Ohio state benefits
Enhanced Homestead Exemption: Taxes on up to $59,400 of Value
100%+- Veteran discharged under honorable conditions with a VA total (100%) rating, or a total rating for compensation based on individual unemployability, for service-connected disability
- You own the home and it's your principal residence on January 1 of the year you apply. No income limit
- Credit equals the taxes on up to $59,400 of your home's value for tax year 2026 ($58,000 for 2025); the dollar amount depends on your local tax rate
- Surviving spouse who lived in the home when the veteran died keeps it until death or remarriage (this includes spouses of veterans who died before getting the total rating but otherwise qualified)
Veteran with Disabilities Plates: No Registration Fees
100%+- Veteran with a service-connected disability rated or compensated at 100%, or a VA allowance toward buying a vehicle due to service-connected disability
- First vehicle: no registration fee, service fee, local motor vehicle tax or plate fee. Extra vehicles can get the plates but pay the regular fees
- Plates carry the wheelchair symbol and allow parking in disability spaces. You must be listed as an owner on the title
Free Driver's License (100%)
100%+- Veteran with a service-connected disability rated or compensated at 100%
- Covers a new, renewal or duplicate license at no cost (the law also waives the permit and exam fees)
- You must otherwise be eligible to get a license (testing done, no suspensions)
Free Hunting & Fishing Licenses
P&T- Ohio resident (6 months in a row) with an honorable discharge, a VA permanent and total disability, and a VA pension or compensation, or a veteran issued Ohio Veteran with Disabilities plates (item 2)
- Free fishing and hunting licenses, fur taker, deer and wild turkey permits, and the wetlands habitat stamp
- Approval lasts 5 years, but you pick up new free licenses each license year (they expire the last day of February)
Free Camping at Ohio State Parks
P&T- Honorably discharged veteran with Ohio residency who is permanently and totally disabled and receives a VA pension or compensation
- Free camping fees on one site at a time; you must occupy the site and show an Ohio driver's license or ID at check-in
- The $6.50 reservation fee still applies. The pass lasts 5 years
Free Boat (Watercraft) Registration
100%+- Veteran with a 100% service-connected disability, or a VA vehicle allowance under the Disabled Veterans' Automobile Assistance Act
- Boat used only for recreation. You must re-verify eligibility each time a registration is required
Military Retirement Pay Deduction
Other rules- Retired pay for service in the uniformed services, reserve components or National Guard, to the extent it's in your federal AGI
- Also Survivor Benefit Plan payments to a surviving or former spouse
- Federal civil service (CSRS/FERS) pension: only the part based on military service credit
War Orphan & Severely Disabled Veterans' Children Scholarship (60%+)
60%+- Veteran parent served during an eligible wartime period and is 60%+ service-connected, receives VA pension for P&T non-service-connected disability, or is deceased (special rules for Guard/Reserve-only service)
- Your child must have lived in Ohio for the past year (if you didn't enter service as an Ohio resident, also 4 of the last 10 years)
- Child aged 16 to 24 when applying, in financial need, seeking an associate or bachelor's degree at an eligible Ohio school
- Covers a share of tuition and general fees (for 2026-27, set July 22, 2026: 77% at public schools, $6,397 at private schools); up to 5 years (10 semesters)
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.