Hawaii VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

Hawaii’s Office of Veterans’ Services (OVS), part of the state Department of Defense, is the main state contact for veterans. It has counselors on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island, and it sends staff to Molokai and Lanai. Most of the money-saving benefits are local: each county runs its own property tax exemption for totally disabled veterans. The state adds a pension-friendly income tax and two state veterans homes, one in Hilo and one in Kapolei.

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

Key benefits at a glance

Property tax exemption

Property tax in Hawaii is a county tax, so the disabled veteran exemption depends on where you live. OVS notes that the benefit varies by island.

City and County of Honolulu (Oahu). Under Revised Ordinances of Honolulu 8-10.5, the home of a veteran who is totally disabled from injuries sustained on active duty is exempt from real property tax except the minimum tax. A 100% VA rating, including a permanent and total rating, meets the requirement. You still owe the $300 minimum tax and any special assessments.

• File form E-8-10.5 (Claim for Exemption for Home of Totally Disabled Veteran) with a copy of your VA disability letter. You can file online, in person or by mail.
• File by June 30 for the first half-year payment or December 31 for the second.
• The exemption lasts as long as the veteran remains totally disabled, and it continues for an unremarried surviving spouse.

Hawaii, Maui and Kauai counties. Each county has its own version of this exemption. Contact the county real property tax office; OVS links to each one from its benefits page.

State income tax

• Military retirement pay: Hawaii excludes distributions from government retirement systems, and the Form N-11 instructions name military pensions as one of them. Retirees subtract the pension on their Hawaii return.
• VA disability compensation: not taxed. It is excluded from federal income (IRS Publication 525), and Form N-11 starts from federal adjusted gross income.
• Guard and reserve pay: members of the military reserves and Hawaii National Guard can exclude up to $8,636 of duty pay for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024. The cap is adjusted each year.

Vehicle registration and license plates

• $46 state registration fee exemption. Veterans with a 100% service-connected rating who are Hawaii residents and were not dishonorably discharged can take $46 off one vehicle’s registration each year. You still pay the county and other fees.
  • To claim it, send OVS a copy of your driver’s license, your current registration and your current VA 100% letter by fax (808-433-0385) or email.
  • OVS mails an original exemption letter, which the DMV requires. Request a new letter every year; the vehicle must have a current registration and safety check first.
• Honolulu $20 county fee (veterans 65+). Starting July 1, 2026, Oahu veterans 65 and older who were not dishonorably discharged can have the $20 City and County registration fee waived on one non-commercial vehicle. Book an appointment at a satellite city hall and bring form CS-L(MVR)50B with proof of veteran status and age.
• Passenger vehicle tax. OVS lists a tax exemption for passenger cars owned by totally disabled veterans when the car was subsidized by VA. Details vary by county.
• Plates. Veteran, Combat, Combat Wounded, Pearl Harbor Survivor, Former POW, era (World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf) and Gold Star Family plates cost the same as a regular plate, including for motorcycles. Apply through your county motor vehicle office.

Hunting and fishing licenses

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) does not offer a veteran-specific discount on hunting or fishing licenses.

• Ocean fishing: free for residents, with no license needed. Nonresidents have needed a paid marine fishing license since May 2024, but active-duty members stationed in Hawaii and their families are exempt.
• Freshwater game fishing: $5 for residents and for military personnel 16 and older, and free at 65 and older.
• Hunting: a resident hunting license with the Wildlife Conservation Stamp costs $20.

Education benefits

The University of Hawaii charges resident tuition to many military-connected students who would otherwise pay nonresident rates. That includes veterans using the Post-9/11 or Montgomery GI Bill, veterans in VR&E (Chapter 31), and students using Chapter 35 or Fry Scholarship benefits who live in Hawaii. The waiver stays in place if they later move but stay continuously enrolled. We could not confirm a state-funded tuition waiver for children of disabled veterans in Hawaii, so ask your campus veterans office about current state programs.

State veterans homes

• Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home — Hilo, Hawaii Island. Offers short-term rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing. Phone 808-961-1500.
• Daniel K. Akaka State Veterans Home — Kapolei, Oahu. A 120-bed post-acute and rehabilitation facility.

OVS also oversees veterans cemeteries on Oahu (the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe), Hawaii Island, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Lanai.

Employment preference

State civil service job announcements give veterans’ preference points on open-competitive recruitments only:

• 5 points: submit a DD-214 (Member 4 copy) showing honorable service dates.
• 10 points: submit a letter from VA or your service branch, dated within the past 12 months, confirming you qualify for 10-point preference.

How to apply for Hawaii veteran benefits

1. Download your VA benefit summary letter from VA.gov. Honolulu’s property tax office and OVS both use it to confirm a 100% rating.
2. For the property tax exemption on Oahu, file form E-8-10.5 with the Real Property Assessment Division by June 30 or December 31. On other islands, contact your county real property tax office.
3. For the $46 registration exemption, send OVS your license, registration and VA 100% letter (fax 808-433-0385), then give the original letter to the DMV. Repeat every year.
4. For help with state benefits or a VA claim, contact OVS at 808-433-0420 (Oahu) or the office on your island listed on the OVS contact page.

VA offices and medical centers in Hawaii

Honolulu VA Regional Benefit Office — 459 Patterson Road, Honolulu, HI 96819, on the campus of the Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center. The main OVS office is at the same address.

VA medical center in Hawaii:

• Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center — Honolulu (VA Pacific Islands Health Care System)

The Pacific Islands system also runs clinics on Oahu (including the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic in Kapolei) and the neighbor islands. Find them with the VA facility locator.

Filing a federal VA disability claim from Hawaii

The federal claim process is the same in every state. See how to file, check your claim status, and review the 2026 compensation rates. OVS counselors help prepare VA claims and appeals and represent veterans at VA hearings at no cost. If you are in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and press 1.