Georgia Disabled Veteran Benefits

If you are a disabled veteran living in Georgia, the state offers real, money-saving benefits: a large property tax break on your home, income tax relief, free or discounted license plates, cheaper hunting, fishing, and state park access, education help for your family, and more. This page walks you through each one in plain steps. Spouses, dependents, and survivors are covered too, and we point out where they qualify. First-use terms: VA means the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. GDVS means the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, the state agency that helps Georgia veterans.

One rule for everything below: help with a VA disability claim, a rating, an appeal, or an Individual Unemployability decision is always free through a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer. Never pay anyone for that. We route you to a free Veterans Service Officer wherever a step depends on your VA rating.

Property tax exemption on your home

Georgia gives qualifying disabled veterans a homestead exemption that removes a large chunk of your home's value from property tax. It applies to the home you own and live in as your primary residence. There is no income limit on this exemption.

You qualify through any ONE of these pathways. You do not need to meet more than one.

You are rated 100 percent totally disabled by the VA (a 100 percent schedular rating).

• You are rated 100 percent totally disabled by the VA (a 100 percent schedular rating).

You are rated less than 100 percent but the VA pays you at the 100 percent rate because of Individual Unemployability, also called Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

• You are rated less than 100 percent but the VA pays you at the 100 percent rate because of Individual Unemployability, also called Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

You have loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both feet.

• You have loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both feet.

You have loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both hands.

• You have loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both hands.

You have loss of sight in one or both eyes, or permanent legal blindness (central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses, or a very narrow field of vision).

• You have loss of sight in one or both eyes, or permanent legal blindness (central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses, or a very narrow field of vision).

You hold a VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) certificate of eligibility, the same category that sizes the dollar amount of this exemption.

• You hold a VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) certificate of eligibility, the same category that sizes the dollar amount of this exemption.

You are the unremarried surviving spouse, or the minor child, of a qualified deceased veteran, and you still live in the home. The exemption continues for you as long as you keep the home as your residence and do not remarry.

• You are the unremarried surviving spouse, or the minor child, of a qualified deceased veteran, and you still live in the home. The exemption continues for you as long as you keep the home as your residence and do not remarry.

About the amount: do not guess it. The exemption equals the greater of $32,500 or the maximum federal Specially Adapted Housing grant amount, a number the VA resets every year. The official GDVS page listed it as $121,812 for the 2025 tax year, and it rises each year, so confirm the current figure at the link before you rely on it. Any value of your home above the exemption is still taxed. See Georgia Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Exemption (GDVS).

How to claim it, in order:

Ask the VA (or a free Veterans Service Officer) for a current benefits letter that states your qualifying disability or your 100 percent rate of pay. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

• Ask the VA (or a free Veterans Service Officer) for a current benefits letter that states your qualifying disability or your 100 percent rate of pay. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

Gather your documents to bring: the VA letter proving your qualifying disability, your military discharge document (Form DD-214), a photo ID, and proof the home is your primary residence.

• Gather your documents to bring: the VA letter proving your qualifying disability, your military discharge document (Form DD-214), a photo ID, and proof the home is your primary residence.

File the Application for Homestead Exemption with your county tax commissioner's office (in some counties the board of tax assessors takes the application). Tell them you are applying for the disabled veteran homestead exemption.

• File the Application for Homestead Exemption with your county tax commissioner's office (in some counties the board of tax assessors takes the application). Tell them you are applying for the disabled veteran homestead exemption.

Find your county office. Look up your county tax commissioner through the Georgia Department of Revenue at dor.georgia.gov, get the address there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• Find your county office. Look up your county tax commissioner through the Georgia Department of Revenue at dor.georgia.gov, get the address there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

File by the deadline of April 1 for that tax year. Newer state rules also let some homeowners apply up to the end of their 45-day window to appeal an assessment notice, but treat April 1 as your target.

• File by the deadline of April 1 for that tax year. Newer state rules also let some homeowners apply up to the end of their 45-day window to appeal an assessment notice, but treat April 1 as your target.

File only once. In most counties this exemption renews automatically each year as long as you still own and live in the home, so you do not have to reapply annually.

• File only once. In most counties this exemption renews automatically each year as long as you still own and live in the home, so you do not have to reapply annually.

Note on lower ratings: Georgia does not offer a separate partial property tax exemption for VA ratings below the levels listed above. If you do not meet one of those pathways, you can still claim the regular homestead exemption, and senior or other local exemptions, through the same county office.

