Massachusetts Disabled Veteran Benefits

If you are a disabled veteran living in Massachusetts, 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 local property tax exemptions, state income tax breaks, vehicle and plate perks, parks and hunting/fishing, education for you and your family, the state Veterans' Homes, civil-service hiring preference, the cash annuity, and more. Every dollar figure, deadline, and form name below comes from an official Massachusetts source, and I link that source so you can check it yourself. Where the state's own pages leave a number unsettled or it varies town-to-town, 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.

New in 2024–2025 — the HERO Act. The “Honoring, Empowering, and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans” (HERO) Act, signed in August 2024, is the largest veterans' law in Massachusetts history, with more than 30 provisions. For disabled veterans the concrete wins are already in effect: the cash annuity rose from $2,000 to $2,500 a year; motor-vehicle registration, driver's-license, and excise-tax fees are waived for qualifying disabled veterans; and two new local property-tax options let a city or town grow the exemption with inflation (Clause 22I) or double it (Clause 22J). Those two property-tax pieces only apply if your city or town has voted to adopt them, so confirm with your local assessor.

Sources HERO Act overview · property-tax changes

Property tax exemption

What it is: Massachusetts veteran property-tax exemptions all come from one part of state law, but they are administered town-by-town by your local board of assessors, not by the state. None are automatic; you file locally. Most knock a fixed dollar amount off your tax bill (not a percentage), but three of them reach a full (100%) exemption. You must generally own and occupy the home as your domicile as of July 1 of the tax year, meet a residency test (domiciled in Massachusetts for the six months before entering service, or a Massachusetts resident for the two consecutive years before the date you file), and have an ownership interest worth at least a small minimum set by law.

The three routes to a full (100%) exemption:

• Clause 22F — paraplegia or 100% service-connected blindness (full exemption). A veteran who is paraplegic, or who has a VA disability rating of 100% for service-connected blindness, gets a total exemption from the local property tax. It also continues for the qualifying veteran's surviving spouse who owns and occupies the home. This is the broadest full exemption for a living disabled veteran.
• Clause 22D — surviving spouse of a service-connected death (full exemption). The un-remarried surviving spouse of a service member (including National Guard) whose active-duty injury or illness, as documented by the VA or a branch of the armed forces, was a proximate cause of death gets a full exemption on the taxable value of the home. The spouse must meet the residency test above (or the deceased member met the pre-service domicile test), and the exemption ends on remarriage.
• Clause 22H — Gold Star parents (full exemption). The surviving parent or guardian (including adoptive or in-loco-parentis) of a service member or veteran who died from a service-connected injury or illness, or is missing in action and presumed dead, gets a full exemption on the taxable value of the home — the law grants it “to the full amount of the taxable valuation of real property.” The parent must own and occupy the home as their domicile and meet the residency test above.

The fixed-dollar clauses (a set amount off your bill, not a full exemption): the exact dollar figures below are the base amounts set by law; because a city or town may have adopted the HERO Act's Clause 22I (inflation growth) or 22J (doubling), confirm the current-year amount with your local assessor.

• Clause 22 — base wartime/disabled veteran: about $400. Covers, among others, a veteran with a VA service-connected disability of 10% or more, Purple Heart recipients, and certain Gold Star family members.
• Clause 22A — about $750. Loss, or permanent loss of use, of one hand, one foot, or one eye; or a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross.
• Clause 22B — about $1,250. Loss, or permanent loss of use, of both hands, both feet, or one hand and one foot; or blindness in both eyes.
• Clause 22C — about $1,500. Veteran rated permanently and totally (P&T) disabled by the VA who has specially adapted housing (a home the VA helped adapt for the disability). Note this is a fixed amount, not a full exemption.
• Clause 22E — about $1,000. Veteran with a 100% service-connected disability rating from the VA. The state keys on an actual 100% disability rating. If you are rated below 100% schedular but paid at the 100% rate through Individual Unemployability (IU), ask your local assessor whether your town treats IU as qualifying, because the official language keys on the 100% rating rather than the pay rate. Under the HERO Act's local-option Clause 22J, an adopting city/town may double this to about $2,000.

The HERO Act local options (only if your town adopted them): Clause 22I lets a municipality tie the exemption to inflation (Consumer Price Index); Clause 22J lets a municipality double the dollar amounts above. Both require a local vote, so they are not in effect everywhere.

