Nevada VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

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

Overview

Nevada has no state income tax, so its veteran benefits come through property and vehicle taxes, licenses and hiring. The core benefit is the disabled veteran exemption under NRS 361.091, which starts at a 60% permanent service-connected rating and can be applied to either your property tax bill or your vehicle’s governmental services tax. The Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS) runs two state veterans homes and provides free Veterans Service Officers in Reno, Las Vegas and Elko.

Key benefits at a glance

Property and vehicle tax relief

Under NRS 361.091, a Nevada resident with an honorable discharge and a permanent service-connected disability qualifies at three tiers of assessed value. The statute sets base amounts:

• 60%–79%: $10,000
• 80%–99%: $15,000
• 100%: $20,000

Since fiscal year 2005–06 these amounts have been adjusted every year for inflation (the West Region CPI), and the Department of Taxation sends the new figures to county assessors by September 30. The current amounts are therefore well above the base figures, so ask your county assessor for this year’s number. Multiple ratings are combined, up to 100%.

Property tax or vehicle tax. NDVS explains that you can apply the exemption to your real property taxes, to the governmental services tax on vehicle registration, or divide it between the two. You can also donate part or all of it to the gift accounts for the state veterans homes (NDVS). A disabled veteran who takes this exemption cannot also take the separate wartime veteran exemption (NRS 361.090).

Surviving spouses qualify if they were married to and living with the veteran for the five years before the veteran’s death, have not remarried, and live in Nevada.

How to apply: file an affidavit with your county assessor, or sign it before a notary, with your DD-214 and a VA letter showing the permanent service-connected percentage. After the first year, the assessor mails you a renewal form every year.

State income tax

Nevada has no personal income tax. Military retirement, Survivor Benefit Plan payments and VA disability compensation are not taxed by the state.

Vehicle registration and plates

Besides the option to apply the disabled veteran exemption to vehicle governmental services tax, the Nevada DMV offers several veteran specialty plates. Honorably discharged veterans can add a veteran designation to their driver’s license by presenting a DD-214 (NDVS).

Hunting, fishing and parks

• Resident Disabled Veteran Specialty Combination Hunting and Fishing License: $15 a year from the Nevada Department of Wildlife for Nevada residents (six months’ presence) with an honorable discharge and a service-connected disability of 50% or more. Attach your VA benefit summary percentage letter, proof of residency, and a hunter education certificate if you were born after January 1, 1960. Apply at an NDOW office or by email.
• State parks: Nevada State Parks sells annual permits at a special rate for Nevada residents with a permanent service-connected disability. The permit covers entrance, camping and boat launch for 12 months.

Education benefits

Nevada has no broad tuition waiver for disabled veterans’ dependents. Under NRS 396.5446, the Board of Regents may waive at least half of registration and other fees for a Nevada-resident veteran with a bachelor’s degree who enrolls in a graduate program in a critical-need science, technology, engineering, arts, math or health field and keeps a 2.75 GPA. Nevada National Guard members and the families of Guard members killed on duty have separate fee waivers.

State veterans homes

• Southern Nevada State Veterans Home, 100 Veterans Memorial Dr., Boulder City (state-owned and operated)
• Northern Nevada State Veterans Home, 36 Battle Born Way, Sparks (overseen by NDVS and operated by a contractor)

Both provide skilled nursing care for eligible veterans, spouses and Gold Star parents (NDVS).

Employment preference

Nevada uses interviews rather than extra points. Under NRS 284.265, a state appointing authority must interview every qualified veteran with a service-connected disability. It must also interview qualified veterans without one in numbers equal to at least 22% of all qualified applicants it interviews. NRS 284.260 also gives preference in the eligible pools to veterans, surviving spouses of service members killed on active duty, surviving spouses of veterans, and recommended Nevada Guard members.

How to apply in Nevada

1. Contact an NDVS Veterans Service Officer (Reno 775-321-4880, Las Vegas 702-486-3830, Elko 775-777-1000). NDVS reports that VSO intake appointments currently take about 30 to 90 days to schedule, so start early.
2. Exemption: file the affidavit with your county assessor with your VA percentage letter, and choose property tax, vehicle GST or both.
3. License: send the NDOW Disabled Veteran application with your VA letter.
4. State jobs: list your veteran status and service-connected disability on the application to trigger the interview requirement.

VA regional office and medical centers

The Reno VA Regional Benefit Office is at 5460 Reno Corporate Dr., Reno, NV 89511. Nevada’s VA medical centers are the Ioannis A. Lougaris VA Medical Center in Reno, with clinics in Reno, Gardnerville, Fallon and Winnemucca, and the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, with clinics across Las Vegas, Henderson, Laughlin and Pahrump. Northeastern Nevada is served by a Salt Lake City VA clinic in Elko.

Filing a federal VA claim

VA disability claims follow the same federal process in every state: see how to file a VA claim, check your claim status, and current compensation rates. Nevada’s exemption requires a permanent rating of at least 60%, so check how your decision letter describes permanence.

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