Tennessee Disabled Veteran Benefits

Tennessee gives disabled veterans and their families real help with property taxes, vehicles, recreation, and college. This page walks you through each benefit in plain steps: what you get, who qualifies, the exact form, the office, and what to bring. Tennessee has no state income tax on your wages, so several of these benefits are about lowering your other costs. Free help with any VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) claim or rating is always available from a Veterans Service Officer, and we show you how to find one below.

Property tax relief for disabled veterans and surviving spouses

Tennessee does not fully exempt a disabled veteran's home from property tax. Instead, the state reimburses the tax on part of your home's value. The relief is calculated on the first $175,000 of your home's market value, and there is no income limit for a qualifying disabled veteran or a qualifying surviving spouse. You still get the county bill, and the relief pays you back or credits it. Confirm the current amount at the official links below before you act.

You qualify if any ONE of these is true. You only need one.

You have a service-connected permanent and total (P and T) disability as determined by the VA.

• You have a service-connected permanent and total (P and T) disability as determined by the VA.

The VA pays you at the 100% rate through Individual Unemployability (TDIU, meaning Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability) and has determined your disability is permanent and total. If you are not sure whether your rating is permanent and total, a Veterans Service Officer can confirm it for free (see the Support section).

• The VA pays you at the 100% rate through Individual Unemployability (TDIU, meaning Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability) and has determined your disability is permanent and total. If you are not sure whether your rating is permanent and total, a Veterans Service Officer can confirm it for free (see the Support section).

You have paraplegia, or permanent paralysis of both legs and the lower body, from injury or disease to the spinal cord or brain.

• You have paraplegia, or permanent paralysis of both legs and the lower body, from injury or disease to the spinal cord or brain.

You have lost, or lost the use of, two or more limbs.

• You have lost, or lost the use of, two or more limbs.

You are legally blind from a service-connected cause.

• You are legally blind from a service-connected cause.

You have a 100% total and permanent disability rating as a former prisoner of war (POW).

• You have a 100% total and permanent disability rating as a former prisoner of war (POW).

Surviving spouse: you are the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who qualified (or would have qualified), you own the home alone or jointly, and you live in it as your main home.

• Surviving spouse: you are the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who qualified (or would have qualified), you own the home alone or jointly, and you live in it as your main home.

How to apply:

Find your county trustee (the local tax office that runs this program) using the Tennessee Trustee directory. Get your county office there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

• Find your county trustee (the local tax office that runs this program) using the Tennessee Trustee directory. Get your county office there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

Ask the trustee's office for the Property Tax Relief application. The office provides the form and helps you fill it out. This is a state program delivered through your county trustee.

• Ask the trustee's office for the Property Tax Relief application. The office provides the form and helps you fill it out. This is a state program delivered through your county trustee.

Bring your VA award letter showing your disability rating (and that it is permanent and total, or your POW status), a photo ID, and proof you own and live in the home.

• Bring your VA award letter showing your disability rating (and that it is permanent and total, or your POW status), a photo ID, and proof you own and live in the home.

Surviving spouses: also bring the veteran's death certificate, and if the veteran had not yet applied, proof the veteran met one of the pathways above.

• Surviving spouses: also bring the veteran's death certificate, and if the veteran had not yet applied, proof the veteran met one of the pathways above.

Apply and pay the property tax by the deadline, which is 35 days after your county's tax delinquency date. Miss it and you lose that year's relief. Confirm your exact dates with your trustee and on the Tennessee Comptroller Property Tax Relief page.

• Apply and pay the property tax by the deadline, which is 35 days after your county's tax delinquency date. Miss it and you lose that year's relief. Confirm your exact dates with your trustee and on the Tennessee Comptroller Property Tax Relief page.

Read the official rules and current amount on the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services property tax relief page before you apply.

• Read the official rules and current amount on the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services property tax relief page before you apply.

