Texas Disabled Veteran Benefits

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If you are a disabled veteran living in Texas, 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 exemptions (including the full homestead exemption for the most seriously disabled), the fact that Texas has no state income tax, vehicle plates and toll waivers, parks and hunting/fishing, education for you and your kids, state veterans homes, hiring preference, and more. Every dollar figure, deadline, and form name below comes from an official Texas source, and I link that source so you can check it yourself. Where a state page leaves a number unsettled, 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 Texas the state VSOs work through the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) at no charge.

New for 2025 — Texas made the veteran-owned business tax break permanent. A 2025 law signed by the Governor on June 12, 2025 took effect September 1, 2025. It removed the sunset date on the exemption from Texas franchise tax and certain Secretary of State filing fees for a new 100% veteran-owned business, so this benefit is no longer time-limited. Details are in the Other section below. This one is in effect now.

Sources the 2025 law

Property tax exemption

What it is: Texas has no state property tax; property tax is local. But state law sets several veteran exemptions that every county appraisal district must honor. You file with your local county appraisal district (not the Comptroller, and not the state). Some routes reach a full (100%) exemption on your home; others are a fixed dollar amount off your home's value.

The routes to a full (100%) exemption on your residence homestead:

• Route 1 — 100% disability compensation OR Individual Unemployability. This gives a total exemption (your home's entire appraised value is exempt — $0 in property tax on it). The Comptroller confirms you qualify if the VA awards you 100% disability compensation because you are either rated 100% disabled OR rated Individually Unemployable (IU). In the Comptroller's words, you are eligible "if he or she is either 100 percent disabled or is unemployable." So Individual Unemployability paid at the 100% rate counts — you do not need a schedular 100% rating. This applies only to your residence homestead (the home you live in as your principal residence), not to other property you own.
• Route 2 — surviving spouse of a veteran who had the 100% exemption. A surviving spouse keeps the full exemption if (1) they have not remarried, (2) the property was their residence homestead when the veteran died, and (3) it remains their residence homestead. If the spouse later moves, the exemption on the new home is capped at the dollar amount of the exemption on the old home in the last year it was received.
• Route 3 — surviving spouse of a service member killed or fatally injured in the line of duty. Receives a total residence-homestead exemption as long as they have not remarried since the service member's death.
• Route 4 — surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a PACT Act presumptive condition (new, effective tax year 2026). Voters approved this in November 2025 (Proposition 7 / Tax Code §11.136), and it does not require the veteran to have been rated 100% while alive: if your spouse died from a disease the federal PACT Act presumes is service-connected (a toxic-exposure condition), you get a total residence-homestead exemption as long as you have not remarried. File on Form 50-114. The Comptroller's own disabled-veteran FAQ page had not yet been updated to mention this route as of this writing — if a county appraisal district hasn't caught up either, point them to the statute.

How much land counts: the 20-acre rule. The full exemption wipes out property taxes on your home plus up to 20 acres of land, as long as that land is part of your residence (yard, driveway, and so on) and is owned the same way the house is (Texas Tax Code §§11.13(j), 11.131). Own 40 acres? The house and 20 acres are tax-free, and the county still taxes the other 20, though farm or ranch land may qualify for a separate agricultural appraisal that lowers that bill. You may have heard "10 acres urban" or "100 to 200 acres rural"; those figures come from a different law (Property Code §41.002) that protects your home from creditors, not from property taxes. For this exemption the cap is 20 acres everywhere in Texas, city or country. One more wrinkle real veterans hit: separate structures on the same land (a barn, a guest house, a second dwelling) are not part of the residence homestead and can be taxed separately, so confirm specifics with your county appraisal district.

The dollar-amount ("partial") exemption tiers — for a disabled veteran who is not covered by the full-exemption routes above. This is a fixed dollar amount subtracted from the property's value, and it can be applied to any one property you own (not just your homestead):

• 10%–29% disability rating: $5,000 off the property's value.
• 30%–49%: $7,500 off.
• 50%–69%: $10,000 off.
• 70%–100% (partial): $12,000 off.
• You also get the top $12,000 tier — regardless of your exact percentage — if you are age 65 or older with at least a 10% rating, totally blind in one or both eyes, or you have lost the use of one or more limbs.
• A surviving spouse who has not remarried, and whose home was the veteran's residence homestead at the time of death, may receive an exemption equal to what the veteran was entitled to.

Donated-home route: if a charitable organization donated your residence homestead to you (at no cost, or for not more than half its market value), your exemption equals your disability-rating percentage. So a veteran rated 100% who received a donated home gets a full exemption this way too; a partial rating gets that percentage off. An un-remarried surviving spouse can continue it. Apply on Form 50-114 (below).

