Wisconsin state benefits
Veterans Property Tax Credit
100%+- Veteran rated 100% service-connected or 100% based on IU, honorable active duty, now a Wisconsin resident
- Entered service from Wisconsin, or lived here any 5 straight years after entering
- Credit equals the property taxes paid on your principal home (up to one acre); refundable if it exceeds your income tax. You can't claim it if you or your spouse claims the homestead, school property tax or farmland preservation credit for the same year
Surviving Spouse Property Tax Credit
Other rules- Unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who lived in Wisconsin at entry into service (or any 5 straight years after) and was a Wisconsin resident at death
- Covers a veteran who had a 100% or IU rating, died on active duty, or died in the line of duty during Guard or Reserve training, or whose death led to DIC that you still receive
- Same credit: the property taxes paid on your principal home, claimed on your income tax return
Disabled Veteran Parking Plates
Other rules- Wisconsin resident veteran whose permanent disability from active U.S. military service limits or impairs walking, certified by the VA
- For an automobile, motor home, or truck up to 8,000 lbs (farm truck up to 12,000 lbs) titled to you
- No charge beyond the regular registration fee. Plates carry disabled parking privileges
Free State Park and Trail Pass
70%+- Wisconsin resident veteran rated 70%+ service-connected or paid as IU, or a former POW
- Free vehicle admission to state parks, forests and recreation areas, plus state trail passes
- Does not cover camping or other non-admission fees. Pass is lifetime, or 2 years for a temporary rating
$7 Disabled Veteran Recreation Card
50%+- Wisconsin resident veteran rated 50%+ service-connected or paid as IU
- Annual card for $7: resident fishing and small game hunting, plus state park vehicle admission and state trail pass
- At 50%+ or IU you may also buy a spring turkey harvest authorization ($10, plus the license and stamp) without the drawing
$3 Disabled Veteran Fishing License
70%+- Wisconsin resident veteran rated 70%+ service-connected or paid as IU
- Annual fishing license for $3 (fishing only)
- If you also hunt small game, the $7 recreation card in item 5 covers both
Military Retired Pay Not Taxed
Other rules- All U.S. military retirement payments are exempt from Wisconsin income tax
- No age or rating requirement
- Also covers Coast Guard, NOAA and Public Health Service commissioned corps retirement
Wisconsin GI Bill for Your Family
30%+- Spouse, unremarried surviving spouse or child (age 17 to 25) of a veteran rated 30%+ service-connected, or who died on active duty, from a service-connected disability, or in line-of-duty training. The student must be a Wisconsin resident for tuition purposes. The veteran must have been a Wisconsin resident when entering service or have lived here 3 straight years (the 3 years before the term, for 30%+ veterans; after age 18, for deceased veterans), and a deceased veteran must have died while a Wisconsin resident. If the veteran wasn't a Wisconsin resident when entering service, the student must have lived here 3 straight years before enrolling.
- Full tuition and segregated fee remission at UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System schools
- Up to 128 credits or 8 semesters, whichever is longer; the student must keep at least a 2.0 GPA
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.