Wyoming Disabled Veteran Benefits

If you are a disabled veteran living in Wyoming, 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 exemption, the fact that Wyoming has no state income tax, vehicle plates, state parks and hunting/fishing, free tuition for you and your family, the state veterans' home, hiring preference, and burial. Every dollar figure, deadline, and form name below comes from an official Wyoming source (the state statutes, the Department of Revenue, WYDOT, Game and Fish, and the Wyoming Military Department), and I link that source so you can check it yourself.

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.

A full property-tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans was proposed in 2026 — but it did NOT become law. A bill in the 2026 session would have given a veteran certified with a 100% permanent and total (P&T) service-connected disability a full exemption on the primary residence plus up to 10 acres. It was introduced and got a favorable committee recommendation, but it died on the House floor calendar and was never enacted. So as of now Wyoming does not have a full exemption for 100% disabled veterans — the only veteran property-tax break is the $6,000 assessed-value exemption described below. Similar bills may return in a future session, so confirm the current status yourself before relying on any expanded exemption. (Even the 2026 bill, had it passed, would have first applied to tax year 2027.)

Sources the 2026 bill

Property tax exemption

What it is: Wyoming gives qualifying veterans an annual $6,000 reduction in assessed value (raised from $3,000 in recent years). You can apply it to the property tax on your primary residence or to your vehicle registration fee — your choice, but not both in the same year. It is not automatic and it is not the full home exemption some other states offer (see the box above about the 2026 bill that failed). You re-apply every year at your County Assessor's office.

Who qualifies (any one of these routes, plus 3 years' Wyoming residency): you must be a bona fide Wyoming resident for at least three (3) years at the time you claim, hold a DD Form 214 (or equivalent), and meet one of the following:

• Disability route (most disabled veterans use this): you are a veteran with a compensable service-connected disability certified by the VA or a branch of the U.S. armed forces (bring your VA rating/agency letter). Any compensable rating qualifies you — there is no wartime-service requirement on this route.
• Wartime-service route: you served in the armed forces during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War; or
• Expeditionary-medal route: you served overseas in an armed conflict in a foreign country and were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (or other authorized service/campaign medal); or
• Surviving spouse: you are the surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran, you still reside in Wyoming, and you have not remarried.

1. Find your County Assessor's office (search “[your county] WY assessor veterans exemption”). They administer this, not the state.
2. Gather your DD Form 214 and, if you are using the disability route, your VA rating letter showing a compensable service-connected disability.
3. Decide whether you want the $6,000 applied to your home's property tax or to your vehicle registration fee (you pick one per year).
4. Apply in person at the Assessor's office between January 1 and the fourth Monday in May. You may claim in only one Wyoming county.
5. Re-confirm every year — the veteran or surviving spouse must contact the Assessor annually to keep it in place. Check your next tax bill (or registration) for the exemption line.

Sources State Dept of Revenue · the statute

State income tax

What it is: Wyoming is one of a handful of states with no individual (personal) income tax at all. The Wyoming Department of Revenue administers excise, mineral, and property taxes — there is no income-tax division because there is no income tax.

• No state tax on any income: wages, military retirement pay, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and other retirement-account withdrawals, Social Security, and investment income are all free of Wyoming income tax. There is no veteran-specific income-tax credit because there is nothing to offset.
• VA disability compensation is federally tax-free everywhere, so it is never taxed in Wyoming either (this is a federal rule, not a Wyoming one).

1. There is no Wyoming income-tax return to file, so there is nothing veteran-specific to claim here — this is simply money you keep.
2. If you move to Wyoming from a state that taxed your retirement or disability pay, confirm your final part-year return in the old state was handled correctly with a tax preparer familiar with military filings.

Sources State Dept of Revenue · IRS Publication 907

Vehicles, plates & tolls

What it is: the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) issues a distinctive Disabled Veteran license plate to veterans rated 50% or higher, and the $6,000 property-tax exemption can instead be applied to your registration fee. Wyoming has no toll roads, so there is no toll benefit to claim.

• Disabled Veteran plate: available to a Wyoming resident veteran who receives 50% or more service-connected disability compensation from the VA. You may hold one pair of these plates; one additional pair may be purchased for a motorcycle or multipurpose vehicle at regular fees. Apply at your County Treasurer's office at least 30 days before your current registration expires, and renew annually. Form: WYDOT Form MV-100B — Application for Disabled Veteran Plates (PDF).
• This plate is NOT a handicap-parking permit. WYDOT states plainly that Disabled Veteran plates cannot be used to park in handicap spaces — you must obtain a separate disabled parking placard (PDF) for that.
• Registration-fee break via the veteran exemption: the same $6,000 assessed-value exemption may be applied to reduce your county vehicle registration/licensing fee instead of your home's property tax (it does not cover sales tax). Confirm exactly which fees it offsets with your County Treasurer.
• Other military/honorary plates (Purple Heart, ex-POW, and others) are issued through County Treasurers on the general military-plate application; fee treatment varies by plate.

