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U.S. Virgin Islands benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official U.S. Virgin Islands source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the USVI Office of Veterans Affairs can help you apply for them at no cost.
15 benefits from official sources2 unverified2 where sources disagreeLast 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
USVI Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA), with offices on St. Croix and St. Thomas
In effect
The OVA administers the territory's local veteran benefits: homestead tax help, the Housing Finance Authority loan, medical travel reimbursement, free UVI tuition, license plates, the taxi medallion auction and burial benefits. It also certifies veteran eligibility for other agencies, including BMV, the Taxicab Commission and UVI. Hours are 9 am to 3:30 pm.
Who qualifies
USVI veterans. Some benefits require a 'Virgin Islands Veteran,' meaning someone domiciled in the VI who entered service there.
Homestead veteran tax credit of $650, and full homestead exemption for 100% P&T disabled veterans
In effect
Veterans and widowed spouses of veterans who own and live in their primary home can take a $650 veteran credit on the Tax Assessor's homestead application. Only one other credit can be chosen alongside the homestead credit, and it does not apply to vacant land. Owners must be permanent residents on Jan. 1, and the application is due March 1. Separately, OVA's summary says veterans rated permanent and total service-connected by VA are exempt from all real property tax on their homestead.
Who qualifies
Owner-occupant veteran or widow(er). The full exemption requires a P&T service-connected rating.
Amount or details
$650 credit, or full exemption at P&T.
How to apply
File the Homestead Application with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Tax Assessor, by March 1.
No veteran income tax exclusion: military pay and retired pay are taxed by the USVI BIR
Unverified — confirm with the agency
Not confirmed on an official page: The only source is DoD's federal page. A BIR (bir.vi.gov) page on military retirement was not reviewed.
The USVI uses a mirror version of the federal income tax administered by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. DoD's benefits library says military income, retired pay and survivor annuities are all taxed in the USVI.
Free veteran license plates, disabled veteran plates for P&T, and Gold Star plates
In effect
Under Policy Letter #1 (2020), verified veterans as defined in 20 V.I.C. ch. 31 get veteran plates at no cost, though BMV registration fees still apply. BMV will not register veteran plates without OVA's 'Veteran Eligibility Form - Vehicle Registration.' Gold Star families get up to 2 plates at no cost. The policy letter allows 2 sets per veteran. OVA's March 2025 summary says up to 3 free sets, with one disabled plate per veteran for those rated permanent and total. Both figures are reported here. There is also a statutory specialty plate provision in 20 V.I.C. §334a.
Who qualifies
OVA-verified veteran who is the registered owner or lessee. Disabled plate requires P&T.
'Veteran' designation on the VI driver's license or ID, free to add
In effect
Since Feb. 27, 2023, eligible veterans can have the word 'Veteran' on a BMV-issued driver's license or territorial ID, and the change is free. VI National Guard retirees with 20 or more years also qualify. Eligibility is verified at OVA first.
Free UVI tuition for Virgin Islands veterans (17 V.I.C. §471); free UVI CELL and DOE courses
In effect
Under 17 V.I.C. §471 (Act No. 8147), Virgin Islands veterans attend the University of the Virgin Islands tuition-free, but they pay their own fees. OVA's summary also says they can take UVI CELL courses and any DOE academic or career and technical course with no fee or charge. DoD's library puts the UVI waiver at up to 128 lifetime semester hours. Under the waiver form, veterans must have a discharge other than dishonorable, must not be entitled to federal veteran tuition funds for the course, and cannot get a waiver for the same class twice.
Who qualifies
Discharge other than dishonorable. Virgin Islands veteran (domicile definition).
Amount or details
Tuition free, up to 128 lifetime semester hours per DoD. Fees not covered.
How to apply
Get the Veteran UVI Tuition Waiver certified by OVA each semester.
“certificate courses up to a maximum of 128 lifetime semester hours.”
In-territory tuition at UVI for covered GI Bill users; VI National Guard tuition exemption
In effect
UVI charges the in-state rate to veterans and dependents using Chapter 30, Chapter 33 or other covered VA benefits, following the federal 38 U.S.C. §3679(c) rule. Under 17 V.I.C. §473, as summarized by DoD, members of the VI National Guard in good standing with one year of service get a 100% tuition exemption for up to 32 semester hours at public institutions. Members using federal tuition assistance are not eligible.
Who qualifies
GI Bill users, or VING members with one year of service.
Amount or details
In-state rate. Guard: 100% for up to 32 semester hours.
How to apply
Contact the UVI Registrar's veterans office or the VING education office.
Civil service veterans' preference: 10 points, plus 5 more for disabled veterans
In effect
Under Division of Personnel Rule 4-8, veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, along with their spouses and widow(er)s, get 10 points added to entrance exam scores. Points do not apply to promotion exams. A veteran with a service-connected disability rated 10% or more gets 5 more points. OVA's 2025 summary describes the threshold differently: 15 points for disabled veterans, defined as rated '0% or more.' Both versions are reported here. Under 3 V.I.C. §525, preference is set in statute.
