Ohio VA Disability Benefits & Resources

Ohio’s signature benefit for disabled veterans is the enhanced homestead exemption. It is indexed to inflation, has no income test, and is filed with your county auditor. Ohio also runs a Veterans Service Office in each of its 88 counties, deducts military retirement pay from state income tax, and operates two state veterans homes, in Sandusky and Georgetown.

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

Key Ohio Benefits at a Glance

Property Tax: Enhanced Homestead Exemption

Ohio’s homestead exemption is a credit on your property tax bill. The credit equals the taxes that would be charged on a set amount of your home’s value. Disabled veterans get a larger amount than other applicants, and it rises with inflation each year:

• Tax year 2025 (real property): $58,000
• Tax year 2026 (real property): $59,400

Who qualifies:

• A veteran discharged under honorable conditions with a total (100%) service-connected rating, or who is paid at the 100% rate because of individual unemployability.
• The home must be your principal residence on January 1 of the year you apply. The exemption covers the dwelling and up to one acre of land.
• There is no income limit for disabled veterans or their surviving spouses.
• Surviving spouses: The veteran must have been receiving the exemption in the year they died, and you must have lived in the home at that time. You stay eligible until the year after the year you remarry. Since 2023, this also covers spouses of veterans who died before VA issued the disability determination.

How to apply:

1. Complete form DTE 105I, the Homestead Exemption Application for Disabled Veterans and Surviving Spouses.
2. Attach your DD214 and a VA award letter showing the 100% rating. TDIU applicants also need proof of the individual unemployability approval.
3. File with your county auditor by December 31 of the tax year you are claiming. Manufactured and mobile homes are due by December 31 of the year before. If you qualified last year but didn’t file, you can file a late application for the prior year along with your current one.

Since 2025, counties can also adopt an optional local homestead exemption. Ask your county auditor whether your county has one.

Ohio Income Tax

• Military retirement pay: You can deduct retirement pay for service in the uniformed services, reserves, or Ohio National Guard. If your pension combines military and federal civilian service, only the military share qualifies, based on years of military service divided by total years of service. Survivor Benefit Plan payments are also deductible.
• VA disability compensation: It is not included in federal adjusted gross income, which is where the Ohio return starts, so Ohio does not tax it.
• Military injury relief grants and veterans’ disability severance payments are also not taxable in Ohio.

Vehicles, Licenses, and Hunting and Fishing

• Disabled veteran plates (ORC 4503.41): You qualify if you are rated or paid at 100% for service-connected disability, or VA awarded you funds to buy a vehicle. You pay no registration fee, service fee, or local motor vehicle tax on your first vehicle, and the usual fees apply to any additional vehicles. The plates are red, white, and blue, show the word “veteran,” and carry the wheelchair symbol.
• Free hunting and fishing licenses (ORC 1533.12): Ohio residents qualify if they were honorably discharged, VA has found them permanently and totally disabled, and they receive VA pension or compensation. Holders of ORC 4503.41 plates also qualify. The free package includes the fishing license, hunting license, fur taker permit, deer and wild turkey permits, and the wetlands habitat stamp. Apply on the ODNR “Disabled Veterans & Former POWs 5-Year Free License Application” or call 1-800-WILDLIFE (1-800-945-3543).

Education

• Ohio War Orphan & Severely Disabled Veterans’ Children Scholarship: Pays tuition assistance for children of deceased veterans and of veterans who are “disabled,” meaning rated 60% or higher service-connected or receiving VA benefits for a permanent and total nonservice-connected disability. The veteran must have served during a period of declared war or conflict.
  • Students must apply between ages 16 and 24, be Ohio residents, and enroll full time in an associate or bachelor’s program.
  • For 2026-2027, the award is 77% of tuition and general fees at public schools, or $6,397 a year at private schools.
  • Applications are due May 15 each year. The 2027-2028 application is open now.
• Ohio GI Promise: Qualified veterans, service members, and their dependents can pay in-state tuition at Ohio public colleges and universities. Call (614) 466-6000 with questions.

Ohio Veterans Homes

The Ohio Department of Veterans Services runs two homes:

• Ohio Veterans Home - Sandusky (3416 Columbus Ave., Sandusky): a 427-bed nursing home with standard and memory care, plus a domiciliary. Phone 1 (419) 625-2454.
• Ohio Veterans Home - Georgetown (Brown County): a 168-bed nursing home with standard and memory care.

State Employment Preference

Under ORC 124.23, an honorably discharged veteran who lives in Ohio and passes a state civil service exam gets 20% of their total grade added to the score. Reserve and Ohio National Guard members with more than 180 days of federal active duty also qualify. Reserve members who have only completed initial entry-level training get a 15% credit instead.

Ohio Veterans Bonus (Closed)

The Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Compensation Program no longer accepts applications. The Legislative Service Commission’s FY 2026-2027 budget analysis describes only the remaining closeout work and bond debt service.

VA Regional Office and Medical Centers

Cleveland VA Regional Benefit Office Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building, 1240 E. 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44199

VA medical centers and major outpatient centers in Ohio:

• Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland
• Dayton VA Medical Center, Dayton
• Chillicothe VA Medical Center, Chillicothe
• Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati
• Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic, Columbus

Community clinics include Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Mansfield, Parma, Lima, Springfield, Athens, Marietta, Portsmouth, Zanesville, and Grove City. Use the VA facility locator to find the one nearest you.

Filing a Federal VA Claim

The federal claims process is the same in every state. Start with How to File a VA Claim, track it at Check Your Claim Status, and see what you may be paid at 2026 VA Disability Rates. For free local help, use the Ohio Department of Veterans Services directory of County Veterans Service Offices, which covers all 88 counties. You can also call ODVS at (614) 644-0898.

Crisis Support

Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.