State income tax on VA disability pay and military retirement

This section is about Georgia income tax. It does not change your federal taxes.

VA disability compensation is not taxed. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not count VA disability compensation as income, and Georgia starts its income tax from your federal income, so Georgia does not tax it either. You do not report VA disability pay as income and you take no action to exempt it.

• VA disability compensation is not taxed. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not count VA disability compensation as income, and Georgia starts its income tax from your federal income, so Georgia does not tax it either. You do not report VA disability pay as income and you take no action to exempt it.

Military retirement pay is partly excluded from Georgia income tax through a retirement income exclusion that is tiered by age. As a structure, the exclusion is smaller under age 62, larger from age 62 to 64, and larger still at age 65 and up, and a separate military retirement exclusion can apply. The exact dollar amounts change, and a recent law expanded the treatment of military retirement pay, so confirm the current-year figures before you file.

• Military retirement pay is partly excluded from Georgia income tax through a retirement income exclusion that is tiered by age. As a structure, the exclusion is smaller under age 62, larger from age 62 to 64, and larger still at age 65 and up, and a separate military retirement exclusion can apply. The exact dollar amounts change, and a recent law expanded the treatment of military retirement pay, so confirm the current-year figures before you file.

Check the current military retirement exclusion at Military Retirement Income Tax Exemption (GDVS) and the general rules at Retirement Income Exclusion (Georgia Department of Revenue). Get the current amount there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• Check the current military retirement exclusion at Military Retirement Income Tax Exemption (GDVS) and the general rules at Retirement Income Exclusion (Georgia Department of Revenue). Get the current amount there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

Claim the exclusion on your Georgia Form 500 (Individual Income Tax Return) when you file. If you use a tax preparer, tell them you have military retirement income so they apply the exclusion.

• Claim the exclusion on your Georgia Form 500 (Individual Income Tax Return) when you file. If you use a tax preparer, tell them you have military retirement income so they apply the exclusion.

Survivor note: a service member who dies from wounds, disease, or injury incurred in a combat zone is exempt from Georgia income tax for the year of death and for prior combat-service years. A free Veterans Service Officer can help a survivor claim this.

• Survivor note: a service member who dies from wounds, disease, or injury incurred in a combat zone is exempt from Georgia income tax for the year of death and for prior combat-service years. A free Veterans Service Officer can help a survivor claim this.

Vehicle plates, registration, and title tax

Georgia does not use the term DMV. You handle plates and registration at your county tag office, which is part of the county tax commissioner's office. The state form is the same for most veteran plates.

The Disabled Veteran (DV) license plate is free. There is no registration fee, no manufacturing fee, and no annual fee. You can get the DV plate for up to two vehicles (passenger cars or motorcycles) for personal use.

• The Disabled Veteran (DV) license plate is free. There is no registration fee, no manufacturing fee, and no annual fee. You can get the DV plate for up to two vehicles (passenger cars or motorcycles) for personal use.

The DV plate also lets you park in disability-accessible spaces, and it exempts one vehicle from the annual ad valorem tax and the Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT).

• The DV plate also lets you park in disability-accessible spaces, and it exempts one vehicle from the annual ad valorem tax and the Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT).

You qualify for the DV plate the same way as the property tax exemption: 100 percent rating, paid at the 100 percent rate for Individual Unemployability, or the statutory loss-of-use, limb, or sight conditions. Unremarried surviving spouses of a qualified veteran can also qualify.

• You qualify for the DV plate the same way as the property tax exemption: 100 percent rating, paid at the 100 percent rate for Individual Unemployability, or the statutory loss-of-use, limb, or sight conditions. Unremarried surviving spouses of a qualified veteran can also qualify.

Get your proof from the VA first: a VA entitlement letter stating your qualifying disability. If you need it, a free Veterans Service Officer can request it. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• Get your proof from the VA first: a VA entitlement letter stating your qualifying disability. If you need it, a free Veterans Service Officer can request it. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

Complete Form MV-9W (Request for Manufacture of a Special Veteran License Plate). Download it at MV-9W (Georgia Department of Revenue). Get the form there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• Complete Form MV-9W (Request for Manufacture of a Special Veteran License Plate). Download it at MV-9W (Georgia Department of Revenue). Get the form there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

Bring to your county tag office: the completed Form MV-9W, your VA entitlement letter, and your military discharge document (Form DD-214). Questions about specialty plates can also go to the Department of Revenue Special Tag Unit at 404-968-3880.