Who qualifies
Discharge other than dishonorable. Spouses and widow(er)s are included.
Amount or details
10 points, or 15 for disabled veterans. The disability threshold is 10% per the DOP rules and 0% per OVA.
How to apply
Submit your DD-214, plus a VA rating letter for disabled preference, to the Division of Personnel.
“connected disability currently rated at 0% or more.”
Government employees: 30 days paid military leave and up to 3 years of retirement service credit
Unverified — confirm with the agency
Not confirmed on an official page: Sourced only from DoD's federal page. The V.I. Code (Lexis) and GERS pages were not reviewed.
DoD's library cites 3 V.I.C. §1524 and §704 and the GERS. Territorial employees in a reserve component get 30 days of paid military leave a year. For longer duty, they are paid the difference between military pay and their territorial pay. Employees with 5 years of creditable service can buy up to 3 years of GERS credit for active-duty time by paying the equivalent contributions.
Under OVA Policy Letter #5, eligible Virgin Islands veterans may bid in the Annual Veteran Medallion Auction held each December. Applications come from the Taxicab Commission and must be verified by OVA, with 2 proofs of island residency. Minimum bids are $20,000 on St. Thomas/St. John and $8,000 on St. Croix, with a nonrefundable 10% deposit due the same day.
Who qualifies
Virgin Islands veteran of the US armed forces. Must be present at the auction.
Amount or details
Minimum bid $20,000 (STT/STJ) or $8,000 (STX).
How to apply
Pick up the application at TCC, then have OVA verify eligibility.
Medical travel reimbursement: 100% of airfare to the nearest VA facility for non-service-connected care
In effect
Under OVA Policy Letter #3 (rev. Aug. 1, 2022), Virgin Islands veterans flying to the closest VA medical facility in the VA Caribbean network are reimbursed 100% for non-service-connected appointments referred by the CBOC. Service-connected appointments are funded by the CBOC. A companion is covered with a physician's note, and automatically for veterans 70 and older. Travel outside the network is reimbursed at up to $250 per trip, with limits.
Who qualifies
Virgin Islands veterans with a CBOC referral.
Amount or details
100% of airfare within the network. Up to $250 outside it.
How to apply
Give OVA the appointment slip, boarding passes and receipt when you return.
“reimbursed by the Office of Veterans Affairs at a rate of no more than $250”
Free emergency ambulance service; home/land loan up to $220,000 at 3.5% (when available)
In effect
OVA's summary lists free emergency ambulance service for all veterans living in the USVI. It also lists a home or land loan, when funds are available, of up to $220,000 at 3.5%. OVA's site links this loan to the VI Housing Finance Authority.
“Home / land loan (when available) Max amount of $220,000.00 at a low rate of 3.5%.”
VA presence: CBOCs on St. Croix and St. Thomas (VA Caribbean Healthcare System)
In effect
VA operates community-based outpatient clinics at 10553 Kingshill, The Village Mall, Suite 113, St. Croix, and at 50 Estates Thomas, Suite 101, St. Thomas. Both belong to the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, which is based in San Juan, PR. Hospital care requires travel to Puerto Rico, which OVA reimburses as described above.
Free veteran burial plot in local cemeteries, and up to $5,000 burial expense reimbursement
In effect
OVA's summary lists a free burial plot in local cemeteries that have a designated veterans section. Spouses, minor children and, in some cases, unmarried adult children can be buried with the veteran. For Virgin Islands veterans, up to $5,000 in burial expenses is reimbursed under Act No. 6075 (OVA Policy #4). VA has no national cemetery in the USVI. The nearest is in Puerto Rico.
Who qualifies
Plot: veterans residing in the USVI. Reimbursement: Virgin Islands veterans.
Act No. 9127 (Bill 36-0279): Women Veterans Coordinator created within OVA
In effect
This act amends title 3 of the V.I. Code to create a Women Veterans Coordinator position in the Office of Veterans Affairs. It passed the floor on Aug. 26, 2026, went to the Governor Aug. 28 and was enacted Sept. 4, 2026. The Governor's office announced the signing on Sept. 9, 2026.
Effective
Note
The date is the enactment date from the Legislature's bill tracker. A separate effective-date clause and the funding were not verified.
We only publish what we could confirm on an official U.S. Virgin Islands source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the USVI Office of Veterans Affairs about anything here.
Veterans home: none found in OVA, DoD or VA sources.
Recreation (hunting, fishing, parks): no veteran provision found. Not marked none_offered.
The V.I. Statutory cites come from OVA forms and policy letters and from DoD.
Bonus: none found.
Legislation: only Act 9127 (2026) was identified. The full legvi.org bill tracker was not swept for 2025-2026 veteran bills.
Several facts conflict between the 2020 OVA policy letters and OVA's March 2025 summary: 2 vs. 3 plate sets, and a 10% vs. 0% disability threshold with 15 total points. Both are reported.
Vet Center for the USVI not confirmed. VA phone numbers did not render.
Federal benefits you can use in U.S. Virgin Islands
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.