Georgia Disabled Veteran Benefits

Estimate your property-tax savings →  ·  How to file the exemption, step by step →

Military-Friendliness Index

▰▰▱▱ Moderate   See every state · How this is scored

If you are a disabled veteran living in Georgia, or thinking about moving here, this page puts every state-level benefit tied to your VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) disability rating in one place: the property tax homestead exemption, state income tax breaks, vehicle plates and title-tax relief, parks and hunting/fishing, education for you and your kids, state veterans nursing homes, hiring preference, and more. Every dollar figure, deadline, and form name below traces to an official Georgia source, and I link that source so you can check it yourself. Where the state leaves a number unsettled or a page was unreachable at this writing, I tell you to confirm it rather than guess.

Plain-language promise: I keep the how-to steps here so you can act. The only thing I route out is filing or increasing a VA claim, because that is free claims work best handled by an accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO), never a paid company. In Georgia the state veterans agency provides that VSO help directly, for free.

Died in the legislature — the full property-tax wipeout for totally disabled veterans will NOT be on the November 2026 ballot. Senate Bill 129 (the "Georgia Supporting Those Who Sacrificed for Service Act") would have converted the disabled-veteran homestead exemption from a fixed dollar amount into a full exemption of the home's entire assessed value for totally disabled veterans (and a percentage-of-rating exemption for partially disabled veterans, plus new exemptions for disabled first responders). Because it changes who pays property tax, it needed a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers and approval by Georgia voters at a referendum before it could take effect. The Senate passed it 56-0 in March 2025, but it stalled in a House committee, and the General Assembly adjourned its two-year 2025-2026 session on April 2, 2026 without a House floor vote. As a result it will not appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot, and today's benefit remains the fixed-dollar exemption described below. It would have to be reintroduced from scratch in a future legislative session (2027 or later) for any future vote.

Sources Georgia General Assembly, SB 129 · Ballotpedia, list of measures referred to the Nov. 2026 ballot

Property tax exemption

What it is: Georgia gives qualifying disabled veterans a Disabled Veteran Homestead Exemption on the home they own and live in. Read this carefully, because it is different from a full wipeout: it is a fixed dollar amount subtracted from your home's assessed value, not an exemption of the whole home. State law sets the amount as the greater of $32,500 or the maximum federal Specially Adapted Housing grant amount under 38 U.S.C. § 2102, a figure the VA increases each year with a cost-of-construction index adjustment effective every October 1. Because the federal number is now far above $32,500, the exemption is worth well over one hundred thousand dollars of assessed value and applies to state, county, municipal, and school ad valorem (property) taxes.

The current-year dollar figure: $126,526 for tax year 2026. The VA's Specially Adapted Housing grant maximum rose 3.87% to $126,526 effective October 1, 2025 (fiscal year 2026), so that is the figure that applies to Georgia's exemption for tax year 2026 — and county tax commissioners are already applying it (for example, Gwinnett County's published 2026 exemption schedule lists $126,526). The Georgia Dept. of Veterans Service's and Dept. of Revenue's own web pages had not yet been updated at this writing and still showed last year's figure, $121,812 for tax year 2025 — a reminder of how often this number changes and how easy it is to find a stale copy of it. Because it moves every year, confirm the exact current-year amount with your county tax commissioner before you rely on it. A few counties layer a locally-legislated add-on onto the state figure for specific levy types — for example, DeKalb County's own local exemption law sets the disabled-veteran exemption at $129,026 for school taxes specifically (versus $126,526 for county, state, and municipal taxes there) — so always confirm the county-level breakdown, not just the statewide number.

Every route to qualify, spelled out. Under state law you are a "disabled veteran" for this exemption if you are a Georgia resident, discharged under honorable conditions, and you meet any one of these:

• Route 1 — VA-rated 100% totally disabled (service-connected). The VA has adjudicated you as 100% totally disabled from a service-connected condition. Prove it with a letter from the VA or GDVS stating the qualifying disability.
• Route 2 — paid at the 100% rate through Individual Unemployability (IU/TDIU). You are rated below 100% but the VA compensates you at the 100% rate because you are individually unemployable. This route qualifies the same as a 100% schedular rating. Prove it with the VA/GDVS letter.
• Route 3 — loss or permanent loss of use of hands or feet. Loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both feet, or one or both hands.
• Route 4 — blindness or severe vision loss. Loss of sight in one or both eyes, or permanent impairment of vision to a specified clinical level (generally central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a comparably narrowed field of vision).

