Follow to get an email when South Carolina benefits change. Alert settings
South Carolina benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official South Carolina source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs can help you apply for them at no cost.
15 benefits from official sources3 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.
Help from your state veterans office
SC Department of Veterans' Affairs (SCDVA) and County Veterans Affairs Officers
In effect
SCDVA is the state's cabinet-level veterans agency in Columbia. Every county has a state-appointed County Veterans' Affairs Officer (CVAO) who helps file VA claims and certifies disability for state benefits.
Who qualifies
All veterans, dependents and survivors in South Carolina.
Amount or details
HQ: 1800 St. Julian Place, Suite 305, Columbia, SC 29204; 1-803-734-0200; va@scdva.sc.gov.
How to apply
Find your county office at scdva.sc.gov/county-resources; the guide notes veterans should first visit their County Veterans Affairs Office.
Full property tax exemption on home for 100% P&T service-connected disabled veterans
In effect
Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability pay no property tax on their legal residence and up to five acres, plus up to two private vehicles. Surviving spouses may also qualify.
Who qualifies
Veteran permanently and totally disabled as a result of a service-connected disability, certified by the county service officer or VA; home must have the 4% owner-occupied legal-residence ratio. Unremarried surviving spouses may qualify. Medal of Honor recipients and WWI/WWII/Korea/Vietnam POWs get a similar exemption (home + 1 acre).
Amount or details
100% exemption on dwelling and lot up to 5 acres; up to two private passenger vehicles. Since 2024 law, may be claimed from the year the disability occurs, but retroactive refunds are limited to the prior two years if taxes were paid on time.
How to apply
Apply online through MyDORWAY (Exempt Property Application) or mail Form PT-401-I with the CVAO/VA certificate of total and permanent disability, recorded deed and 4% assessment proof. VA rating decision letters alone are not accepted.
“a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States who is permanently and totally disabled as a result of a service-connected disability and who files with the Department of Revenue a certificate signed by the county service officer certifying this disability”
Not final yet: H.4700 prefiled 12/16/2025 and referred to House Ways and Means 01/13/2026; no further action recorded on statehouse.gov as of 2026-11-01. The 2025-26 session has ended, so the bill would need to be refiled in 2027.
Bills filed for 2026 would let service-connected disabled veterans who are not rated permanently and totally disabled claim a percentage property tax exemption. They have not passed.
Who qualifies
Would apply to veterans with a service-connected disability rating below P&T.
Military retirement pay fully deductible from SC income tax
In effect
Since tax year 2022, all military retirement income included in South Carolina taxable income can be deducted, at any age. Surviving spouses can deduct survivor benefits, including DIC.
Who qualifies
SC residents receiving military retirement from a qualified military retirement plan, or surviving spouses receiving survivor benefits.
Amount or details
100% deduction (SC1040 lines p-4 to p-6). VA disability compensation and other federally tax-exempt VA payments are not taxed. Guard/Reserve retirement for inactive time is subtracted on line v. Military retirement deduction reduces the $15,000 age-65 deduction.
How to apply
Claim on Form SC1040 when filing your state return.
Qualifying disabled veterans get a Disabled Veteran plate with no registration fee. The plate alone does not give handicap parking; a wheelchair version requires a physician-signed form.
Who qualifies
Veteran with loss or loss of use of leg/arm, virtual blindness, or SC veteran rated totally and permanently disabled from service-connected disabilities, certified by the county or US VA.
Amount or details
No fee; up to three plates in the class (Disabled Veteran, Disabled Veteran Handicapped, Motorcycle). Many other military plates (POW, Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, retiree, veteran) are available via Form MV-37.
How to apply
Mail Form MV-37 with discharge proof and CVAO/VA disability letter; add Form RG-007A for wheelchair/parking privileges. Available by mail only.
“This plate does not allow handicap-parking privileges.”
Vehicle property tax exemption for P&T disabled veterans
In effect
Totally and permanently disabled veterans can exempt up to two private passenger vehicles from property tax; a surviving spouse may exempt one vehicle.
Who qualifies
Veteran with P&T service-connected disability; surviving spouses as allowed by law.
Amount or details
Up to two vehicles exempt from county property tax.
How to apply
Apply through SCDOR (MyDORWAY or PT-401-I), then provide the exemption letter to the county.
Free 'Veteran' designation on SC driver's license or ID
In effect
SCDMV adds a 'Veteran' designation to licenses, permits and ID cards at no charge for honorably discharged veterans.
Who qualifies
DD-214 showing honorable or general under honorable conditions; NGB-22 with 20+ years; Reserve 20-year letter; or VA Veteran ID Card (VHIC not accepted).
