Missouri state benefits
Property Tax Credit ("Circuit Breaker")
100%+- You or your spouse is a veteran who became 100% disabled as a result of military service, and you paid property tax (or rent) on your Missouri home
- A 100% service-connected veteran doesn't count VA payments as income
- 2025 claims (filed in 2026): owners up to $1,100 (renters $750); income limit $30,000 single / $34,000 married if you owned all year
- 2026 claims (filed in 2027), HB 594 (2025): owners up to $1,550 (renters $1,055); limits rise to $42,200 single / $48,000 married owners
Full Home Exemption for Former POWs
Other rules- Missouri citizen who is a former prisoner of war with a total service-connected disability
- The home you use as a homestead is exempt from property tax
Free Disabled Veteran License Plates
100%+- Missouri resident, honorably discharged, paid VA compensation for a total service-connected disability (or a disability at the VA auto-grant level)
- One set is free: no specialty, transfer, processing or replacement fees (late renewal penalty still applies). Extra sets pay regular fees
- Parking in disabled spots needs the wheelchair symbol (form DOR-1776)
Fish & Hunt Without a Permit (60%+ or POW)
60%+- Honorably discharged veteran (resident or not) with a service-related disability of 60% or more, or a former POW
- Fish and hunt small game without a permit. Still buy deer, turkey, elk and bear permits, the Migratory Bird permit, Duck Stamp, Conservation Order permit, and the trout permit or daily tag where required. Trapping still needs a permit
- Nonresidents in this group pay resident prices
Military Retired Pay Not Taxed
Other rules- Your total military retirement benefits included in federal income can be subtracted from Missouri income
- VA disability compensation is federal tax-free
- Survivor Benefit Plan annuities don't qualify for this subtraction (they may qualify for the public pension exemption)
Veterans' Preference for State Merit Jobs
All veterans- Veterans, disabled veterans, spouses of disabled veterans and certain unmarried surviving spouses get preference in merit-system exams and, when all other relevant job-related factors are equal, in hiring
- Honorably discharged veterans also get credit for related military training
Returning Heroes Tuition Cap ($50/Credit Hour)
Other rules- Combat veteran (shown by combat theater service, combat medals, or imminent danger/hostile fire pay) discharged under honorable conditions who lives in or can vote in Missouri
- Undergraduate tuition capped at $50 per credit hour at public colleges (keep a 2.5 GPA). Graduate tuition capped at 30% of tuition and fees
- Use it within 10 years of your last discharge (20 years for graduate study)
Wartime Veteran's Survivors Grant (Family)
Other rules- Spouse, or child under 25, of a post-9/11 Missouri combat veteran who died or was injured in combat, or became 80% disabled from combat injuries
- Pays tuition (up to the Mizzou rate), up to $2,000 per semester for room and board and up to $500 for books. Limited to 25 students a year
Federal benefits to look into
CHAMPVA: health coverage for your spouse and kids
P&TIt's for family members, not the veteran: the spouse or dependent child of a veteran rated P&T from a service-connected disability. It's a cost-sharing program: VA shares the cost of covered care with the family. Not free. Family members eligible for TRICARE can't get CHAMPVA.
DEA (Chapter 35): school money for your spouse and kids
P&TChapter 35 / DEA education benefits are available to the spouse and children of a veteran who is P&T due to a service-connected disability. For school or training that started on or after Aug 1, 2018, DEA pays up to 36 months of benefits.
Social Security: faster disability decisions
100% + P&TSSA expedites disability claims from veterans rated 100% P&T. Say "veteran rated 100% P&T" (or enter "Veteran 100% P&T" in the online Remarks). It doesn't guarantee approval; SSA's own rules still apply.
Dental insurance for CHAMPVA families (VADIP)
P&TCHAMPVA covers dental only in limited medical cases; enrollees can buy dental insurance at reduced cost through VADIP.
Your Benefit Summary Letter (proof of your rating)
All veteransYou can download your Benefit Summary Letter (sometimes called an award letter) on VA.gov.
VA dental care (Class IV)
100% (or paid at 100% for TDIU)Per VA, you qualify for any needed dental care if you have a service-connected disability rated 100% disabling, or you're paid at the 100% rate because of TDIU. A temporary 100% rating does not qualify.
DoD ID card and base privileges (100%)
100% (or paid at 100% for TDIU)A 100% disabled veteran (DAV) and eligible family members can get a DoD Uniformed Services ID card. It gives commissary, exchange and MWR privileges and base access. It is not TRICARE.
Base retail access for all service-connected veterans
Any ratingAll service-connected veterans can use commissaries, exchanges and MWR retail facilities, in person and online, per VA's matrix.
Federal student loan discharge (TPD)
100% (or paid at 100% for TDIU)Veterans whom VA has determined have a service-connected disability rated 100% or are rated totally disabled based on individual unemployability (TDIU) can have eligible federal student loans discharged.
No VA home loan funding fee
10%+Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability are exempt from the VA home loan funding fee, at any compensable rating, not just 100%.
America the Beautiful Access Pass
Other rulesA free, lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a permanent disability. It doesn't have to be 100% or service-connected.
Military Lifetime Pass (federal lands)
All veteransVeterans (and Gold Star families) can get a free lifetime pass to federal recreation lands. No disability is needed.