State veteran benefits

Veteran Benefits in Wisconsin

Wisconsin offers a refundable property tax credit for qualifying disabled veterans and surviving spouses, and exempts military retirement pay from state income tax. Its Wisconsin GI Bill helps eligible veterans and families pay tuition, while state programs offer nursing care and financial assistance.

Checked against official state sources on October 3, 2026.

Free help in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs

WDVA administers state benefits and services for Wisconsin veterans and their families.

Agency website (opens in a new tab) · Phone: 800-947-8387

Free help with VA claims

Use WDVA's County and Tribal Veterans Service Officer directory, or contact the WDVA Milwaukee Claims Section. State law requires WDVA to help Wisconsin residents with service-related federal claims without charge.

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.

Open the Benefits Finder

Property tax relief

Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit

Who qualifies
WDVA-certified veterans who served on active duty under honorable conditions, currently reside in Wisconsin, entered active service as Wisconsin residents or lived in Wisconsin for any five consecutive years after entry, and have a 100% service-connected disability rating or a 100% rating based on individual unemployability. An unremarried surviving spouse may qualify if the service member met the entry-residency or five-year residency test, was a Wisconsin resident at death, and died on active duty; died in the line of duty during active or inactive training as a Guard or Reserve member; or served on active duty under honorable conditions and had a 100% service-connected or individual-unemployability rating at death. Another route covers the unremarried spouse of an honorably serving active-duty veteran when the spouse began receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation after the death and continues to receive it. For this DIC route, the veteran must also have met the service-entry or five-year Wisconsin residency test and been a Wisconsin resident at death.
What you get
A refundable credit for qualifying property taxes paid on the principal Wisconsin home and up to one acre of land.
How to apply
Obtain WDVA eligibility verification, then claim the credit on your Wisconsin income tax return. Claim within four years of the return's unextended due date.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. 71.07(6e)

Sources (4)

State income tax

Military retirement pay: Exempt

Military retirement pay exemption

Who qualifies
People receiving retirement payments from the U.S. military retirement system, including the Retired Serviceman's Family Protection Plan and Survivor Benefit Plan.
What you get
Military retirement payments and the covered survivor-plan payments are exempt from Wisconsin income tax.
How to apply
Claim qualified payments on Schedule SB with Form 1, or Schedule M with Form 1NPR.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. 71.05(1)(am)

Sources (4)

Education and tuition

Wisconsin GI Bill for veterans

Who qualifies
WDVA-certified current Wisconsin residents who were Wisconsin residents when entering service or lived in Wisconsin for at least three consecutive years immediately before the term. Qualifying military service includes active duty under honorable conditions for two continuous years or the full initial service obligation, whichever is less; at least 90 days during a war period; service under Executive Order 10957; or service earning the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, or an equivalent expeditionary or service medal. Other routes include honorable discharge for a service-connected disability, a disability later adjudicated service-connected, or hardship; or release under honorable conditions due to a reduction in the armed forces. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.
What you get
Full tuition and eligible fee remission at University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Technical College System institutions for up to 128 credits or eight semesters, whichever is longer. Prior use and federal education benefits can affect the available remission.
How to apply
Submit WDVA Form 2030 to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs for certification, and submit WDVA Form 2029 and required supporting documents to the school.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. ss. 36.27(3p) and 38.24(8); Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Wisconsin GI Bill

Sources (5)

Wisconsin GI Bill for spouses and children

Who qualifies
Wisconsin resident spouses, unremarried surviving spouses, and children ages 17 through 25 of WDVA-certified eligible veterans. One route covers veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating of at least 30% who were Wisconsin residents when entering qualifying service or lived in Wisconsin for at least three consecutive years immediately before the student's term. A second route covers veterans who served on active duty under honorable conditions and, while Wisconsin residents, died on active duty, from a service-connected disability, or in the line of duty during active or inactive duty for training. Those deceased veterans must have been Wisconsin residents at service entry or lived in Wisconsin for at least three consecutive years after age 18. If the veteran was not a Wisconsin resident at service entry, the student also needs three consecutive years of Wisconsin residency immediately before enrollment. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.
What you get
Full remission of eligible tuition and fees for up to 128 credits or eight semesters, whichever is longer, subject to prior-use offsets and coordination with transferred federal education benefits.
How to apply
Obtain the veteran's eligibility certification from the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, then apply to the school for the student's tuition-remission approval.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. ss. 36.27(3n) and 38.24(7); Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Family Benefits

Sources (3)