• Bring to your county tag office: the completed Form MV-9W, your VA entitlement letter, and your military discharge document (Form DD-214). Questions about specialty plates can also go to the Department of Revenue Special Tag Unit at 404-968-3880.

You can choose almost any Georgia veteran plate design (for example an Army Veteran or Navy Veteran plate) and still keep the one-vehicle TAVT and ad valorem exemption. See Military Veteran License Plates (Georgia Department of Revenue).

• You can choose almost any Georgia veteran plate design (for example an Army Veteran or Navy Veteran plate) and still keep the one-vehicle TAVT and ad valorem exemption. See Military Veteran License Plates (Georgia Department of Revenue).

Sales tax break on an adapted vehicle: if the VA gives you a grant to buy and specially adapt a vehicle, that original grant purchase is exempt from Georgia state sales tax.

• Sales tax break on an adapted vehicle: if the VA gives you a grant to buy and specially adapt a vehicle, that original grant purchase is exempt from Georgia state sales tax.

Recreation: state parks, hunting, and fishing

Georgia gives disabled veterans discounted outdoor access through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the state parks system.

State park discount card: Georgia resident veterans with an honorable discharge and a VA service-connected disability rating get 25 percent off entrance fees at state parks, historic sites, and recreation areas.

• State park discount card: Georgia resident veterans with an honorable discharge and a VA service-connected disability rating get 25 percent off entrance fees at state parks, historic sites, and recreation areas.

To get the park card, bring your military discharge document (Form DD-214), verification of your service-connected disability, and proof of Georgia residency to a GDVS Veterans Field Service Office. A service officer verifies you and forwards it to the GDVS central office, which mails your card. Details at ParkPass (Georgia State Parks).

• To get the park card, bring your military discharge document (Form DD-214), verification of your service-connected disability, and proof of Georgia residency to a GDVS Veterans Field Service Office. A service officer verifies you and forwards it to the GDVS central office, which mails your card. Details at ParkPass (Georgia State Parks).

Disability sportsman's license: veterans with a permanent and total disability rating from the VA (or another government agency) can buy a 3-year disability sportsman's license at a steep discount off the regular price.

• Disability sportsman's license: veterans with a permanent and total disability rating from the VA (or another government agency) can buy a 3-year disability sportsman's license at a steep discount off the regular price.

The disability license cannot be bought online. Complete the disability license application and mail it with your supporting documents. Start at Disability Hunting and Fishing Licenses (Georgia DNR) or call the DNR at 1-800-366-2661. Get the form there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• The disability license cannot be bought online. Complete the disability license application and mail it with your supporting documents. Start at Disability Hunting and Fishing Licenses (Georgia DNR) or call the DNR at 1-800-366-2661. Get the form there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

One-time free veterans license: a free one-year full-privilege license is available to Georgia resident veterans who served at least 90 days of active federal duty and were honorably discharged on or after July 1, 2005. It can be issued only once. See One-Time Veterans License (Georgia DNR).

• One-time free veterans license: a free one-year full-privilege license is available to Georgia resident veterans who served at least 90 days of active federal duty and were honorably discharged on or after July 1, 2005. It can be issued only once. See One-Time Veterans License (Georgia DNR).

Lifetime discounts: after the one-time license, veterans can buy a discounted full-privilege veterans lifetime license, and honorably discharged residents can buy the Adult Lifetime Sportsman's License at a 20 percent discount.

• Lifetime discounts: after the one-time license, veterans can buy a discounted full-privilege veterans lifetime license, and honorably discharged residents can buy the Adult Lifetime Sportsman's License at a 20 percent discount.

For the full menu and to apply, see Hunting and Fishing Licenses (GDVS).

• For the full menu and to apply, see Hunting and Fishing Licenses (GDVS).

Education for you, your spouse, and your children

These are education programs only. They do not affect any VA claim or rating.

Georgia HERO Scholarship: pays up to $2,000 per school year to members of the Georgia National Guard and U.S. Military Reservists who served in a combat zone, and to their spouses and children, including cases where the member was killed or became 100 percent disabled from combat-zone injuries.

• Georgia HERO Scholarship: pays up to $2,000 per school year to members of the Georgia National Guard and U.S. Military Reservists who served in a combat zone, and to their spouses and children, including cases where the member was killed or became 100 percent disabled from combat-zone injuries.