(The federal Specially Adapted Housing grant is what sets the dollar amount of this exemption, as explained above; per the official GDVS guidance the four conditions listed here are the qualifying routes.)

What you file to prove each route: Routes 1 and 2 are proven with a letter from the VA or the Georgia Dept. of Veterans Service stating the qualifying disability or eligibility. The physical-loss and vision routes can also be documented with your DD Form 214 plus a letter from a Georgia-licensed physician describing the qualifying condition. A county board may ask for up to two additional physician letters only if eligibility is questioned.

Surviving spouse and minor children: the un-remarried surviving spouse or the minor children of a qualifying disabled veteran keep the same exemption (the greater of $32,500 or the Specially Adapted Housing amount) for as long as they continue to occupy the home as their residence, and the exemption can carry to a subsequent homestead within the same county.

1. Gather your proof for whichever route fits: a VA or GDVS letter stating your 100% / IU / SAH status, or your DD Form 214 plus a Georgia physician's letter for a limb-loss or vision condition.
2. Contact your county tax commissioner's (or tax assessor's) office — the exemption is state-authorized but county-administered, so you file locally. Ask for the homestead exemption application and the disabled-veteran documentation checklist.
3. File the application (generally by the county's homestead deadline, commonly April 1 — confirm your county's date). You file once; once granted, the exemption renews automatically year to year.
4. Confirm the exact current-year exemption dollar amount with the county or the Dept. of Revenue, and check your next tax bill for the exemption line.

Sources GDVS homestead exemption · Dept. of Revenue

State income tax

What it is: Georgia does not tax your VA disability compensation. A 2025 law will also let military retirees of any age exempt up to $65,000 of retirement pay — but that piece of the law is not effective yet. Until then, the existing age-tiered military-retirement exclusion still applies.

Enacted but not yet effective — the $65,000-for-all-ages exclusion starts with tax year 2027, not 2026. House Bill 266 (Act 181 of 2025) raises Georgia's military-retirement-income exclusion to up to $65,000 for retirees of any age, removing the old age tiers. But the Act carves this specific piece out from its general effective date: per the Georgia Dept. of Revenue's own 2025 legislative summary, the military-retirement-exclusion change (Section 1, amending O.C.G.A. § 48-7-27) is effective January 1, 2027, and applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027 — i.e., the return you file in 2028. (The bill's other, unrelated piece — a law-enforcement-foundation tax-credit expansion — did take effect for tax year 2026; don't confuse the two.) For tax year 2025 and tax year 2026 returns, the prior age-tiered exclusion described below is still what's on the books.

Sources Dept. of Revenue 2025 legislative summary (House Bill 266)

• VA disability compensation is federally tax-free, and Georgia follows the federal figure. Georgia's income tax starts from your federal adjusted gross income, which already excludes VA service-connected disability compensation, so that money is not taxed by Georgia either. Re-check the current-year forms each season with the Dept. of Revenue.
• Military retirement pay today (tax years 2025 and 2026) — still age-tiered. Until the new law takes effect, Georgia's exclusion for military retirement income is tiered by age: under 62, up to $17,500 (plus an additional $17,500 if you have Georgia earned income of more than $17,500); 62 through 64, up to $35,000; 65 or older, up to $65,000. Confirm the current-year figures and the exact form/line with the Dept. of Revenue each filing season.
• Military retirement pay from tax year 2027 on — up to $65,000, any age. Once Section 1 of HB 266 takes effect, every retiree regardless of age can exclude up to $65,000 of military retirement income, and each spouse on a joint return can claim it individually if both have qualifying retirement pay. Per the Dept. of Revenue's summary, this exclusion cannot be combined with Georgia's general (non-military) retirement-income exclusion under O.C.G.A. § 48-7-27(a)(5) for the same income — you take whichever fits your situation, not both. Confirm the mechanics with GDVS and the Dept. of Revenue as the 2027 filing season approaches.

