Maryland VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

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

Overview

Maryland’s state veterans agency is now the Department of Veterans and Military Families (DVMF), the renamed Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs. The most valuable state benefit is a complete property tax exemption for veterans rated 100% permanent and total, and Maryland pairs it with a capped military retirement subtraction rather than a full exclusion. DVMF runs Charlotte Hall Veterans Home and a network of VA-accredited benefits specialists.

Key benefits at a glance

Property tax relief

The state exemption covers the dwelling and surrounding yard of a veteran whose VA rating is 100% service-connected, permanent and total. SDAT’s application also accepts a 100% permanently unemployable (P&T TDIU) rating. The home must be your principal residence. Separate applications exist for disabled active-duty members, surviving spouses of military casualties, and surviving spouses of 100% disabled veterans.

When to apply: veterans and surviving spouses can apply at any time; they are not held to Maryland’s September 1 filing deadline. Attach your most recent VA rating packet. DVMF’s Baltimore service office (800-446-4926, ext. 6450) can help verify your rating for the application.

Some counties, including Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Washington, have their own veteran credits with different rules. DVMF keeps a county list; check your county’s website for eligibility.

State income tax

Maryland does not fully exempt military retirement. Per DVMF, a retiree 55 or older on the last day of the tax year can subtract up to $20,000, and a retiree under 55 up to $12,500, on Form 502. Qualifying service includes active and reserve components, the Maryland National Guard, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and NOAA. Retirees 65 or older, or totally disabled, may also qualify for Maryland’s separate pension exclusion.

VA disability compensation is excluded from federal gross income (IRS Publication 525), and Maryland’s calculation starts from federal adjusted gross income, so it is not taxed.

Vehicle registration and plates

The MVA issues Disabled Veteran plates in two tiers:

• 100% rating: plates free of charge, with or without the wheelchair symbol, and eligibility for permanent registration with no further fees.
• 50%–99% rating (or unemployability): plates free, but annual registration fees and the surcharge still apply.

Disabled Veteran plates require an in-person MVA appointment and a letter on DVMF letterhead showing your rating.

Hunting, fishing and parks

Maryland residents certified as 100% service-connected disabled or as former prisoners of war can get a complimentary lifetime hunting license at a DNR Licensing and Registration Service Center (DVMF). It includes the bow stamp, muzzleloader stamp and furbearer permit. The state migratory game bird stamp, federal duck stamp and Big Game Harvest Record must still be obtained each year.

Day-use entrance fees at Maryland state parks are waived for all veterans, resident or not (the waiver covers the veteran, or the vehicle where a per-vehicle fee applies).

Education benefits

The Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, covers:

• children and stepchildren of service members who died or were 100% permanently disabled because of service;
• unremarried surviving spouses of service members who were 100% permanently disabled by service;
• veterans with a service-connected disability of 25% or more who have used up or lost eligibility for federal education benefits.

The 2025–2026 maximum award was $13,689, capped at resident undergraduate tuition and fees at a four-year USM school. Apply through your school’s financial aid office by July 15. For 2026–2027, MHEC is funding participating schools through institutional allocations, so award amounts can vary by school.

DVMF also lists the Douglas J.J. Peters Veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts Scholarship for those veterans and their children and spouses.

State veterans home

Charlotte Hall Veterans Home in St. Mary’s County is Maryland’s only state veterans home (DVMF). It has 126 assisted living beds, 318 skilled nursing beds (including a 16-bed women’s unit) and secure memory care, with transportation to the DC VA Medical Center. Applicants must be Maryland residents who are at least 62 or rated disabled by SSA or the VA. Veterans rated 70% or more service-connected may qualify for VA coverage of the full cost of nursing home care.

Employment preference

In the State Personnel Management System, applicants who pass a selection test get 10 credit points as veterans, spouses of veterans with service-connected disabilities, or surviving spouses of eligible veterans, plus 2 more points for former prisoners of war (Department of Legislative Services). Private employers in Maryland may also legally grant a hiring preference to veterans.

How to apply in Maryland

1. Request a DVMF rating letter or get your VA letter. The MVA specifically asks for DVMF letterhead for Disabled Veteran plates.
2. Book a DVMF benefits specialist (how to apply). DVMF has 16 offices, some inside MVA branches, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment. Their help with state and federal claims is free.
3. Property tax: file the 100 Percent Disabled Veteran Exemption Application with SDAT; no deadline.
4. Plates: schedule an MVA appointment through myMVA.
5. Conroy Scholarship: apply through your college by July 15.

VA regional office and medical centers

The Baltimore VA Regional Benefit Office is at 31 Hopkins Plaza, Baltimore, MD 21201. The VA Maryland Health Care System runs three medical centers (Baltimore, Loch Raven in Baltimore, and Perry Point) and clinics in Baltimore, Cambridge, Rosedale, Fort Meade, Glen Burnie and Pocomoke City. Southern Maryland and the suburbs are served by DC VA clinics in Charlotte Hall, Lexington Park, Gaithersburg and Camp Springs, and western Maryland by Martinsburg VA clinics in Cumberland and Hagerstown, plus a clinic at Fort Detrick in Frederick.

Filing a federal VA claim

VA disability claims follow one federal process nationwide: see how to file a VA claim, check your claim status, and current compensation rates. A DVMF benefits specialist can file and track the claim for you at no cost.

If you are in crisis, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.