A HERO child must generally have been born before (or within nine months of the start of) the qualifying deployment and be 25 or younger during that service. A HERO spouse qualifies through the member's qualifying combat-zone service.

• A HERO child must generally have been born before (or within nine months of the start of) the qualifying deployment and be 25 or younger during that service. A HERO spouse qualifies through the member's qualifying combat-zone service.

Apply for HERO through GAfutures and your school's financial aid office. Start at Georgia HERO Scholarship (GAfutures). File your first HERO application no later than two years after you become eligible, and renew every academic year. Apply there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• Apply for HERO through GAfutures and your school's financial aid office. Start at Georgia HERO Scholarship (GAfutures). File your first HERO application no later than two years after you become eligible, and renew every academic year. Apply there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

Chapter 35 Dependents' Educational Assistance: spouses and children of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled (100 percent) from a service-connected condition can receive months of education funding. A child can often start while still in high school.

• Chapter 35 Dependents' Educational Assistance: spouses and children of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled (100 percent) from a service-connected condition can receive months of education funding. A child can often start while still in high school.

Apply for Chapter 35 with help from a GDVS field office, which is free. Overview at Chapter 35 Benefits (GDVS). Get set up there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• Apply for Chapter 35 with help from a GDVS field office, which is free. Overview at Chapter 35 Benefits (GDVS). Get set up there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

In-state tuition: veterans and their dependents using GI Bill benefits are charged in-state tuition rates at Georgia public colleges. See Educational Benefits (GDVS).

• In-state tuition: veterans and their dependents using GI Bill benefits are charged in-state tuition rates at Georgia public colleges. See Educational Benefits (GDVS).

Emergency help and other support

Georgia has state veterans homes, a hiring preference for state jobs, free claims help, and several smaller everyday benefits.

Free claims help: a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer at a GDVS Veterans Field Service Office helps you file and appeal VA claims at no cost. This is the right place for any question about a rating, Individual Unemployability, or an appeal. Never pay for this.

• Free claims help: a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer at a GDVS Veterans Field Service Office helps you file and appeal VA claims at no cost. This is the right place for any question about a rating, Individual Unemployability, or an appeal. Never pay for this.

Find your Veterans Service Officer at Find a Veterans Field Service Office (GDVS). Appointments are preferred and walk-ins are taken as time allows. Connect there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• Find your Veterans Service Officer at Find a Veterans Field Service Office (GDVS). Appointments are preferred and walk-ins are taken as time allows. Connect there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

State War Veterans Homes: Georgia runs two skilled nursing homes for eligible war veterans, one in Milledgeville and one in Augusta. A nominal daily fee applies, and the VA pays that fee in full for veterans rated 70 percent or higher service-connected, or admitted for a service-connected condition.

• State War Veterans Homes: Georgia runs two skilled nursing homes for eligible war veterans, one in Milledgeville and one in Augusta. A nominal daily fee applies, and the VA pays that fee in full for veterans rated 70 percent or higher service-connected, or admitted for a service-connected condition.

To be eligible for a veterans home you must be a Georgia-domiciled war veteran, have lived in Georgia at least two consecutive years (or five of the last fifteen) before applying, and be approved by the VA for skilled nursing care. See State War Veterans Homes (GDVS) and apply with help from a GDVS field office.

• To be eligible for a veterans home you must be a Georgia-domiciled war veteran, have lived in Georgia at least two consecutive years (or five of the last fifteen) before applying, and be approved by the VA for skilled nursing care. See State War Veterans Homes (GDVS) and apply with help from a GDVS field office.

State employment hiring preference: on Georgia state jobs that use an exam or scored process, veterans get added points, generally 5 points for an honorable-discharge veteran and 10 points for a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or more. Spouses of a 100 percent disabled veteran and unremarried surviving spouses can also get the 10-point preference.

• State employment hiring preference: on Georgia state jobs that use an exam or scored process, veterans get added points, generally 5 points for an honorable-discharge veteran and 10 points for a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or more. Spouses of a 100 percent disabled veteran and unremarried surviving spouses can also get the 10-point preference.

Full-service gas at self-service price: a disabled veteran displaying qualifying disabled veteran plates who cannot pump alone must be served at the self-service price at attended stations.

• Full-service gas at self-service price: a disabled veteran displaying qualifying disabled veteran plates who cannot pump alone must be served at the self-service price at attended stations.

Free vital records: veterans and their families can get copies of marriage, divorce, birth, and death records at no charge when needed for a VA disability or death claim.

