Alaska VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

Alaska’s veterans programs are run by the Office of Veterans Affairs, part of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The office works with four national veterans organizations to place service officers in communities across the state. With no state income tax, the biggest state benefits for disabled veterans are local: a required property tax exemption, free permanent hunting and fishing privileges at 50%, and discounts on the state ferry system and in state parks.

State benefit details verified against official state sources on September 27, 2026.

Key benefits at a glance

Property tax exemption

AS 29.45.030(e) requires every Alaska municipality that levies property tax to exempt the first $150,000 of assessed value on the home a disabled veteran owns and lives in as a permanent residence. The Office of Veterans Affairs says the disability must have been incurred or aggravated in the line of duty and rated 50% or more by VA or the veteran’s branch of service.

• Surviving spouses: a widow or widower who is at least 60 and hasn’t remarried keeps the exemption. A municipality may, with voter approval, extend it to younger surviving spouses or to the surviving spouse of a service member who died of a service-connected cause.
• Hardship: a municipality may exempt value above $150,000 in cases of hardship.
• Local rules: you must apply in writing. Each municipality sets its own application form and deadline and may require that you were eligible for a Permanent Fund Dividend. Only one exemption can be claimed per property.

Contact your borough or city assessor before the local filing deadline.

State income tax

Alaska has no individual income tax. The Tax Division says no state income tax is withheld from wages, so military retirement pay, VA disability compensation and all other personal income are untaxed at the state level.

Vehicle registration and license plates

The Alaska DMV issues three disability plates. The two Disabled Veteran versions both cost $0 to issue and $0 to renew:

• Disabled Veteran without parking privileges: submit a VA notice showing a combined service-connected rating of 50% or more.
• Disabled Veteran with parking privileges: submit the VA notice plus a Special Disability Parking Permit application (Form 861) showing a permanent disability. Only plates with the wheelchair symbol allow parking in disability spaces.

DMV says an owner with a permanent disability gets one free vehicle registration, which can be moved to another vehicle. Additional vehicles with disability plates pay the usual fees. Veterans can also add a veteran designation to an Alaska driver’s license or ID at no extra charge when renewing.

Hunting and fishing licenses

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issues a free, permanent disabled veteran identification card that serves as a hunting, sport fishing and trapping license. To qualify you must:

• meet ADF&G’s residency definition
• be certified 50% disabled or more
• be physically present in Alaska when you apply

Apply online and send your disability certification letter to ADF&G’s licensing section. Cardholders don’t need a king salmon stamp or the Alaska state waterfowl conservation stamp. For fisheries with annual harvest limits, you must still carry a free Sport Fishing Harvest Record Card. The card is void as soon as you stop being an Alaska resident.

Education benefits

• Alaska Veterans’ Dependent Tuition Waiver: the spouse and dependents of an armed forces member who was an Alaska resident and died in the line of duty, was killed in action, or is listed by the Department of Defense as a POW get a waiver of all undergraduate tuition and fees in the University of Alaska system.
• National Guard tuition assistance: Alaska National Guard members may receive up to 100% tuition assistance at any University of Alaska school.
• The Office of Veterans Affairs is also Alaska’s State Approving Agency for GI Bill programs and apprenticeships. Call (907) 334-0874 with questions.

State veterans homes

The Alaska Veterans & Pioneers Home in Palmer is an assisted living home run by the Division of Alaska Pioneer Homes in the Department of Family and Community Services. It is one of six Pioneer Homes in the state. Apply through the Pioneer Homes admissions office; the division keeps a waitlist.

Employment preference

Under AS 39.25.159, qualified applicants for state jobs get:

• 5% of available points added to a passing score for honorable service in the U.S. armed forces, a reserve unit, the Alaska Territorial Guard, the Alaska National Guard or the Alaska Naval Militia
• 10% of available points for a disabled veteran or former prisoner of war

When a job isn’t scored numerically, disabled veterans and former POWs are guaranteed an interview. Spouses of veterans and certain surviving family members of disabled veterans also get consideration. You can use only one preference category, and preference doesn’t count when a job is open only to current state employees.

How to apply for Alaska veteran benefits

1. Download your VA benefit summary letter from VA.gov showing your combined rating.
2. For the property tax exemption, file a written application with your borough or city assessor by its local deadline.
3. For Disabled Veteran plates, apply online through the Alaska DMV with the VA letter, and add Form 861 if you want parking privileges.
4. For the free hunting, fishing and trapping card, apply online with ADF&G while in Alaska and email or mail your disability letter.
5. For the ferry discount, ask the Alaska Marine Highway System disability pass desk for a reduced-fare pass. For the state park camping pass, go in person to the Department of Natural Resources public information center in Anchorage or Fairbanks.
6. For free claims help, contact the Office of Veterans Affairs at 4600 DeBarr Rd, Suite 180, Anchorage, AK 99508, (907) 334-0874 or 1-888-248-3682. Its service officer directory lists offices in Anchorage, Wasilla, Fairbanks, Juneau, Soldotna, Kodiak and Ketchikan, plus Tribal Veteran Representatives in rural communities.

VA offices and medical centers in Alaska

Anchorage VA Regional Benefit Office at Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson Campus of the Alaska VA Healthcare System: 1201 North Muldoon Street, Anchorage, AK 99504.

Major VA medical facilities in Alaska:

• Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson Campus of the Alaska VA Healthcare System: Anchorage
• Anchorage Midtown VA Medical Center: Anchorage
• Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson VA Medical Center (DoD/VA joint venture hospital): Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

Find outpatient clinics near you with the VA facility locator.

Filing a federal VA disability claim from Alaska

The VA disability claim process is the same in every state. See how to file, check your claim status and the 2026 compensation rates. Service officers provided through the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs work with veterans in person, by phone or by video, at no cost. If you’re in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and press 1.