1. Confirm your VA disability compensation never appears as taxable income on your Georgia return (it should not appear on your federal return either, and Georgia starts from your federal figures).
2. For tax years 2025 and 2026, take the age-tiered military-retirement exclusion described above on your current Georgia return — check the current-year Dept. of Revenue instructions for the exact line, since form layouts change.
3. Starting with your 2027 return (filed in 2028), switch to the new up-to-$65,000-any-age exclusion — don't try to claim it before then.
4. If an earlier return taxed VA compensation or military retirement pay by mistake, fix it with a preparer familiar with military filings or by contacting the Dept. of Revenue — this is a filing mechanic, not claims work.

Sources Dept. of Revenue · GDVS military-retirement exemption · the 2025 law · Dept. of Revenue 2025 legislative summary

Vehicles, plates & tolls

What it is: the Georgia Dept. of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division issues free disabled-veteran license plates and, for the most seriously disabled veterans, exempts one vehicle from the annual/title ad valorem tax.

• Free Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates. A qualifying disabled veteran can receive DV plates with no registration fee, no manufacturing fee, and no annual fee, for up to two personal-use vehicles (passenger cars or motorcycles). Apply on Form MV-9W, Request for Manufacture of a Special Veteran License Plate, with your DD Form 214 and VA disability documentation, at your county tag office (or through a GDVS field office). Under a 2025 law (House Bill 208, effective January 1, 2026), a surviving spouse or minor child of a totally disabled veteran may retain the DV plate after the veteran's death, subject to conditions similar to the property-tax exemption's survivor rule above — ask your county tag office how to document it.
• Ad valorem / title tax (TAVT) exemption on one vehicle. Veterans the VA certifies as 100% totally and permanently service-connected disabled — or who are rated unemployable and entitled to the statutory awards for loss or permanent loss of use of a foot or hand, loss of sight in one or both eyes, or a specified permanent visual impairment — are exempt from the ad valorem tax (the annual property tax or the one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax, whichever applies) on one vehicle they own. Claim it with Form MV-30, Georgia Veteran's Affidavit for Relief of State and Local Title Ad Valorem Tax Fees (PDF) at your county tag office.
• Former prisoners of war (or their un-remarried surviving spouse), and Purple Heart or Medal of Honor recipients, get the same one-vehicle ad valorem/TAVT exemption — all four categories (100%/IU, POW, Purple Heart, Medal of Honor) use the same Form MV-30 above, just a different checkbox.
• Separate sales-tax break if the VA paid for your vehicle. If the VA gave you a grant to purchase and specially adapt a vehicle for your disability, the sale of that vehicle is also exempt from Georgia sales and use tax — a different tax than the TAVT above, claimed with the same MV-30 affidavit and your VA grant letter.
• Tolls: no disabled-veteran-specific statewide toll exemption was found in official Georgia sources during this pass. If you use Georgia's Peach Pass express lanes, ask the State Road & Tollway Authority whether any accessibility program applies.

1. Get your VA rating/entitlement letter (for the TAVT exemption you generally need the 100% permanent-and-total certification or the specified loss-of-use / vision award) and your DD Form 214.
2. For free DV plates, complete Form MV-9W and bring it with your documentation to your county tag office, or apply through a GDVS field office.
3. For the one-vehicle tax exemption, file Form MV-30 at the same county tag office and confirm the ad valorem/TAVT is waived before you pay.

Sources Motor Vehicle Division plate details · GDVS disabled-veteran plates · Dept. of Revenue veteran plates · GDVS tax exemptions

Recreation: parks, hunting & fishing

What it is: a state-parks discount for disabled veterans, and a free one-time (plus discounted disability) hunting/fishing license through the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), Wildlife Resources Division.