• Free vital records: veterans and their families can get copies of marriage, divorce, birth, and death records at no charge when needed for a VA disability or death claim.

More provisions, including driver's license renewal by mail while deployed and honorary high school diplomas for wartime service interruptions, are listed at Other Special State Provisions (GDVS).

• More provisions, including driver's license renewal by mail while deployed and honorary high school diplomas for wartime service interruptions, are listed at Other Special State Provisions (GDVS).

Purple Heart, former POW, and Medal of Honor perks

Georgia gives special free plates and a vehicle tax break to these honorees. Use the same Form MV-9W and county tag office as above.

Purple Heart plate: free, with no registration, manufacturing, or annual fee, and it exempts one vehicle from ad valorem tax and the Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT). Qualify with your Purple Heart certificate or a discharge document (Form DD-214) that shows the Purple Heart award.

• Purple Heart plate: free, with no registration, manufacturing, or annual fee, and it exempts one vehicle from ad valorem tax and the Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT). Qualify with your Purple Heart certificate or a discharge document (Form DD-214) that shows the Purple Heart award.

Former Prisoner of War plate: free for Georgia resident veterans, discharged under honorable conditions, who were captured and held by hostile forces while serving in World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. A second plate is available for a small manufacturing fee plus the annual fee.

• Former Prisoner of War plate: free for Georgia resident veterans, discharged under honorable conditions, who were captured and held by hostile forces while serving in World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. A second plate is available for a small manufacturing fee plus the annual fee.

Medal of Honor and other combat medal plates: the Military Medal Award plate is free (no registration, manufacturing, or annual fee) for eligible Georgia-resident recipients.

• Medal of Honor and other combat medal plates: the Military Medal Award plate is free (no registration, manufacturing, or annual fee) for eligible Georgia-resident recipients.

One-vehicle tax exemption: a vehicle registered to a Medal of Honor recipient, a former Prisoner of War, or a Purple Heart recipient qualifies for the same one-vehicle ad valorem and TAVT exemption. An unremarried surviving spouse can keep the plate benefit.

• One-vehicle tax exemption: a vehicle registered to a Medal of Honor recipient, a former Prisoner of War, or a Purple Heart recipient qualifies for the same one-vehicle ad valorem and TAVT exemption. An unremarried surviving spouse can keep the plate benefit.

See the full list of special plates at License Plates: Special Categories (GDVS). Get the details there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

• See the full list of special plates at License Plates: Special Categories (GDVS). Get the details there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue.

Print-and-take checklist

☐ Get a current VA benefits letter that states your rating and any qualifying disability (free from a Veterans Service Officer if you need help).

☐ Make copies of your military discharge document (Form DD-214) and a photo ID.

☐ File the Application for Homestead Exemption (disabled veteran) at your county tax commissioner's office by April 1, with your VA letter and proof the home is your residence.

☐ Confirm the current-year homestead exemption amount on the GDVS page before you rely on any figure.

☐ Confirm you are not reporting VA disability compensation as income, since Georgia does not tax it.

☐ Look up the current military retirement income exclusion and claim it on your Georgia Form 500.

☐ Complete Form MV-9W and take it, your VA letter, and your DD-214 to your county tag office for the free Disabled Veteran plate.

☐ Confirm your one-vehicle ad valorem and Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) exemption is applied at the tag office.

☐ Bring your DD-214, disability verification, and Georgia residency proof to a GDVS field office to get the 25 percent state park discount card.

☐ Mail the disability sportsman's license application with your documents, or claim the one-time free veterans license if you qualify.

☐ If you have combat-zone service, apply for the HERO Scholarship for you, your spouse, or your children through GAfutures within two years of eligibility.

☐ If you are rated 100 percent permanent and total, have your spouse or children ask a GDVS field office about Chapter 35 education benefits.

☐ Find your nearest Veterans Field Service Office and save the contact for free claims and appeals help.

☐ Purple Heart, former POW, or Medal of Honor: file Form MV-9W for your free plate and confirm the one-vehicle tax exemption.

☐ If you may need long-term care, review State War Veterans Home eligibility with a GDVS field office.

Education only. Not the VA, not a government agency, and not financial, tax, or legal advice. Help with a VA claim or rating is always free through a VA-accredited Veteran Service Officer. Rules and amounts change; verify with the official source before you act.

🖨 Print this checklist

↑ Back to the list

← All states