1. Figure out which clause fits you best: 22F (paraplegic or 100% service-connected blindness), 22D (surviving spouse of a service-connected death), or 22H (Gold Star surviving parent) for a full exemption; otherwise the fixed-dollar clause that matches your rating or condition (22E if you are rated 100%, 22C if P&T with adapted housing, 22A/22B for loss of limbs or sight, 22 for a 10%+ rating or Purple Heart).
2. Call your local city or town board of assessors (search “[your town] MA assessors veterans exemption”). They administer this, not the state. Ask which clause gives you the most and whether your town adopted Clause 22J (doubling) or 22I (inflation).
3. Get the application: State Tax Form 96 — Application for Statutory Exemption (PDF). Your assessor may provide a clause-specific version.
4. Attach your VA disability rating/award letter (and, for 22C, your specially-adapted-housing documentation; for 22D, the VA/service documentation of the cause of death) and, if asked, your discharge document (DD Form 214).
5. File with the assessors by April 1, or within three months of the date your tax bill was mailed, whichever is later. This deadline cannot be waived, so do not miss it.
6. Confirm it posted by checking your next tax bill for the exemption line, or call the assessors a few weeks after filing. You re-file each year.

Sources the statute · state exemption guide · assessors' guide (PDF) · surviving-spouse guidance (PDF) · HERO Act changes · Ask DLS: HERO Act

State income tax

What it is: Massachusetts does not tax your VA disability benefits, and it fully excludes military retirement pay from state income tax.

• VA disability compensation, VA pension, and GI benefits are exempt from Massachusetts income tax. Federal law bars any state from taxing these, so they never appear as taxable income on your Massachusetts return.
• Military retirement pay is fully excluded from Massachusetts gross income — no age or income limit — covering Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and NOAA.
• No separate veteran-specific Massachusetts income-tax credit beyond these exclusions was identified in official sources. Re-check each filing season in case new legislation adds one.

1. Confirm your VA disability compensation never appears as income on your Massachusetts Form 1 (it should not appear on your federal return either, and Massachusetts starts from federal income).
2. If you receive military retirement pay, exclude it on the current Massachusetts return's government-pension/military line; check the current-year Form 1 instructions for the exact line, since layouts change.
3. If a prior return wrongly showed VA compensation or military retirement as taxable, fix it with a preparer familiar with military filings or by contacting the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) — this is a filing mechanic, not claims work.

Sources VA benefits exemption (state budget) · military retirement exemption (state budget) · military tax info · Form 1 instructions (PDF)

Vehicles, plates & tolls

What it is: under the HERO Act, qualifying disabled veterans pay no registration fee, no driver's-license fee, no motor-vehicle excise tax, and no sales tax on one vehicle, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) issues disabled-veteran and awarded-medal plates. Massachusetts does not run statewide veteran toll discounts, so this section is fees, plates, and excise/sales tax.

• Registration and driver's-license fee waiver: a disabled veteran the VA has rated 100% disabled or deemed unemployable (IU) due to a service-connected disability pays no RMV registration fee, no license fee, and no renewal fee.
• Motor-vehicle excise-tax exemption (one vehicle): a veteran the VA determines to be 100% disabled or unemployable due to a service-connected disability owes no annual excise tax on one passenger vehicle or pick-up truck owned and used non-commercially. Apply to your local board of assessors (where the vehicle is garaged), not the RMV, using State Tax Form 126-MVE, Motor Vehicle Excise Abatement Application (PDF).
• Sales-tax exemption on one vehicle: qualifying disabled veterans pay no Massachusetts sales tax on one passenger vehicle or pick-up truck owned for non-commercial use. Per current RMV guidance the vehicle must carry Disabled Veteran (DV) plates to get the sales-tax exemption.
• Disabled Veteran plate: issued to a Massachusetts resident veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 60% or more from the VA. It is the plate that unlocks the fee/tax waivers above (the VA still separately determines the 100%/IU threshold for those tax exemptions). Purple Heart, awarded-medal (Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Bronze Star), and branch-of-service plates are also available — Purple Heart plates carry no fee. Awarded-medal plates use the Application for Awarded Medal Veterans' Plates (PDF).
• Disability placard/plate: a veteran with a qualifying mobility disability can also apply for a standard disability placard or plate.

1. Get your VA Service-Connected Disability Breakdown letter showing your combined rating (and, for the fee/excise/sales-tax waivers, that you are rated 100% or IU).
2. Apply for a Disabled Veteran plate through the RMV if you are at 60% or more. Allow about 30 business days.
3. For the excise-tax exemption, file State Tax Form 126-MVE with your local board of assessors and attach your VA letter.
4. For the sales-tax exemption, present your VA documentation at purchase. Confirm the RMV waives the registration and license fees before you pay.

