California VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

California’s veteran benefits come from several agencies. The Board of Equalization sets the disabled veterans’ property tax exemption, DMV issues fee-exempt DV plates, and the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) runs eight veterans homes and the dependents’ college fee waiver. The biggest recent change is on the income tax side: starting with tax year 2025, California no longer fully taxes military retirement pay.

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

Key benefits at a glance

Property tax exemption

The Disabled Veterans’ Exemption (Revenue and Taxation Code § 205.5) lowers the assessed value of your principal residence. You qualify if you are blind in both eyes, have lost the use of two or more limbs, or are totally disabled from a service-connected injury or disease. Totally disabled means a 100% rating, or being paid at the 100% rate because of unemployability. Your discharge must be other than dishonorable.

The Board of Equalization adjusts both levels each year for inflation:

An unmarried surviving spouse can claim the exemption too, including when the veteran’s service-connected death came before a 100% rating. File BOE-261-G, Claim for Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption, with your county assessor. To get the full exemption from the date you qualify, file within 90 days of the qualifying event or by the next January 1, whichever is later. The qualifying event is your purchase of the home, the date of the VA rating notice, or the date of the VA notice of a service-connected death. You file the basic exemption once. The low-income exemption has to be refiled every year: file between January 1 and February 15 for 100%. From February 16 to December 10 you get 90%, and after that 85%.

State income tax

• Military retirement: For tax years 2025 through 2029, you can exclude up to $20,000 of uniformed-services retirement pay, or of Survivor Benefit Plan annuity payments, on Schedule CA (540). Federal AGI must be no more than $125,000, or $250,000 for joint filers and surviving spouses. Retirement pay above the exclusion is still taxable for California residents.
• VA disability benefits, including lump-sum retroactive payments, are tax-exempt in California, as are Combat-Related Special Compensation payments. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) is taxable.

Vehicle registration and license plates

DMV issues Disabled Veteran (DV) License Plates to veterans who were permanently disabled by an injury or disease incurred on active service, if any of the following applies:

• your disability is rated 100% because of a diagnosed disease or disorder that substantially impairs or interferes with mobility
• you can’t move without an assistive device
• you have lost the use of one or more limbs
• you are permanently blind

DV plates exempt one passenger vehicle, motorcycle, or commercial vehicle of 8,000 lbs or less (not used for hire) from all registration and license fees. Replacement plates and duplicate documents still cost the usual fee. You also get disabled-parking privileges, including free parking at on-street meters.

Apply with REG 256V. The medical certification section can be signed by a licensed physician or other listed clinician. Instead of the medical certification, you can have it signed by a County Veterans Service Officer, CalVet, or VA. The plates must be surrendered within 60 days of the veteran’s death.

Hunting and fishing licenses

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) sells reduced-fee licenses to honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected rating of 50% or higher:

• Disabled Veteran Sport Fishing License: $10.04 at CDFW offices or $10.54 from license agents (2026 fees). It is valid for 365 days and is open to residents and nonresidents.
• Disabled Veteran Hunting License: $9.79 on CDFW’s current fee page. You also need proof of hunter education unless you’ve bought a California hunting license since 2011.

You prequalify once. Send CDFW your VA benefit summary letter showing your character of discharge and combined rating, along with your ID and GO ID number. You can upload them through your online license account, mail them to a CDFW license sales office, or fax them to (916) 419-7585. After that, you can buy the license anywhere licenses are sold.

Education benefits

Education Code § 66025.3 bars University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges campuses from charging mandatory systemwide tuition and fees to:

• dependents of a veteran who was killed in action, died of or was totally disabled by active service during a period of hostilities, or was declared missing in action or captured (Military and Veterans Code § 890). This includes children, the spouse of a totally disabled veteran, and an unmarried surviving spouse. Children who start before 21 can generally use the waiver until age 27, and spouses are limited to 48 months of full-time study.
• any child of a veteran with a service-connected disability, at any rating, or who died of one, if the student’s own income is below the state limit
• Medal of Honor recipients and their children (27 or younger), subject to an income limit

CalVet calls this the College Fee Waiver for Veteran Dependents and determines eligibility. Apply through your County Veterans Service Office. Veterans themselves generally use the GI Bill instead. Only Medal of Honor recipients get the state waiver for their own study.

State veterans homes

CalVet operates Veterans Homes of California in eight cities:

• Barstow
• Chula Vista
• Fresno
• Lancaster
• Redding
• Ventura
• West Los Angeles
• Yountville

Levels of care differ by home, so check CalVet’s directory for admission rules and services.

Employment preference

California doesn’t add points for veterans. Under Government Code §§ 18973–18979, a veteran, a veteran’s widow or widower, or the spouse of a 100% disabled veteran who passes an open state civil service exam is placed in the top rank of the eligibility list. Some limits apply:

• preference does not apply to promotional exams
• it stops once you gain permanent civil service status
• a dishonorable discharge disqualifies you

Apply once with CalHR 1093 and your DD-214 (Member 4 copy). Service members can apply up to six months before separation with CalHR 1094. Once CalHR approves you, preference is applied automatically to every open exam you pass.

How to apply for California veteran benefits

1. Download your VA benefit summary letter from VA.gov. Most California programs ask for it.
2. For the property tax exemption, file BOE-261-G with your county assessor within 90 days of your rating or home purchase (or by the next January 1). If you claim the low-income level, refile between January 1 and February 15 every year.
3. For DV plates, take REG 256V, certified by your doctor, your County Veterans Service Officer or CalVet, to a DMV office.
4. Prequalify with CDFW for reduced-fee licenses, then buy them from any license agent.
5. Dependents should ask their County Veterans Service Office about the college fee waiver before each academic year. The waiver can’t be granted for a year that has already passed.
6. Claim the military retirement exclusion on Schedule CA (540) when you file your state return.

VA offices and medical centers in California

California has three VA regional benefit offices:

• Oakland VA Regional Benefit Office: 1301 Clay Street, North Tower, 12th Floor, Room 1200, Oakland, CA 94612
• Los Angeles VA Regional Benefit Office: 11000 Wilshire Blvd., Federal Building, Los Angeles, CA 90024
• San Diego VA Regional Benefit Office: 8620 Spectrum Center Blvd., 7th Floor, San Diego, CA 92123

VA medical centers in California:

• Sacramento VA Medical Center: Mather
• Martinez VA Medical Center: Martinez
• San Francisco VA Medical Center: San Francisco
• Palo Alto VA Medical Center: Palo Alto, with divisions in Livermore and Menlo Park
• Fresno VA Medical Center: Fresno
• West Los Angeles VA Medical Center: Los Angeles
• Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center: Long Beach
• Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans’ Hospital: Loma Linda
• Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center: San Diego

Find outpatient clinics near you with the VA facility locator.

Filing a federal VA disability claim from California

The federal claim process is identical in every state. Start with how to file, follow your claim with claim status, and see the 2026 compensation rates. California’s County Veterans Service Offices, working with CalVet, give free, accredited help with claims and appeals. If you’re in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and press 1.