• State parks & historic sites — 25% discount. Georgia veterans who were honorably discharged and have a VA service-connected disability rating get a 25% reduction on entrance and many use fees at state parks, historic sites, and recreation areas — including annual park passes, accommodations, recreation fees (mini-golf, boat rental), golf fees, and historic-site admission. Apply in person at a GDVS Veterans Field Service Office with your DD Form 214, proof of your service-connected disability, and proof of Georgia residency; approved veterans are mailed a discount card.
• Free One-Time Veterans hunting/fishing license. Free to Georgia-resident veterans who served 90 or more days of active federal duty and were honorably discharged on or after July 1, 2005. It is a full-privilege sportsman's license (hunting, big game, Georgia Migratory Bird Stamp, salt and freshwater fishing) — issued only once and valid for one year from issuance. Apply with a photocopy of your DD Form 214 and your Georgia driver's license or ID.
• Disability sportsman's licenses. Georgia residents with a qualifying disability (including disabled veterans) can get discounted full-privilege disability hunting/fishing licenses.

1. For the parks discount, bring your DD Form 214, disability proof, and residency proof to a GDVS field office and request the state-park discount card.
2. For the free one-time license, submit your DD Form 214 photocopy and Georgia ID per the GDVS and DNR guidance below (processing runs a few business days).
3. If a disability license fits your situation better long-term, review the DNR disability license requirements, or call DNR at 1-800-366-2661.

Sources GDVS special state provisions · GDVS hunting & fishing · DNR veterans license · DNR disability license

Education for you & your family

What it is: a scholarship for the families of combat-deployed Guard/Reserve members, in-state tuition access, and state transition support — run mainly through the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) and the University System of Georgia.

• HERO Scholarship. For Georgia National Guard members and U.S. military Reservists who deployed to a combat zone (post-9/11, drawing hostile-fire/imminent-danger pay), and for their spouses and children. Pays up to $2,000 per year for up to 4 years. A child born before the end of the qualifying deployment earns one year of scholarship for every 181 days served in the combat theater (up to 4 years). Apply within 2 years of gaining eligibility and renew annually.
• Federal Chapter 35, Georgia timing rule. Children of a 100% permanent-and-total disabled veteran who turn 18 during their senior year of high school can begin using federal Chapter 35 Dependents' Educational Assistance while still in high school. (Chapter 35 is a federal VA benefit; verify with GDVS/VA.)
• In-state (resident) tuition. Under federal law, a public college cannot charge covered veterans and their spouses/dependent children more than the in-state resident rate, regardless of formal state residency. Confirm the current classification rules with the institution's registrar.
• Georgia VECTR Center. The state-run Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center (operated through the Technical College System of Georgia) offers career/education transition and financial-aid navigation.

1. If you are Guard/Reserve with a qualifying combat deployment (or their spouse/child), check the HERO Scholarship rules below and apply within the 2-year window.
2. Before enrolling, ask the school's registrar to classify you (or your dependent) for in-state tuition under the veteran/military provisions.
3. For federal Chapter 35 for a child of a 100% P&T veteran, and for transition help, contact GDVS or the VECTR Center (via TCSG). GSFC: 1-800-505-4732.

Sources HERO Scholarship rules · Student Finance Commission · GDVS educational benefits · the federal in-state tuition law · VECTR Center (TCSG)

State Veterans' Homes & long-term care

What it is: Georgia operates two state War Veterans skilled-nursing homes, in Augusta and Milledgeville.

• Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home — Augusta: a 130-bed skilled-nursing facility next to Augusta University and the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center.
• Georgia War Veterans Home — Milledgeville: a larger, 248-bed skilled-nursing campus (four buildings on about 17 acres) that includes Alzheimer's/memory care, sub-acute rehabilitation, a Transitional Support Unit that opened in September 2025, and mental/behavioral health services for service-connected disabled veterans.
• Eligibility & cost: both are VA-certified state homes; who is admitted and what you pay depend on VA and state admission criteria and your VA disability rating. For many veterans with high service-connected ratings, VA covers a large share of the cost of skilled nursing in a state home — confirm your specific eligibility and cost with the home's admissions office, since figures vary.