Sources fee & tax exemptions · Ask DLS: excise exemptions · vehicle sales-tax rules · RMV plates page · RMV veteran info

Recreation: parks, hunting & fishing

What it is: free day-use parking at state parks for disabled-veteran and Purple Heart plate holders, and free hunting/fishing licenses for veterans who meet a specific disability test.

• Free state-park day-use parking: vehicles displaying a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart, or disability plate/placard park free at Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) state parks — day-use parking only, and it is automatic with the plate (no pass or application needed). It does not cover camping fees. Disabled-veteran plates from any state qualify.
• Free hunting and freshwater-fishing license — disability-based, read this carefully: Massachusetts gives a free hunting/fishing license to residents who are blind, paraplegic, or have an intellectual disability. This is a disability-specific program — simply holding a VA rating is not enough; you must meet one of those three conditions. A disabled veteran who is paraplegic or legally blind qualifies on that basis. Proof is a Certificate of Blindness from the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, or a doctor's signed certification of paraplegia or intellectual disability. You apply with the Free License Application for Blind, Paraplegic, or Intellectually Disabled (PDF). A dedicated free-license category for 100%-disabled veterans as a class has been discussed but was not confirmed enacted as of this writing — confirm current status with MassWildlife before relying on it.

1. For free park parking, just display your Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart, or disability plate/placard — nothing to file.
2. For a free hunting/fishing license, confirm you meet the blind, paraplegic, or intellectual-disability test, then gather your Certificate of Blindness or doctor's certification.
3. Mail the free-license application and documentation to MassWildlife Licensing, 100 Cambridge Street, 6th floor, Boston, MA 02114 (or call (508) 389-6300). After the first approval you renew online.

Sources state parks parking · disabled license program

Education for you & your family

What it is: a space-available tuition waiver at Massachusetts public colleges for resident veterans, a fuller waiver for National Guard members and dependents, and scholarships for children of deceased/POW-MIA veterans. These are state benefits that sit alongside your federal GI Bill.

• Veterans' tuition waiver: a Massachusetts-resident veteran who is not in default on a federal student loan may receive a full or partial waiver of tuition, on a space-available basis, for a state-supported undergraduate degree or certificate program at a Massachusetts public college or university.
• National Guard members: eligible members receive a full waiver of both tuition and fees at Massachusetts state colleges and universities while serving.
• Dependents of National Guard members: the National Guard Family Education Program can exempt named dependents from tuition and the matriculation fee at Massachusetts public colleges, capped at 130 semester hours per member, used within 10 years of the member's separation or by the dependent's age 26, whichever is later.
• Scholarships for children of deceased or POW/MIA veterans: Public Service Scholarships are available to children of prisoners of war, service members missing in action, and deceased Massachusetts veterans.
• Federal GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon: the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon matching at participating Massachusetts schools are federal, not state, benefits — confirm school-specific Yellow Ribbon terms with the institution or VA.gov.

1. Decide which benefit fits: the tuition waiver for you as a resident veteran, the fuller National Guard waiver if you are serving, or a dependent scholarship/education-program benefit.
2. Confirm current-year eligibility and the exact process on the state's veteran education page.
3. Work directly with the public college's financial-aid or veterans-services office — the waiver is applied by the school — and bring your DD Form 214 and VA documentation. Because the waiver is space-available, apply and register early.

Sources veteran education benefits · Secretary of the Commonwealth: veterans' laws · VA education

State Veterans' Homes & long-term care

What it is: Massachusetts runs two state Veterans' Homes — the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea and the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Holyoke — providing long-term/skilled nursing and, at Chelsea, domiciliary (assisted-living) care. There is also Chapter 115, a means-tested cash-and-medical benefit run through your local Veterans' Service Officer.

• Eligibility: you must be a Massachusetts resident when you apply and a qualifying veteran — generally 90 days of active duty with at least one day in wartime and an honorable discharge (some services require 180 days), plus a medical need for the level of care.
• Cost: long-term care is charged at about $30 per day, with income exemptions (for example, a $300 monthly personal exemption for a veteran without a spouse, and a larger spousal exemption); charges can be reduced or waived based on income. Confirm your figure with the home's treasurer/admissions.
• Chapter 115 benefits: a means-tested program of financial and medical assistance (food, shelter, clothing, fuel, medical/dental care) for eligible low-income veterans and dependents, administered by the Executive Office of Veterans' Services (EOVS) and your local Veterans' Service Officer.