The forms: for the fixed-dollar tiers and the killed-in-action surviving-spouse exemption, file Form 50-135, Application for Disabled Veteran's or Survivor's Exemptions (PDF). For the 100% total homestead exemption and the donated-home exemption, file Form 50-114, Residence Homestead Exemption Application (PDF). The general filing deadline is April 30, but you can file up to five years after the taxes' delinquency date.

1. Find your county appraisal district using the Comptroller's county-by-county directory (or search "[your county] TX appraisal district"). They administer this, not the Comptroller.
2. Get your current VA disability-compensation award letter. If you are paid at the 100% rate because of Individual Unemployability, make sure the letter shows that — it qualifies you for the full total homestead exemption just like a 100% rating.
3. Pick your form: Form 50-114 for the full 100% homestead exemption or a donated home; Form 50-135 for the $5,000–$12,000 tiers.
4. Submit it to the appraisal district with proof you own and occupy the home (Texas driver's license/ID address must match the homestead) plus your VA award letter.
5. Check your next tax bill for the exemption line, or call the appraisal district a few weeks after filing to confirm it posted. If you qualified in past years but never filed, ask the appraisal district about retroactively applying the exemption and getting a refund for up to five years back.

Sources Comptroller, disabled veteran exemptions · Comptroller, 100% exemption · HB 2508 (Prop 7 enabling legislation)

State income tax

What it is: Texas has no state personal income tax at all. There is nothing to exempt because the tax does not exist.

• Texas does not tax any personal income — not wages, not investment income, not military retirement pay, and not VA disability compensation. There is no veteran-specific state income-tax credit because there is no state income tax to apply it against.
• Separately, VA disability compensation is tax-free at the federal level too (this is a federal rule, the same in every state), so it never appears as taxable income on your federal return either. Confirm current-year federal treatment in IRS Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income.

1. There is no Texas income-tax return to file and no veteran income-tax form to worry about — this benefit is automatic.
2. On your federal return, confirm your VA disability compensation is not listed as income (it should not be). If a preparer ever entered it as taxable, have it corrected — that is a filing mechanic, not claims work.

Sources Texas Comptroller · IRS Publication 525

Vehicles, plates & tolls

What it is: the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) issues low-cost Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates, and qualifying DV plates get you free tolls on state-run (TxDOT) toll roads.

• Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates: available to a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of at least 50%, or at least 40% if the disability is due to amputation of a lower extremity, who receives compensation from the U.S. government for that disability. Apply on Form VTR-615, Application for Disabled Veteran License Plates and Parking Placards (PDF), submitted to your county tax assessor-collector.
• Fee: per the TxDMV plate guide, the first set of DV plates carries a $3 specialty-plate fee and no registration or local fees; additional sets have no specialty fee but do pay the standard registration and local fees. (Personalizing a plate adds about $40/year.) Confirm the current figure with your county tax office before relying on it.
• Disabled parking (ISA symbol): if you want disabled-parking privileges, ask for the DV plate with the International Symbol of Access (ISA), or a separate placard — a plain DV plate without the ISA symbol does not by itself authorize parking in disabled spaces. The disability-statement section of Form VTR-615 covers this.
• Free tolls on TxDOT toll roads: the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) waives tolls for vehicles displaying a qualifying DV plate (same 50% / 40%-amputation standard), with no separate sign-up required, on TxDOT-operated roads — including the Central Texas Turnpike System (SH 130, SH 45N, Loop 1, SH 45SE), Grand Parkway (SH 99) segments, SH 249 and SH 288 in the Houston area, and TxDOT-managed TEXpress lanes in Dallas–Fort Worth.
• Important limit: the TxDOT waiver does not cover privately or regionally operated toll lanes — for example the LBJ TEXpress and North Tarrant Express / NTE 35W managed lanes in DFW charge standard tolls regardless of plate. Regional authorities (such as Harris County's HCTRA and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority) run their own separate veteran programs with their own enrollment. Verify with the specific toll operator for your route.
• Vehicle sales tax: there is no general disabled-veteran exemption from Texas motor-vehicle sales tax. A narrower exemption exists for a vehicle specially modified for a person with an orthopedic disability (driven or used to transport that person at least 80% of the time) — this is disability-based, not veteran-specific.

1. Have your doctor complete the disability-statement section of Form VTR-615 (or attach your VA disability award), and ask for the ISA symbol if you want parking privileges.
2. Take the form to your county tax assessor-collector and confirm the first-set fee at the counter before you pay.
3. If you drive TxDOT toll roads, no enrollment is needed — the qualifying DV plate is your pass. For LBJ/NTE or a regional authority (HCTRA, CTRMA), check that operator's own veteran program separately.