Wisconsin National Guard Tuition Grant

Who qualifies
Wisconsin National Guard members enrolled full time or part time at qualifying schools who are not officers and do not already hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Members must be actively drilling, in good standing, and making satisfactory academic progress when applying and at the end of the term. They must meet DMA duty criteria and cannot have more than nine unit training assemblies of absence without leave. Child-support-lien restrictions apply unless a qualifying county-approved payment agreement is supplied. Members cannot receive Wisconsin VetEd for the same term.
What you get
Pays the lesser of actual tuition or the maximum UW-Madison resident undergraduate tuition for comparable credits, after applicable financial aid other than loans. Limited to eight full-time semesters or 120 credits of part-time study, or the equivalent.
How to apply
Apply separately for each academic term through DMA's online Tuition Grant portal. Applications may be submitted no earlier than 90 days before the course starts and no later than 90 days after it ends. Paper applications are no longer accepted.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. s. 321.40; Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Wisconsin National Guard Tuition Grant

Sources (4)

State jobs and hiring preference

Veterans preference in state civil service hiring

Who qualifies
Qualifying veterans under Wis. Stat. 230.03(14), including honorable active-duty service during a war period or crisis zone, specified medal service, or two continuous years or the full initial service obligation, whichever is less. Early-discharge exceptions cover hardship, service-connected disability, and force reductions. Eligible groups also include disabled veterans, spouses of veterans with at least 70% service-connected disability, and unremarried spouses of veterans killed in action or who died of a service-connected disability.
What you get
Adds eligible applicants to state classified hiring lists, generally the three highest-ranked applicants in each statutory veteran or spouse category. Separate categories cover veterans with at least 70% disability and their spouses.
How to apply
Apply through Wisc.Jobs and self-report eligibility on the application. The hiring agency verifies status before hire.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. 230.03(9m), (14), and 230.25(1g)-(1m)

Sources (4)

Licenses, plates and parks

Disabled Veteran Recreation Card

Who qualifies
Wisconsin resident veterans receiving VA disability compensation for a rating of at least 50%, or receiving disability compensation based on individual unemployability.
What you get
A $7 annual card provides the combined privileges of resident small game hunting and fishing licenses.
How to apply
Purchase through a license agent in person and present documents establishing eligibility.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. 29.236 and 29.563(4)(a)3m.; Wisconsin DNR, Veterans Privileges

Sources (3)

Disabled Veteran and Former POW Honor Admission Pass

Who qualifies
Wisconsin residents receiving VA disability compensation at 70% or greater or based on individual unemployability, and former U.S. service members held as prisoners of war during a statutory war period or service in a crisis zone.
What you get
Free vehicle admission in designated state park admission areas and free state trail admission. Motor buses are excluded.
How to apply
Complete DNR Form 2500-123 and have a County Veteran Service Office certify eligibility. Mail the certified application to Wisconsin DNR, Bureau of Parks and Recreation, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. 27.01(7)(c)11.-12. and (8)(bn); DNR Form 2500-123

Sources (4)

Veteran Identifier on Driver License or State ID

Who qualifies
Former U.S. armed forces members discharged under honorable conditions; former Reserve or National Guard members who completed their initial obligated service and were discharged honorably or under honorable conditions; and qualifying Laos refugees who served in special guerrilla or irregular forces supporting the U.S. military from February 28, 1961, through September 18, 1978.
What you get
Adds a Veteran Identifier to a Wisconsin driver license or state ID.
How to apply
Verify eligibility with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, then apply through Wisconsin DMV.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. 45.01(12)(k)-(L); 2025 Wisconsin Act 207; Wisconsin DMV, Military veterans

Sources (4)

Emergency financial help

Subsistence Aid Grant

Who qualifies
Veterans who meet Wisconsin's statutory veteran and residency requirements and lose income because of illness, injury or natural disaster. Household income generally cannot exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Applicants must lack other assets or income to meet basic needs and must first seek other available aid. Certain surviving spouses, dependents and families of activated or deployed service members also qualify under separate rules.
What you get
For 2026, subsistence aid can cover essential living costs for the 90 days after the verified income loss. The current rule limits subsistence aid to $3,000 in a consecutive 12-month period. Health care and subsistence assistance together have a $7,500 lifetime limit.
How to apply
Apply through your County or Tribal Veterans Service Officer, directly to WDVA on its form, or through the online grant portal. Submit within 12 months of the verified loss of income and include a declaration showing you applied for other county-administered aid.

Official page (opens in a new tab) Wis. Stat. 45.40; Wis. Admin. Code VA 2.01

Sources (3)

State veterans homes

Before you apply

This page summarizes state law and agency guidance as checked on October 3, 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.