State income tax

Tennessee has no state income tax on your wages, salary, military retirement pay, Social Security, or pension. The old Hall tax on interest and dividends was fully repealed as of 2021, so there is no state income tax at all now. There is nothing to file and no veteran form to submit for this. Confirm on the Tennessee Department of Revenue Hall income tax page.

Vehicle plates and registration

Tennessee issues free or reduced-fee veteran plates and waives the county wheel tax (the motor vehicle privilege tax) for some veterans. You apply at your county clerk, the local office that registers vehicles. Pick the option that matches you.

Free Disabled Veteran plate: if the VA rates you 100% permanent and total, you get one Disabled Veteran plate free, with no registration fee. Use form VR-13 (Application for Disabled Veteran License Plate).

• Free Disabled Veteran plate: if the VA rates you 100% permanent and total, you get one Disabled Veteran plate free, with no registration fee. Use form VR-13 (Application for Disabled Veteran License Plate).

Half-fee Disabled Veteran plate: if you have a service-connected disability at any rating and you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you pay one-half of the regular registration fee and one-half of the specialty plate fee. This also uses form VR-13.

• Half-fee Disabled Veteran plate: if you have a service-connected disability at any rating and you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you pay one-half of the regular registration fee and one-half of the specialty plate fee. This also uses form VR-13.

Wheel tax exemption: if you are 100% permanent and total, or a former prisoner of war (POW), you are exempt from the county wheel tax. Bring proof of your status to the county clerk.

• Wheel tax exemption: if you are 100% permanent and total, or a former prisoner of war (POW), you are exempt from the county wheel tax. Bring proof of your status to the county clerk.

Purple Heart plate: free to Purple Heart recipients. If you are also a disabled veteran, you get one free plate total, so choose either the Purple Heart plate or the Disabled Veteran plate.

• Purple Heart plate: free to Purple Heart recipients. If you are also a disabled veteran, you get one free plate total, so choose either the Purple Heart plate or the Disabled Veteran plate.

Former POW plate and Medal of Honor plate: a former prisoner of war specialty plate is available, and the Medal of Honor plate is issued free for one vehicle to Tennessee recipients.

• Former POW plate and Medal of Honor plate: a former prisoner of war specialty plate is available, and the Medal of Honor plate is issued free for one vehicle to Tennessee recipients.

How to apply:

Get form VR-13 (Application for Disabled Veteran License Plate) from the Tennessee Department of Revenue VR-13 page. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

• Get form VR-13 (Application for Disabled Veteran License Plate) from the Tennessee Department of Revenue VR-13 page. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

Bring your DD-214 (your discharge paper) and your VA award letter showing your rating (or your Purple Heart, POW, or Medal of Honor proof) to your county clerk. General plate info is on the Revenue military and memorial plates page.

• Bring your DD-214 (your discharge paper) and your VA award letter showing your rating (or your Purple Heart, POW, or Medal of Honor proof) to your county clerk. General plate info is on the Revenue military and memorial plates page.

Ask the county clerk to apply the free or half-fee plate, and, if you qualify, the wheel tax exemption.

• Ask the county clerk to apply the free or half-fee plate, and, if you qualify, the wheel tax exemption.

State parks, hunting, and fishing

Tennessee gives disabled veterans a low-cost lifetime hunting and fishing license plus state-park discounts.

Disabled veteran hunting and fishing license: if you are a Tennessee resident who is 100% permanent and total service-connected disabled, or 30% or more disabled by reason of war service, you can get a combination hunting and fishing license for a one-time $10 fee. Confirm the current fee on the official page below.

• Disabled veteran hunting and fishing license: if you are a Tennessee resident who is 100% permanent and total service-connected disabled, or 30% or more disabled by reason of war service, you can get a combination hunting and fishing license for a one-time $10 fee. Confirm the current fee on the official page below.

Get the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) miscellaneous licenses application from the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services hunting and fishing page. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

• Get the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) miscellaneous licenses application from the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services hunting and fishing page. Get it there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

Attach proof of Tennessee residency and your VA disability rating letter, then send it to the TWRA license office at the address on the form.

• Attach proof of Tennessee residency and your VA disability rating letter, then send it to the TWRA license office at the address on the form.

