New Jersey VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

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

Overview

New Jersey veterans now work with a stand-alone New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs (NJDVA), split off from the former Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. In a state with some of the highest property taxes in the country, the most valuable benefit is the full property tax exemption for veterans rated 100% permanent and total. New Jersey also stands out for free hunting and fishing licenses at any service-connected rating and a fully tax-free military pension.

Key benefits at a glance

Property tax relief

Per the Division of Taxation’s veterans brochure:

• Full exemption: an honorably discharged veteran with active duty service whom the VA certifies as 100% permanently and totally disabled from that service gets a full property tax exemption on the dwelling and the lot it sits on. The home must be your primary residence, and you must be a full or partial owner and a permanent New Jersey resident. The exemption continues for the unremarried surviving spouse, and it is also available to unremarried surviving spouses of service members who died on active duty. File Claim Form D.V.S.S.E. with your municipal tax assessor.
• $250 deduction: an honorably discharged veteran with active duty service (Reserve and Guard members only if called to active duty, not training) who owns property and lives in New Jersey can deduct $250 a year (Division of Taxation). Eligibility is measured as of October 1 of the pretax year. File Form V.S.S. with the assessor or collector. Surviving spouses of service members who died on active duty can qualify too.
• Deployment deferment: a service member deployed or mobilized in time of war can defer a property tax bill and pay it within 90 days after returning (Form AMSPTD).

State income tax

The Division of Taxation says U.S. military pensions and Survivor Benefit Plan payments are not taxable in New Jersey, and you shouldn’t report them on the NJ-1040. Federal civil service pensions (from OPM) are taxable, even when they’re based on military service credit. Combat zone pay has been excluded since tax year 2021.

Honorably discharged veterans can also take a $6,000 veteran exemption on the NJ-1040 (Division of Taxation). VA disability compensation is excluded from federal gross income (IRS Publication 525) and is not taxed by New Jersey.

Vehicle registration and parking

The Motor Vehicle Commission offers special privileges for service-disabled or blind veterans. Disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients can get a placard that exempts them from municipal parking meter fees for up to 24 hours. The MVC also adds a Veteran designation to driver licenses and non-driver IDs (NJDVA guide). Call the MVC at 609-292-6500 for current registration fee rules.

Hunting and fishing licenses

New Jersey’s rule is broader than most states’. The Division of Fish and Wildlife issues hunting and fishing licenses free each year to New Jersey residents who were honorably discharged and whom the VA has found to have a service-connected disability, with no minimum percentage listed (NJDVA guide). Contact NJDFW licensing at 609-292-2965 or [email protected].

Education benefits

• POW/MIA Tuition Benefit Program: free undergraduate tuition for any child of a New Jersey service member officially declared a POW or MIA after January 1, 1960.
• War Orphan Tuition Assistance: $500 a year for four years for children of service members who died in service or from a service-connected disability, or who are listed as MIA. Both the veteran and the child must have been state residents.
• Veterans Tuition Credit Program: $400 a year for eligible veterans who served on active duty between December 31, 1960 and May 7, 1975.

Contact the Veterans Benefits Bureau at 888-865-8387 or [email protected] (NJDVA guide).

State veterans homes

NJDVA operates three long-term nursing facilities:

• Veterans Memorial Home at Paramus, 1 Veterans Drive, Paramus
• Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park, 132 Evergreen Road, Edison
• Veterans Memorial Home at Vineland, 524 North West Blvd, Vineland

The Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown offers free burial to veterans, spouses and dependent children.

Employment preference

Veterans who served during qualifying war periods can claim preference on New Jersey civil service lists. File the Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim Form with your DD-214 through NJDVA. Veteran status for civil service pension purposes has different criteria than exam preference (NJDVA guide).

How to apply in New Jersey

1. Contact a county Veteran Service Office or the Veterans Benefits Bureau (888-865-8387). NJDVA also offers free rides to VA medical appointments, the Regional Office and VSO offices.
2. Property tax: file D.V.S.S.E. (exemption) or V.S.S. (deduction) with your municipal tax assessor, with your VA certificate and DD-214.
3. Income tax: claim the $6,000 veteran exemption on your NJ-1040 and leave the military pension off the return.
4. Licenses: apply to NJ Fish and Wildlife with proof of your service-connected disability.

VA regional office and medical centers

The Newark VA Regional Benefit Office is at 20 Washington Place, Newark, NJ 07102. The VA New Jersey Health Care System runs the East Orange and Lyons VA medical centers and clinics in Hackensack, Hamilton, Jersey City, Toms River, Morristown, Paterson, Piscataway, Newton and Tinton Falls. South Jersey veterans use Philadelphia VA clinics in Marlton, Camden and Sewell and Wilmington VA clinics in Linwood, Rio Grande and Vineland.

Filing a federal VA claim

The claim process is federal: see how to file a VA claim, check your claim status, and current compensation rates. In New Jersey, a service-connected finding of any percentage opens the free hunting and fishing licenses, while the property tax exemption requires a 100% P&T rating.

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