1. If you are rated 50% or higher, complete Form MV-100B and take or mail it to your County Treasurer, at least 30 days before your registration expires.
2. Ask the County Treasurer whether to also apply your $6,000 exemption to the registration fee this year (remember: it is either the home OR the vehicle, not both).
3. If you need handicap parking, apply separately for the disabled parking placard — the veteran plate does not cover it.

Sources WYDOT (Disabled Veteran plate) · WYDOT (veteran & military plates) · State Dept of Revenue

Recreation: parks, hunting & fishing

What it is: a free lifetime state-parks pass at 50% disability, and free lifetime hunting/fishing licenses that scale with your rating, run through Wyoming State Parks and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD).

• Lifetime Veteran's Pass (state parks): a Wyoming resident veteran with a VA rating of 50% or more service-connected disability can get a lifetime hangtag good for free day-use entry and camping for life at Wyoming state parks, recreation areas, and historic sites. The hangtag works in any vehicle when you are present. Apply online, by mail, or in person with your VA disability documentation and proof of residency at reserve.wyoming.gov.
• Hunting & fishing licenses (WGFD) — the benefit scales with your rating:
  • 100% disabled: a resident veteran rated 100% service-connected (honorable discharge) gets a free lifetime game-bird, small-game, and fish license. Application: WGFD Disabled Resident Veteran license application (PDF).
  • 50% or greater: a resident veteran who receives 50%+ service-connected disability compensation from the VA gets a free lifetime fishing license (same application form), issued without payment of any fee.
  • Purple Heart recipients: a resident who received the Purple Heart gets a free lifetime game-bird, small-game, and fish license regardless of disability percentage. Application: WGFD Purple Heart license application (PDF).
  • Proof required is a DD-214, VA disability letter, or VA-issued Veteran ID Card. Whether the conservation stamp is separately included was not spelled out on the official page — confirm with WGFD when you apply.

1. For the parks pass, gather your VA letter showing 50% or higher and proof of Wyoming residency, then apply at reserve.wyoming.gov.
2. For hunting/fishing, download the matching WGFD form — the disabled-veteran application (100% or 50%) or the Purple Heart application — and submit it with your documentation to WGFD Headquarters in Cheyenne or a regional office.

Sources State Parks · Game & Fish

Education for you & your family

What it is: the Wyoming Veterans Tuition Benefit pays tuition at the University of Wyoming or any Wyoming community college for eligible combat veterans and, importantly, for the surviving spouse and children of a veteran who died in service. It is capped at the University of Wyoming undergraduate tuition rate. Fees are not covered (fee coverage was removed in 2018).

• How much: free tuition for up to 8 semesters, which must be used within 8 academic years of your first semester on the benefit. You must keep a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
• Veteran eligibility (you): you qualify as an “overseas combat veteran” if you were a Wyoming resident for at least 1 year before entering active service, were honorably discharged, and were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (or other authorized service/campaign medal for an armed conflict in a foreign country). A separate “Vietnam veteran” route covers those who earned a Vietnam Service Medal (Aug 5, 1964–May 7, 1975) with an other-than-dishonorable discharge and 1 year of Wyoming residency.
• Surviving spouse & dependents: the surviving spouse or child of an overseas combat/Vietnam veteran who died during active service is also eligible for the same 8-semester tuition benefit; a dependent child must be under age 22 at the time of enrollment. (The death-related routes also cover a service member whose death was service-connected or who was a POW/MIA.)
• Note: this is a Wyoming state benefit and is separate from your federal GI Bill. Confirm current-year restrictions with your school's VA certifying official — the Community College Commission page flags additional rules beyond this summary.

1. Decide who is using it: you as a combat/Vietnam veteran, or your surviving spouse/child if the veteran died in service.
2. Contact the VA certifying official at the University of Wyoming or your community college to confirm current-year eligibility and paperwork.
3. Submit your DD-214 and, for a survivor claim, proof of the service-connected death, and coordinate so the benefit applies against actual tuition owed.

Sources Community College Commission · the statute

State Veterans' Home & long-term care

What it is: the Veterans' Home of Wyoming, a state-run facility in Buffalo offering both an Assisted Living Community and a Skilled Nursing Community, operated by the Wyoming Department of Health.

