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West Virginia benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official West Virginia source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance can help you apply for them at no cost.
14 benefits from official sources2 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
West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance (WVDVA) benefit offices
In effect
WVDVA runs benefit offices and a claims office (Huntington) where accredited VSOs help with VA claims, health care, employment and housing. It also operates the veterans home, nursing facility and state cemetery.
Disabled Veteran Real Property Tax Credit (refundable income tax credit for homestead property tax paid)
In effect
Honorably discharged veterans rated 90-100% permanently and totally disabled get a refundable income tax credit equal to the property tax they paid on time on their homestead. Unremarried widow(er)s of a prior claimant may continue if the home isn't sold or reclassified. It can't be combined with the Senior Citizen Tax Credit or HEPTC.
Who qualifies
90-100% P&T (IU added by SB 194 from 6/12/2026). Owner-occupied homestead. Taxes paid on time.
Amount or details
Credit equals the actual real property tax paid on time.
How to apply
File form DV-1 with the IT-140 (Line 21(B)). Attach property tax receipts and the VA rating letter.
“In 2023, the West Virginia Legislature passed the Disabled Veteran Real Property Tax Credit.”
Homestead exemption
Unverified — confirm with the agency
Not confirmed on an official page: The only source is WVDVA's summary sentence. The homestead statute (W. Va. Code § 11-6B) and the exemption amount weren't reviewed.
WVDVA says veterans rated 90-100% permanently disabled may be exempt from certain property taxes through the homestead exemption. The amount wasn't captured from a primary source.
Military retirement fully exempt from WV income tax
In effect
For tax years starting on or after Jan 1, 2019, all military retirement income (regular forces, Reserves, Guard, and the USPHS and NOAA commissioned corps) is exempt from West Virginia income tax as a decreasing modification.
Who qualifies
Military retirees.
Amount or details
100% exempt.
How to apply
Claim the decreasing modification on Schedule M of the IT-140.
Special plates and disabled veteran tags are free for veterans who qualify for the VA auto grant or are 100% P&T, and for former POWs, Purple Heart recipients and Pearl Harbor survivors. Other honorably discharged veterans pay a one-time $10 on top of the regular fee (W. Va. Code § 17A-3-14).
Who qualifies
As listed.
Amount or details
Free, or $10 one-time.
How to apply
Apply at a DMV office using the DMV military plate application.
“are provided without fee to veterans who qualify for VA auto grant benefits or who have a 100 percent permanent and total service-connected disability rating from the federal VA.”
War Orphan program, Veterans Re-education Assistance, MOH/Purple Heart tuition waiver
In effect
War Orphan Program: surviving spouses and children under 26 get tuition and fees waived at state schools beyond what DEA or Fry pays, plus a stipend. Veterans Re-education Assistance: up to $500 per semester for certified post-secondary courses. Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipients get tuition and mandatory fees waived. Nonresident GI Bill users get in-state tuition within 3 years of discharge.
Who qualifies
Varies by program.
Amount or details
Re-education stipend up to $500 per semester. Waivers vary.
“All public institutions of higher education waive tuition and mandatory fee charges for West Virginia residents awarded the Medal of Honor or Purple Heart.”
Civil service veterans' preference (+5 / +10 points, W. Va. Code § 29-6-10) and Military Incentive Program
In effect
Veterans get 5 points added to civil service exam or review scores, and disabled veterans get 10. The Military Incentive Credit gives employers tax credits for hiring economically disadvantaged veterans and unemployed Guard and Reserve members.
Who qualifies
Veterans as defined in statute.
Amount or details
+5 points, or +10 for disabled veterans.
How to apply
Claim preference when applying for a classified state job.
Housing help (SSVF partners, Project-214) and Veteran-Owned Business programs
In effect
WVDVA lists VA-funded SSVF agencies by county for homeless or at-risk veteran families. The Secretary of State's Boots to Business program waives business fees for veterans and spouses, and the CVOB program certifies veteran-owned businesses.
Who qualifies
Varies.
Amount or details
Varies.
How to apply
Contact the SSVF agency for your county or a WVDVA Benefit Office.
Free hunting/fishing/trapping licenses (100% P&T, auto grant, POW); 10% State Parks discount
In effect
Resident veterans who qualify for the VA auto grant, are rated 100% P&T, or were POWs may get free hunting, trapping and fishing licenses. Active-duty members on leave can hunt and fish without a license. The State Parks 'Veterans' Salute' gives veterans and active duty 10% off standard lodge rooms, cabins and campsites year-round.
Who qualifies
As listed.
Amount or details
Free licenses. 10% parks discount.
How to apply
Use the DNR printable application. Ask State Parks for the discount when booking.
“Resident Veterans who qualify for federal VA auto grant benefits, have a 100 percent permanent and total disability rating with the federal VA, or who have been a POW may qualify for free West Virginia hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses.”
“Veterans and active-duty military personnel receive a 10 percent discount on all standard lodge rooms, cabins, and campsites operated by West Virginia State Parks year-round.”
Barboursville: 125-bed domiciliary. The fee is 50% of the resident's income, and Project-214 offers 60 days of free housing for homeless veterans. Clarksburg: 120-bed skilled nursing facility with a 20-bed dementia unit. The 120-bed Charles Calvin Rogers nursing facility in southern WV broke ground in October 2023.
Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veteran Cemetery (Dunbar)
In effect
Burial is free for eligible veterans, including the grave or niche, opening and closing, crypt, headstone and perpetual care. Spouses and other eligible family members pay $780.
Who qualifies
Veterans eligible for VA burial, and family members.
Amount or details
Veteran free. Spouse $780. 130 Academy Drive, Dunbar, 304-746-0026.
SB 194 (2026): DV property tax credit expanded to IU and 90%+ ratings, effective June 12, 2026
In effect
Redefines 'disabled veteran taxpayer' (§ 11-13MM-2) as an honorably discharged veteran rated 90% or more service-connected, or meeting VA individual unemployability criteria. Chapter 275, approved April 1, 2026.
“or meets the eligibility requirements for individual unemployability according to the disability ratings of the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
2026 bills that did not pass: vehicle sales tax exemption (SB 594), veteran tuition exemption (SB 202), free veteran plate (HB 5579), veterans housing credit (HB 5389)
Unverified — confirm with the agency
Not confirmed on an official page: Inferred from the official subject list, which shows no 'Signed' marker. Individual bill histories weren't reviewed.
The Legislature's 2026 Military and Veterans subject list shows these bills without a 'Signed' status, so they likely died in committee. They are not law.
We only publish what we could confirm on an official West Virginia source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance about anything here.
Homestead exemption amount and statute not reviewed (marked unverified).
DMV news page on veteran designation returned 404, so § 17B-2-1 was used.
No current state bonus program found. Not marked none_offered.
Other 2026 signed bills (SB 208 military records, SB 467 Purple Heart parking, HB 4437 Gold Star registration) are not itemized.
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.