1. Pick the closer home — Chelsea (admissions (617) 884-5660 / (617) 884-1162, [email protected]) or Holyoke (admissions (413) 552-4764) — and review the eligibility page.
2. Download and complete the admissions application: Apply for Admissions at the Veterans Home in Chelsea or Apply for Admissions at the Veterans Home at Holyoke.
3. Have your DD Form 214, VA rating letter, and medical information ready; an interdisciplinary team reviews the packet and tells you the next steps and your cost.
4. For non-institutional help with rent, fuel, or medical bills, contact your local Veterans' Service Officer about Chapter 115 before you are in crisis.

Sources Veterans' Homes long-term care · eligibility requirements · costs/charges · Chapter 115 financial help

State hiring & civil service

What it is: Massachusetts gives veterans one of the strongest civil-service preferences in the country — an absolute preference that puts a passing veteran at the top of the hiring list, with disabled veterans ranked first.

• Absolute preference on open-competitive exams: a veteran who scores 70 or above on an open competitive civil-service exam (including police and fire) is placed ahead of all non-veterans on the eligibility list. Disabled veterans are ranked first, ahead of non-disabled veterans, then spouses/single parents of certain deceased service members. It does not guarantee the job, but it puts you at the head of the list when a vacancy opens.
• Promotional exams: eligible veterans get 2 points added to a passing promotional-exam score.
• Labor-service positions (no exam): veterans, disabled or not, are placed at the top of the eligibility list automatically.
• State-aided public housing: families of disabled veterans get first preference in tenant selection, ahead of families of deceased service members and then other veterans.

1. When you apply for a Massachusetts civil-service exam, claim veteran (and disabled-veteran) status so the preference attaches to your passing score.
2. Have your DD Form 214 and VA disability rating letter ready to document wartime service and your disability.
3. For state-job listings and help, start with the Executive Office of Veterans' Services or your local Veterans' Service Officer.

Sources the civil-service statute · Secretary of the Commonwealth: veterans' laws · Executive Office of Veterans' Services

Other: annuity, burial, veteran business

What it is: a yearly cash annuity for 100%-disabled veterans and Gold Star families, no-cost burial in the state veterans' cemeteries, and a fee-free peddler's license for disabled veterans.

• Veterans' Annuity ($2,500/year): an annual cash payment to a Massachusetts-resident veteran with a 100% service-connected disability rating (or paid at the 100% rate) and an honorable discharge, and to eligible Gold Star parents and un-remarried surviving spouses. The HERO Act raised it from $2,000 to $2,500, now paid as one check each year. You must be a Massachusetts resident when you apply and keep residing here. New applications must be received and approved by EOVS by June 30 for that year's payment. Apply with the Veteran Annuity Application (PDF). Contact: [email protected] / (617) 210-5480.
• Burial in a state veterans' cemetery: eligible veterans are buried at no cost at the Massachusetts veterans' cemeteries in Agawam and Winchendon; spouses and dependents pay only nominal fees. Federal national-cemetery burial benefits (gravesite, government headstone/marker, burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate) are also available at no cost through the VA.
• Fee-free peddler's license for disabled veterans: Massachusetts issues a Special Hawker and Peddler license at no fee to disabled military veterans (regular applicants pay the fee). You provide a Certificate of Character from your local police chief and proof of your VA disability, then apply for the special license.
• Housing and modification programs: state-supported financing exists to help veterans with accessibility home modifications and homeownership; ask EOVS or your Veterans' Service Officer what current programs you qualify for.

1. If you are rated 100% (or paid at the 100% rate), file the Veteran Annuity Application with EOVS — and do it before June 30 to get that year's payment.
2. For burial planning, contact the Agawam or Winchendon state veterans' cemetery and confirm both state and federal (VA) burial benefits.
3. If you want to sell goods as a vendor, apply for the fee-free disabled-veteran peddler's license with your Certificate of Character and VA proof.

Sources annuity benefit · how to apply for the annuity · the annuity statute · Secretary of the Commonwealth: veterans' laws · VA burials and memorials · Executive Office of Veterans' Services

Who to call

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans' Services (EOVS) is your single front door for the state programs above, and every Massachusetts city and town has a local Veterans' Service Officer (VSO) who handles Chapter 115, the annuity, and general navigation.

• Website: Executive Office of Veterans' Services — Mass.gov
• General phone: (617) 210-5480; annuity: [email protected]
• Property-tax questions: your local board of assessors (they administer the exemptions)

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. Find one through EOVS, your city/town VSO, or at VA.gov. Never pay a private company for basic claims help.
2. State-program questions (property tax, plates, excise, parks, education, homes, hiring, annuity) go to the specific office linked in that section, or start with your local Veterans' Service Officer.

Sources state property-tax guide · Secretary of the Commonwealth: veterans' laws

← All states