operating in PR to prefer a veteran when qualifications are equal, in hiring or promotion for any type of job (clarified by Ley 26-2025). Veterans who reach the minimum passing score on employment exams get 10 points or 10% added, whichever is greater. Returning veterans can be reinstated if they request it within 180 days of honorable discharge. Job openings must be sent to the OPV.
Who qualifies
Veterans.
Amount or details
+10 points or 10%.
How to apply
Claim with the employer. Complaints go to the OPV.
Free health care at state and municipal facilities (Medicaid-criteria means test); free government certificates; priority lines
In effect
Municipal and state health facilities must provide free medical care, hospitalization and medicines to veterans, spouses and children (to age 25 if students), subject to a financial evaluation based on Medicaid (Title XIX) criteria. Government offices issue certificates free (criminal record, tax filing, vital records, university transcripts). Agencies and regulated businesses must offer veterans priority (express) lines. VA Aid & Attendance and Housebound payments are not counted as income for public assistance.
10% discount at public recreation areas (balnearios, zoos, camping, vacation centers)
In effect
Veterans, their spouses and minor or disabled children get a 10% discount on the individual fee at national parks areas (beaches, zoos, aquariums, vacation centers, camping areas and other recreation sites). The benefit passes to the surviving spouse and children.
Who qualifies
Veterans and family.
Amount or details
10% off.
How to apply
Show proof of veteran status (DD-214, veteran DL designation, VA ID).
Casa del Veterano (Juana Díaz): 120 nursing-home and 120 domiciliary beds; rent subsidy (Ley 313-2000)
In effect
This state veterans home under the OPV provides long-term care for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It has 120 nursing-home beds and 120 domiciliary beds. Under Ley 313-2000 (as amended by Ley 282-2012), the veterans housing rent subsidy lowers the monthly cost for low-income residents: up to $400 per month for domiciliary and up to $600 per month for nursing care.
Atlantic Garden Veterans Cemetery (Aguadilla, state); free municipal burial; Puerto Rico National Cemetery (Bayamón)
In effect
The state veterans cemetery, Atlantic Garden Veterans Cemetery, is in Aguadilla under the OPV (Ley 106-2000). Municipalities with public cemeteries must provide free funeral service and a grave or niche to resident veterans eligible for VA burial benefits. The VA runs Puerto Rico National Cemetery in Bayamón.
Who qualifies
VA burial eligibility.
Amount or details
AGVC: Carr. 110 Km 6.6, Bo. Montaña, Aguadilla. 787-221-6858. PR National Cemetery: 787-798-8400.
Ley 26-2025: veteran hiring preference applies to all job types (signed June 12, 2025)
In effect
Amends Ley 203 Art. 4.F to make clear that the preference covers regular, transitory, permanent, temporary, full-time and part-time jobs, and that the law is read in favor of veterans.
Amount or details
Incorporated into OPV's Nov. 2025 compilation of Ley 203.
“Esta medida propone requerir que en procedimientos de desahucio contra veteranos se notifique los mismos a la Oficina de Procurador del Veterano.”
Ley 145-2026: public property and housing notices must disclose veterans' preference (signed July 2026)
Unverified — confirm with the agency
Not confirmed on an official page: Signing is confirmed by La Fortaleza and SUTRA (PC0826). The effective-date clause in the law text was not reviewed.
Agencies and municipalities must state veterans' (and widows') preference rights in notices about the sale, lease or donation of property and in social-interest housing or subsidy programs. The law also defines 'Organización Bona Fide de Veteranos' and directs fines to OPV education campaigns.
P. del S. 1592 (filed Oct. 19, 2026): 'Acuerdo Especial para Veteranos Empresarios' tax incentives
Not yet finalized
Not final yet: This is only a filed bill. It has not been enacted.
A pending bill that would extend Young Entrepreneur tax benefits (with no age limit) to veterans, Guard and reserve members and their spouses. It would also add incentives for exempt businesses that employ veterans.
Amount or details
Filed in the Senate on Oct. 19, 2026 and referred to committees.
We only publish what we could confirm on an official Puerto Rico source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the Oficina del Procurador del Veterano (OPV) about anything here.
The OPV's own link to the Ley 203 compilation (SharePoint) returned an empty page. The same file was retrieved at docs.pr.gov/files/OPV/Leyes/... (rev. Nov. 2025).
Hunting and fishing licenses (DRNA) for veterans were not researched or verified. Only the Ley 203 10% recreation-area discount is included.
The DTOP procedure and fee for the veteran DL designation were not reviewed.
CRIM's application pages for the veteran property tax exemptions were not reviewed. Amounts come from the statute compilation.
Casa del Veterano admission criteria are behind page tabs that were not captured. Monthly fee amounts are not published on the OPV page.
The Ley 313-2000 subsidy maximums ($400/$600) come from the 2000 statute. Ley 282-2012 restates them. Current program funding was not verified.
No cash bonus program found. Not marked none_offered.
This territory 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.