Sources TxDMV · TxDMV plate guide · TxDMV disabled parking · TxDOT veterans toll program · Comptroller motor-vehicle tax guide

Recreation: parks, hunting & fishing

What it is: the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) gives free state-park entry and a free combination hunting/fishing license to qualifying disabled veterans.

• Disabled Veterans Parklands Passport (free park entry + one companion): free entry to Texas State Parks for a U.S. veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 60% or more, or the loss of a lower extremity — and it covers one companion entering with you. Proof: a photo ID plus one document showing disability status (a disabled-veteran license-plate receipt, a VA award letter, or a tax-exemption letter).
• Veterans Passport (free park entry, veteran only): any U.S. veteran with an honorable discharge gets free state-park entry — no disability rating needed — but it does not cover a companion. Proof: photo ID plus a DoD veteran ID card, a Texas license/ID with the veteran designation, a DD 214 showing honorable discharge, or a VA Veteran Health Identification Card.
• Disabled Veteran "Super Combo" hunting & fishing package (free): a free combination license — resident hunting license, resident fishing license, and five endorsements (archery, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing with red-drum tag, upland game bird, migratory game bird) — for a veteran (resident or non-resident) with loss of the use of a foot or leg, or a disability rating of 50% or more. You must show official VA proof of disability (or a Texas driver license with the "Disabled Veteran" designation) dated within the last 12 months, and it is only available in person at a license retailer, not online. The federal Duck Stamp is not included and is separately required for waterfowl.

1. For park entry, walk into any Texas State Park with your ID and disability proof and ask for the Disabled Veterans Parklands Passport (60%+ or lost lower extremity, includes a companion) or the plain Veterans Passport if you do not meet the disability threshold.
2. For the free Super Combo license, bring VA proof of disability dated within 12 months to a license retailer (sporting-goods store, many county offices) — you cannot get this one online.
3. If you hunt waterfowl, buy the federal Duck Stamp separately.

Sources TPWD parklands passports · TPWD Super Combo package

Education for you & your family

What it is: the Hazlewood Act, administered by the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC), exempts qualifying veterans from tuition and most fees at Texas public colleges and universities — and lets a 100%-disabled veteran pass unused hours to a child.

• Hazlewood Act (the veteran): up to 150 credit hours of tuition exemption, including most fee charges, at Texas public institutions of higher education. It does not cover living expenses, books, or supply fees. You must be a Texas resident, have qualifying service with an honorable discharge, and have exhausted certain federal VA education benefits for the term (confirm current rules with TVC).
• Residency condition: a veteran who first used Hazlewood in fall 2011 or later must reside in Texas during each term the exemption is claimed, and must have either entered active duty in Texas or been a Texas resident at the time of entry. Confirm the exact residency rule with TVC.
• Hazlewood Legacy Act (transfer to a child): a veteran who is rated totally disabled, or Individually Unemployable (IU) at the 100% rate due to a service-connected condition (or who died in service, or is killed/missing in action) may transfer unused hours, up to 150, to a dependent child. The child must be 25 years old or younger on the first day of the term (and must stop using the exemption at age 26). Each eligible dependent may qualify for their own benefit under state law.
• The form: apply with the Texas Hazlewood Act Exemption Application (Form TVC-ED-1) (PDF), filed with the enrolling school; Legacy transfers and continued-enrollment terms use their own TVC forms each term.

1. Confirm your own eligibility and remaining hours on the TVC Hazlewood site (you can create an account to track hours). Have your DD Form 214 and proof of Texas residency ready.
2. If you are rated 100% or IU and want to pass hours to a child 25 or younger, get a current (within one year) VA disability-rating letter and file the Legacy transfer.
3. Submit the Hazlewood application (TVC-ED-1) to the campus veterans-affairs or financial-aid office, and re-file each term you use it.

Sources TVC Hazlewood · Hazlewood policy manual

State Veterans' Homes & long-term care

What it is: Texas runs skilled-nursing Texas State Veterans Homes through the Veterans Land Board (VLB), part of the Texas General Land Office (GLO). There are homes across the state (locations include Amarillo, Big Spring, Bonham, El Paso, Floresville, McAllen, Temple, Tyler, and others).

• Eligibility: you must be an eligible veteran (not a dishonorable discharge) who needs long-term nursing care; eligibility also extends to spouses, un-remarried surviving spouses, and Gold Star parents. Applicants generally must be a Texas resident, or have entered service from Texas, or have lived in Texas for at least one year before applying — confirm the current residency rule with the home's admissions office.
• Cost for higher-rated disabled veterans: the GLO states that "veterans with a 70% or higher service-related disability can generally live in our homes for free." Confirm your specific cost with the admissions office, since the VA per-diem and your rating drive it.

1. Pick the closest home from the GLO homes directory and call its admissions office.
2. Ask for the admission application and physician's-statement packet, and confirm your out-of-pocket cost given your VA rating (generally free at 70%+).
3. Have your DD Form 214 and VA rating letter ready to submit.

