State veteran benefits

Veteran Benefits in West Virginia

West Virginia provides a refundable homestead property-tax credit for qualifying disabled veterans and surviving spouses, and excludes military retirement income from state income tax. Other main benefits include resident tuition, family and Guard education support, state veterans homes, hunting and fishing exemptions, and public-employment preference.

Checked against official state sources on October 2, 2026.

Free help in West Virginia

West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance

Provides benefits assistance and advice to veterans and their families.

Agency website (opens in a new tab) · Phone: 304-558-3661

Free help with VA claims

Department veterans service officers provide free claims assistance. Use the Benefits Offices directory to locate the state office serving your county.

Find a local office (opens in a new tab)

Not sure what applies to you?

Answer seven questions and the Benefits Finder builds a checklist of federal and state benefits, deadlines and free help.

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Property tax relief

Disabled veteran and eligible widowed spouse real property tax credit

Who qualifies
Honorably discharged veterans rated at least 90% service-connected by VA, or meeting VA individual-unemployability eligibility. The unmarried surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran who previously received the credit may continue it. The qualifying homestead must be used exclusively as the owner's residence, generally for more than six consecutive months in the prior calendar year.
What you get
A refundable income-tax credit equals eligible real property taxes timely paid on the homestead during the tax year. Delinquent or back-tax payments do not qualify. The credit ends on sale, loss of property eligibility, or the survivor's death or remarriage.
How to apply
File a West Virginia personal income-tax return with form DV-1. Pay the first half of the property-tax assessment before October 1 and the second half before April 1.

Official page (opens in a new tab) W. Va. Code §§ 11-13MM-2, 11-13MM-4, and 11-6B-2

Sources (5)

State income tax

Military retirement pay: Exempt

Military retirement income exclusion

Who qualifies
Recipients of military retirement income, including regular Armed Forces, Reserve, and National Guard retirement and survivorship annuities included in federal adjusted gross income.
What you get
Subtracts the qualifying military retirement income from West Virginia adjusted gross income. No dollar ceiling applies to the current exclusion.
How to apply
Claim the decreasing modification when preparing the West Virginia income-tax return.

Official page (opens in a new tab) W. Va. Code § 11-21-12(c)(7)(C)

Sources (1)

Education and tuition

In-state tuition for veterans and military families

Who qualifies
Veterans of the Guard, Reserve, or U.S. armed forces who live in or move to West Virginia to attend a state higher-education institution. Spouses and dependents who live in or move to the state with the member or veteran are also covered.
What you get
State institutions charge in-state tuition regardless of domicile.
How to apply
Request the statutory in-state classification from the state institution you plan to attend.

Official page (opens in a new tab) W. Va. Code § 18B-10-1a

Sources (1)

Tuition and fee waiver for line-of-duty military survivors

Who qualifies
Children or spouses of West Virginia resident Guard, Reserve, or active-duty personnel killed in the line of duty as defined in the statute. Recipients must be admitted, file a FAFSA, and exhaust qualifying tuition-dedicated aid other than loans.
What you get
Waives tuition and fees for undergraduate courses when classroom space is available. Renewal requires the school's academic progress standard. The school may still charge laboratory or other special course fees and parking fees.
How to apply
Apply for admission and submit a FAFSA; ask the institution to apply the line-of-duty survivor waiver.

Official page (opens in a new tab) W. Va. Code § 18B-10-7

Sources (1)

National Guard tuition and fee assistance

Who qualifies
Army or Air National Guard members attending eligible accredited West Virginia institutions during Guard service, in qualifying certificate, undergraduate, or master's programs. The Adjutant General sets additional eligibility criteria.
What you get
Subject to appropriations, pays approved tuition and fees up to the current $10,000 annual program cap shown as of 2026. Public-school payments cannot exceed actual tuition and fees; private-school payments cannot exceed the highest public-school amount. Limited to one certificate, undergraduate degree, and master's degree.
How to apply
Apply through the West Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance website. For the spring semester, submit the application by November 1. Consult the published calendar for other terms.

Official page (opens in a new tab) W. Va. Code § 15-1B-21

Sources (3)

State jobs and hiring preference

Veterans' civil-service preference

Who qualifies
Qualifying veterans separated under honorable conditions, including the statutory active-duty or more-than-90-day Guard/Reserve training pathways. The 10-point category covers qualifying disabled veterans or Purple Heart recipients.
What you get
Adds 5 or 10 points to a passing examination score or category rating, using only the highest applicable preference. Covered veterans rank ahead of non-preference candidates with the same score.
How to apply
Claim the applicable preference during the public-employment application and examination process.

Official page (opens in a new tab) W. Va. Code §§ 6-13-1 and 6-13-2

Sources (2)

Licenses, plates and parks

Disabled veteran hunting, trapping, and fishing exemption

Who qualifies
West Virginia residents honorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces who receive a veteran's pension based on total permanent service-connected disability certified by VA. A separate route covers resident disabled veterans certified by DMV as eligible for the statutory vehicle-registration exemption.
What you get
May hunt, trap, and fish without obtaining a license under the qualifying statutory exemption.
How to apply
Obtain the required veteran certification through the Division of Natural Resources' process.

Official page (opens in a new tab) W. Va. Code § 20-2-28(g), (h)

Sources (1)

Emergency financial help

We could not confirm this from an official source yet. Ask West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance or a free veterans service officer what applies to you.

State veterans homes

Before you apply

This page summarizes state law and agency guidance as checked on October 2, 2026. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Eligibility depends on your records, and laws change, so confirm the details on the official page linked with each benefit, or ask a free accredited representative. This page covers the main state programs. Your county veterans service officer can tell you about smaller or local benefits.

Federal VA benefits apply in every state. See the Veteran Resource Directory and the Benefits Finder.