Amount or details
No fee.
How to apply
Visit an SCDMV branch with one of the listed documents.
Free tuition for children of certain wartime veterans
In effect
Children (age 26 or younger) of qualifying wartime veterans can attend state-supported colleges, universities and technical schools tuition-free for an undergraduate degree.
Who qualifies
Child of a wartime veteran who was KIA, died in service or from service-connected causes, was a POW, is P&T disabled (any cause) per VA, received the Medal of Honor or Purple Heart for combat wounds, or is MIA; residency requirements apply.
Amount or details
Tuition waiver only (fees, books, room not covered); no state funds appropriated.
How to apply
Apply online via SCDVA's Tuition Assistance Application (no paper/fax). Questions: (803) 647-2434. Benefit effective on date application is received.
State hiring: no general statutory veterans' preference (bill pending)
Not yet finalized
Not final yet: H.4698 (veterans' preference in state agency hiring) prefiled 12/16/2025, referred to House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs 01/13/2026; no further action recorded as of 2026-11-01.
SCDVA says it gives veterans hiring preference in its own hiring, but a bill to create a statewide veterans' preference for state agency hiring (H.4698) was filed and has not passed. State jobs are listed on SC Careers.
Who qualifies
Veterans seeking state employment.
Amount or details
Proposed: veterans' preference and recruitment plan for all state agencies.
How to apply
Search state jobs at governmentjobs.com/careers/sc.
Free 3-year hunting and fishing license for disabled residents receiving VA disability
In effect
SC residents of at least 365 days who receive VA disability benefits can get a free 3-year combination hunting and fishing license (or fishing-only). Paraplegic, quadriplegic or legally blind residents get a free lifetime license.
Who qualifies
SC resident 365+ days receiving disability benefits from the VA (or SSA, Medicaid, etc.); hunter education required for hunting privileges if born after June 30, 1979.
Amount or details
Free; includes freshwater/saltwater fishing, state hunting, big game, WMA and migratory waterfowl; free base deer tags mailed yearly.
How to apply
Email DisabilityLicense@dnr.sc.gov for the secure application, or mail the Disability License Application with current (12-month) VA disability proof. SCDNR 803-734-3833.
“A Disability License is valid for 3 years from date of issue.”
Free state park entry for P&T disabled veterans
In effect
SC residents classified by the VA as permanently and totally disabled may enter any state park free with an ID card from their County Veterans Affairs Officer.
Who qualifies
SC resident veteran rated permanently and totally disabled by VA.
Amount or details
Free park entry; reduced-fee Palmetto Passport available; some services cost extra.
How to apply
Show the CVAO-issued identification card at the park.
“may also enter any state park without charge upon presentation to the person in charge of the park of an identification card from the county veterans affairs officer”
Pending: free state park entry for all SC veterans (S.754) and free campsites for disabled veterans (H.4811)
Not yet finalized
Not final yet: S.754 referred to Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee; no further action recorded on statehouse.gov as of 2026-11-01. Session has ended; would need refiling in 2027.
Bills filed in 2026 would extend free park entry to all resident veterans and free campsites/lodging to disabled veterans. They have not passed.
SC operates six state veterans nursing homes for honorably discharged SC veterans needing skilled or intermediate care.
Who qualifies
Veteran separated under general or honorable conditions, SC citizen, needs skilled or intermediate nursing care.
Amount or details
E. Roy Stone Veterans Pavilion (Columbia, 803-723-7840); Veterans' Victory House (Walterboro, 843-538-3000); Richard Michael Campbell Veterans Home (Anderson, 864-261-6734); Veteran Village (Florence, 843-432-4600); Palmetto Patriots Home (Gaffney, 864-649-2000); Patriot's Village (Sumter, 803-965-9002).
How to apply
Contact your County Veterans Affairs Officer or the home; application linked on SCDVA's State Veterans Homes page.
We only publish what we could confirm on an official South Carolina source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs about anything here.
No statewide veterans' preference statute for state hiring confirmed; only pending H.4698. SC Division of State HR page was not reviewed.
State-specific cash bonus/grant: none found on SCDVA pages; SC Veterans' Trust Fund (scveteranstrustfund.org) grants not researched in detail.
SC Department of Parks (PRT) page not reviewed; park benefit sourced from statute §51-3-60, which says free entry, while the SCDVA guide says 'reduced rate'. Confirm current practice with SCPRT.
The county-resources page lists county offices only as page content/links; individual CVAO phone numbers are in the SCDVA guide (not verified one by one).
2026 session bills of interest (Space Force definitions, veteran housing act H.4606, mental health crisis act H.4605) were not tracked individually.
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.