Sources Texas General Land Office

State hiring & civil service

What it is: Texas gives veterans a hiring preference for state-agency jobs, and expedited occupational licensing. Note this is a qualifications-based tiebreaker, not the numeric points system used in federal hiring.

• Veteran's employment preference: a qualifying applicant is entitled to preference over other applicants for the same state position who do not have greater qualifications. As the Texas Comptroller (a state agency) puts it, "if two applicants are finalists for a position, and equal in all respects, the veteran would be offered the job," and agencies must include at least one qualified veteran when interviewing a small pool.
• Who qualifies: the preference covers a veteran, a veteran's surviving spouse who has not remarried, an orphan of a veteran killed on active duty, the spouse of an active-duty service member, and the spouse of a veteran with a disability who is the family's primary income source. For that last route, confirm the exact disability threshold (the law keys on a total-disability determination — roughly a 70% or higher rating, or Individual Unemployability) with the hiring agency.
• State job resources: agencies post veteran-friendly hiring guidance; for example Texas Health and Human Services (Careers for Veterans, Military Spouses and Families) and the Texas Workforce Commission Veteran Services Program.
• Occupational licensing: Texas offers expedited licensing, fee waivers on a new license application, and credit toward requirements for verified military training/experience — administered by each licensing board (the fee waiver generally applies to a new license, not renewals). Example agency guidance comes from the TCEQ.

1. When you apply for a state job, claim veteran's preference on the application and attach your DD Form 214 (surviving spouse/orphan: DD Form 1300, Report of Casualty).
2. If you are the spouse of a disabled veteran and the primary earner, ask the agency HR office whether you qualify for the spouse preference and what rating documentation it needs.
3. For a professional license, contact your licensing board about the military fee waiver and expedited processing before you pay, and bring proof of your military training/experience.

Sources the veteran preference statute · Texas Comptroller · Texas Health and Human Services · Texas Workforce Commission · TCEQ licensing

Other: burial, veteran business

What it is: a state veterans cemetery system with no-cost burial, and permanent tax/fee relief for a new veteran-owned business.

• Texas State Veterans Cemeteries (no burial charge): there is no charge to inter an eligible veteran, their spouse, and eligible dependents at a Texas State Veterans Cemetery (locations include Abilene, Killeen, Mission, Corpus Christi, and Houston). Included at no cost: military honors, the grave plot, opening/closing of the grave, a concrete grave liner for casketed burials, a state-provided headstone or marker, burial-flag presentation, playing of Taps, a gun salute where available, and perpetual care. Not covered: funeral-home charges (casket, cremation, viewing, transportation of remains/family) — though a separate federal VA burial allowance may help if the death was service-connected.
• New veteran-owned business (franchise tax + filing-fee waiver, now permanent): a business formed in Texas that is 100% owned by one or more honorably discharged veterans is exempt from Texas franchise tax for its first five years and from certain Secretary of State formation filing fees (the certificate-of-formation fee, roughly $300 — confirm the current amount). The 2025 law removed the program's sunset date, so it is now permanent. To claim it, each owner gets a Veteran Verification Letter from TVC, you file Comptroller Form 05-904, Certification of New Veteran-Owned Business (PDF), and you submit both with your Certificate of Formation to the Secretary of State.

1. For burial, you (or your family) can pre-register with the GLO to establish eligibility ahead of need — start at the GLO Burial Benefits page.
2. To start a veteran-owned business, request a Veteran Verification Letter from TVC, complete Form 05-904, and file it with your Certificate of Formation at the Secretary of State.

Sources the 2025 law · GLO burial benefits · VA burial allowance · Texas Secretary of State · Texas Veterans Commission

Who to call

The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) is your single front door for the state programs above and for a free accredited VSO to help with a VA claim, a rating, or applying for benefits. State veterans homes and cemeteries are run separately by the General Land Office / Veterans Land Board.

• Texas Veterans Commission — phone (512) 463-6564, toll-free 1-800-252-8387 (VETS).
• State veterans homes, cemeteries, and land/loan programs: the Veterans Land Board, 1-800-252-8387.
• Property tax questions: your county appraisal district (they administer the exemptions) and the Texas Comptroller Disabled Veteran exemption FAQ.
• In crisis: the Veterans Crisis Line — call or text 988, then press 1.

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. Call TVC at 1-800-252-8387 or find one at VA.gov. Never pay a private company for basic claims help.
2. State-program questions (property tax, plates, tolls, parks, Hazlewood, homes, hiring) go to the specific office linked in that section, or start with TVC.

Sources Texas Veterans Commission · General Land Office · Comptroller exemption FAQ · VA.gov

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