State-park camping and cabin discount: Tennessee-resident veterans with a 100% total service-connected disability get 50% off camping and cabin fees for reservations made within 30 days of arrival. Details are on the Tennessee State Parks veterans page.

• State-park camping and cabin discount: Tennessee-resident veterans with a 100% total service-connected disability get 50% off camping and cabin fees for reservations made within 30 days of arrival. Details are on the Tennessee State Parks veterans page.

Free day: on Veterans Day, and on each service branch's founding anniversary, Tennessee-resident veterans get one free night of camping and waived golf green fees. Book through the reservation line listed on the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services free day page.

• Free day: on Veterans Day, and on each service branch's founding anniversary, Tennessee-resident veterans get one free night of camping and waived golf green fees. Book through the reservation line listed on the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services free day page.

Education for veterans and their families

This is the one area we help with directly. We never touch VA claims or ratings. Those go to a free Veterans Service Officer (see the Support section). Tennessee has two state education programs, one for the veteran and one for family members.

Helping Heroes Grant (for the veteran): a state grant for post-9/11 Tennessee veterans who earned a qualifying campaign medal, for example the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, or the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. It pays a set amount per semester based on your course load. Confirm the current award and rules on the official page.

• Helping Heroes Grant (for the veteran): a state grant for post-9/11 Tennessee veterans who earned a qualifying campaign medal, for example the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, or the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. It pays a set amount per semester based on your course load. Confirm the current award and rules on the official page.

Apply for the Helping Heroes Grant through the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation on the CollegeForTN Helping Heroes Grant page. Get the application there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

• Apply for the Helping Heroes Grant through the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation on the CollegeForTN Helping Heroes Grant page. Get the application there, then come back to ratednowwhat.com and continue with the next step.

Have your DD-214 ready and note the term deadlines. Fall, spring, and summer each have their own cutoff, listed on the official Helping Heroes Grant page.

• Have your DD-214 ready and note the term deadlines. Fall, spring, and summer each have their own cutoff, listed on the official Helping Heroes Grant page.

Dependents Tuition Waiver (for family): free tuition and required fees at Tennessee public colleges and universities for the spouse, or a child under age 23, of a Tennessee veteran who was killed or died from service-connected injuries, or who is a prisoner of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA).

• Dependents Tuition Waiver (for family): free tuition and required fees at Tennessee public colleges and universities for the spouse, or a child under age 23, of a Tennessee veteran who was killed or died from service-connected injuries, or who is a prisoner of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA).

Apply for the Dependents Tuition Waiver through the financial aid office of the Tennessee public college or university you want to attend. Bring the U.S. government certification of the veteran's death, POW, or MIA status. Details are on the Dependents Tuition Waiver page.

• Apply for the Dependents Tuition Waiver through the financial aid office of the Tennessee public college or university you want to attend. Bring the U.S. government certification of the veteran's death, POW, or MIA status. Details are on the Dependents Tuition Waiver page.

See every Tennessee veteran and dependent education program on the Department of Veterans Services education page.

• See every Tennessee veteran and dependent education program on the Department of Veterans Services education page.

Support, veterans homes, and jobs

A county Veterans Service Officer is your best free starting point for any of these benefits, and the only right place for anything about a VA claim, rating, or appeal.

Find your county Veterans Service Officer, a trained advocate who files VA claims and helps with these state benefits at no cost, using the county lookup on the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services site. This help is always free.

• Find your county Veterans Service Officer, a trained advocate who files VA claims and helps with these state benefits at no cost, using the county lookup on the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services site. This help is always free.

State veterans homes: Tennessee runs skilled-nursing veterans homes in Clarksville, Cleveland, Humboldt, Knoxville, and Murfreesboro. Start admission by contacting a home through the Tennessee State Veterans Homes site and provide the veteran's DD-214. Spouses and Gold Star parents may be admitted on a space-available basis.