• What it offers: an assisted-living (domiciliary) community for residents who need some help with daily living, and a modern skilled-nursing community (small-home “Greenhouse” cottage model).
• Who can live there: generally an honorably discharged U.S. armed forces veteran (or a former Wyoming National Guard member disabled in the line of duty) who is a Wyoming resident (or intends to become one) and needs the level of care offered. Fees are based on ability to pay. Confirm current eligibility and cost with the Home's admissions office — the public page does not publish the full fee schedule. Contact: (307) 684-5511, 700 Veterans' Lane, Buffalo, WY 82834.

1. Call the Veterans' Home admissions office at (307) 684-5511 and ask which community (assisted living or skilled nursing) fits the need, plus the current eligibility and cost given your situation.
2. Have your DD Form 214 and VA rating letter ready for the application.
3. Ask a free VSO (see “Who to call”) whether VA benefits can help cover skilled-nursing costs in your case.

Sources State Dept of Health

State hiring & civil service

What it is: Wyoming law gives veterans a hiring preference for public jobs, with a larger preference for disabled veterans. It covers the State of Wyoming, counties, municipalities, school districts, community college districts, and the University of Wyoming.

• Interview preference: every public department must give veterans (and qualifying surviving spouses) a preference before the interview stage, as long as you meet the job's qualifications. If a disability does not materially interfere with the duties, disabled veterans are preferred over able-bodied veterans.
• Scored-exam preference: where a public employer uses a numerical scoring system, a veteran or surviving spouse gets a 5% advantage, and a veteran with a service-connected disability of 10% or more gets a 10% advantage. Where no numerical system is used, an equivalent advantage must be given.
• The fine print: to count as a “veteran” here you must be honorably discharged and have been a Wyoming resident for 1 year or more at some point before you apply. The preference is for initial employment (new hires) only — it does not apply to someone already employed by a public department.

1. When you apply for a state or local government job, claim veteran status and, if you have a 10%+ service-connected rating, request the 10% preference — have your DD-214 and VA rating letter ready.
2. Browse state openings through the state job portal and use the Department of Workforce Services Veteran Employment Services for help.

Sources the statute · state job portal · Veteran Employment Services

Other: burial & veteran business

What it is: a state veterans' cemetery, county burial assistance for indigent veterans, and a veteran designation for your credentials.

• Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery (Evansville): a free burial plot and grave vault (for casket burials) for any veteran with a discharge other than dishonorable; an eligible spouse and minor or handicapped child may also be buried in the same plot. Survivors cover funeral-director services and transportation. Contact 307-235-6673.
• County indigent-veteran burial assistance: if a veteran (other than dishonorably discharged) dies without enough money for a funeral, the county pays up to $500 to transport the body and up to $1,500 for burial. This is a payment of last resort, after all other benefits.
• Federal cemetery option: the VA also operates Cheyenne National Cemetery for eligible veterans and dependents — a federal benefit, not a state one.
• Veteran designation on your driver license: Wyoming can add a “Veteran” mark to your driver license (DD-214 required), a handy proof-of-service credential.
• Veteran-owned business: Wyoming does not appear to have a statutory set-aside percentage for veteran-owned businesses in state contracting. Verify any current procurement preference or certification support directly with the Wyoming Business Council or the state procurement office before relying on it.

1. For burial at the state cemetery, contact the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery at 307-235-6673 (pre-registration is worth doing) and have the veteran's DD Form 214 ready.
2. If cost is the barrier, ask the county commissioners about the indigent-veteran burial assistance ($500 transport / $1,500 burial).
3. To add the veteran designation to your license, bring your DD-214 to the driver-license office.

Sources Wyoming Military Dept (cemeteries) · the statute · VA National Cemetery Administration · Wyoming Military Dept (veteran records)

Who to call

The Wyoming Veterans Commission (part of the Wyoming Military Department) is your single front door for these state programs and for a free accredited VSO to help with a VA claim, a rating increase, or applying for any benefit here.

• Wyoming Veterans Hotline: 1-800-833-5987  ·  Main office: 307-777-8152 (5410 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009)
• Property tax questions go to your County Assessor; plates and the registration-fee exemption go to your County Treasurer.

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 1-800-833-5987 or find one at VA.gov. Never pay a private company for basic claims help.
2. State-program questions (property tax, plates, parks, licenses, tuition, the veterans' home, hiring, burial) go to the specific office linked in that section, or start with the Wyoming Veterans Commission.

Sources Veterans Commission · VSO directory

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