1. Pick the closer home (Augusta or Milledgeville) from the GDVS nursing-care page below and call its admissions office.
2. Ask for the application and physician's-statement packet, and confirm your specific cost given your VA rating and care needs.
3. Have your DD Form 214 and VA rating letter ready. Federal VA medical care (Charlie Norwood VAMC in Augusta, Atlanta VAMC, and community-based clinics) remains your primary health benefit — enroll at VA.gov.

Sources GDVS war veterans homes · Augusta home · Milledgeville home

State hiring & civil service

What it is: Georgia adds preference points for veterans (more for disabled veterans) on state-job selection, administered through the Dept. of Administrative Services (DOAS).

• Veterans' preference points. Under state law, an eligible veteran with an honorable discharge gets 5 preference points added to a passing score, and a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% (or a veteran over 55 drawing a pension for any disability) gets 10 points. Preference also extends to the spouse of a disabled veteran who is disqualified from the job by that disability, and to the un-remarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died in service or from service-connected causes.
• Employment rights. The Georgia Dept. of Labor supports veterans' employment (alongside federal USERRA reemployment protections).

1. When you apply for a state job, claim veteran status and request your preference points, with your DD Form 214 and VA rating letter ready (10 points if you have a 10%+ service-connected rating).
2. Ask the hiring agency's HR, or DOAS Talent Acquisition Support, exactly how to document the disabled-veteran (or eligible-spouse/surviving-spouse) preference.
3. For reemployment or employment-rights questions, contact the Georgia Dept. of Labor Veterans' Services.

Sources DOAS Talent Acquisition · the state hiring rule · Dept. of Labor veterans' services

Other: burial, business, cemeteries

What it is: a business/occupation-tax exemption for disabled veterans, free burial in state veterans cemeteries, and a separate federal national cemetery in Georgia.

• Business / occupation-tax exemption. Under state law, an honorably discharged Georgia veteran with a VA service-connected disability rating of 10% or more (25% or more for a peacetime-only veteran) can get a Certificate of Exemption relieving them from local occupation tax, administrative fees, or regulatory fees for peddling, operating a business, or practicing a profession, for a period of 10 years. It does not waive true regulatory/licensing exams, only the occupation-tax type charges. Apply through a GDVS field office (with your DD Form 214 and VA Summary of Benefits letter); the county Probate Court then issues the certificate.
• State veterans memorial cemeteries. Georgia runs two state veterans memorial cemeteries (Milledgeville and Glennville), maintained to national-shrine standard, with no cost to eligible veterans for the gravesite, vault, marker, committal service, and burial. Eligible veterans are those separated other-than-dishonorably (plus qualifying Guard/Reserve and eligible spouses/dependents). Proof of service (DD Form 214) required.
• Georgia National Cemetery (federal). A separate federal VA national cemetery in Cherokee County is also available to eligible veterans and dependents — a federal, not state, benefit.

1. If you run or want to start a business and have a 10%+ (or 25%+ peacetime) service-connected rating, take your DD Form 214 and VA Summary of Benefits letter to a GDVS field office to start the Certificate of Exemption.
2. For burial planning, review eligibility and pre-register through the GDVS burial requirements below, or consider the federal Georgia National Cemetery.

Sources GDVS business exemption · GDVS memorial cemeteries · GDVS burial requirements · Georgia National Cemetery

Who to call

The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) is your single front door for the programs above and for a free accredited VSO to help with a VA claim, a rating, or applying for these benefits.

• Website: veterans.georgia.gov
• Central Office (Atlanta): Floyd Veterans Memorial Building — (404) 656-2300.
• Find your nearest field office through GDVS (link below).
• Property tax questions: your county tax commissioner/assessor (they administer the exemption) and the Georgia Dept. of Revenue homestead-exemptions page.

1. Anything tied to your actual VA rating — filing a new claim, appealing, or arguing for a higher percentage — goes to a free accredited VSO. GDVS field offices provide this directly, or find a representative at VA.gov. Never pay a private company for basic claims help.
2. State-program questions (property tax, plates, parks, education, homes, hiring) go to the office linked in that section, or start at GDVS.

Sources veterans.georgia.gov · GDVS contact · find a field office · Dept. of Revenue homestead

← All states