• State veterans homes: Tennessee runs skilled-nursing veterans homes in Clarksville, Cleveland, Humboldt, Knoxville, and Murfreesboro. Start admission by contacting a home through the Tennessee State Veterans Homes site and provide the veteran's DD-214. Spouses and Gold Star parents may be admitted on a space-available basis.

State hiring preference: honorably discharged veterans who meet the minimum qualifications for a state job are guaranteed an interview, and get the tie-breaker over an equally qualified non-veteran. The spouse of a 100% permanent and total disabled veteran, and the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died in the line of duty, also qualify. Submit your DD-214 with your application. See the state jobs for veterans page.

• State hiring preference: honorably discharged veterans who meet the minimum qualifications for a state job are guaranteed an interview, and get the tie-breaker over an equally qualified non-veteran. The spouse of a 100% permanent and total disabled veteran, and the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died in the line of duty, also qualify. Submit your DD-214 with your application. See the state jobs for veterans page.

Job help: a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist gives one-on-one career help to veterans with employment barriers. Find it through the Tennessee workforce job placement for veterans page.

• Job help: a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist gives one-on-one career help to veterans with employment barriers. Find it through the Tennessee workforce job placement for veterans page.

Purple Heart, former POW, and Medal of Honor perks

Tennessee gives extra plate and tax perks for valor and captivity awards. All of these plates are issued through your county clerk.

Purple Heart: a free Purple Heart license plate. If you are also a disabled veteran, you get one free plate total. Apply at your county clerk with your DD-214 showing the award.

• Purple Heart: a free Purple Heart license plate. If you are also a disabled veteran, you get one free plate total. Apply at your county clerk with your DD-214 showing the award.

Former POW: a former prisoner of war specialty plate, plus exemption from the county wheel tax. A 100% permanent and total POW disability rating also opens the property tax relief and the free Disabled Veteran plate described above.

• Former POW: a former prisoner of war specialty plate, plus exemption from the county wheel tax. A 100% permanent and total POW disability rating also opens the property tax relief and the free Disabled Veteran plate described above.

Medal of Honor: a free Medal of Honor plate for one vehicle, issued at your county clerk.

• Medal of Honor: a free Medal of Honor plate for one vehicle, issued at your county clerk.

See all of these on the Revenue military and memorial plates page.

• See all of these on the Revenue military and memorial plates page.

Print-and-take checklist

☐ Gather your DD-214 (discharge paper) and your most recent VA award letter showing your disability rating.

☐ Property tax: find your county trustee at tennesseetrustee.org and ask for the Property Tax Relief application.

☐ Property tax: confirm you meet one pathway (100% permanent and total, TDIU paid at the 100% rate and permanent and total, paraplegia or paralysis, loss or loss of use of two limbs, legal blindness, or former POW).

☐ Property tax: apply and pay your tax within 35 days after your county's delinquency date.

☐ Surviving spouse: bring the veteran's death certificate and proof the veteran qualified, then apply through the trustee.

☐ Income tax: nothing to file. Tennessee has no state income tax on your wages.

☐ Vehicle: get form VR-13 and take it, plus your DD-214 and VA letter, to your county clerk.

☐ Vehicle: ask the county clerk about the free or half-fee plate and the wheel tax exemption.

☐ Recreation: send the TWRA license application with your Tennessee residency and VA rating proof for the $10 hunting and fishing license.

☐ Recreation: use your 100% disabled veteran state-park camping and cabin discount, and the Veterans Day free night.

☐ Education (veteran): apply for the Helping Heroes Grant at CollegeForTN before your term deadline.

☐ Education (family): apply for the Dependents Tuition Waiver through your Tennessee college's financial aid office.

☐ Support: look up your free county Veterans Service Officer for any VA claim, rating, appeal, or Individual Unemployability question.

☐ Jobs: submit your DD-214 with any state job application to claim veterans preference.

☐ Valor: apply for your Purple Heart, former POW, or Medal of Honor plate at the county clerk.

☐ Veterans home: if you need skilled care, contact a Tennessee State Veterans Home and provide the DD-214.

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.

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