Rhode Island VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

In Rhode Island, much of what a disabled veteran receives is written into the General Laws rather than a state agency program. That includes free public-college tuition starting at a 10% rating, a full exclusion for military pensions and fee-free registration at 100%. Property tax relief is the exception: each city and town sets its own amount, so your assessor matters as much as the state.

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

Key Rhode Island Benefits at a Glance

Property Tax Exemptions

Rhode Island’s veterans’ property tax exemptions come from R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-3-4, but the amounts are municipality-specific. The statute sets a default and then lists different amounts, caps or local options for many cities and towns. Your exact exemption depends on where your property is assessed.

• Base veterans’ exemption: $1,000 of assessed value by default for veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and other listed conflicts, and for unmarried surviving spouses. Many towns use a different figure written into the statute. Burrillville and Newport are $4,000, for example, and Westerly allows up to $40,500. Some towns use a tax credit instead.
• Specially adapted housing: An additional $10,000 exemption on real property. It is for veterans rated totally disabled by VA from service-connected causes who received VA help acquiring specially adapted housing, and for their unmarried surviving spouses. The home must be your domicile.
• Totally disabled veterans: A city or town may, by ordinance, give an extra $10,000 exemption on real or personal property to veterans VA-rated totally disabled from service-connected causes. Some towns set a different amount.
• Partially disabled veterans: Several towns are authorized to give exemptions for partial service-connected disability, using amounts in the statute.
• Former POWs: A city or town may, by ordinance, add a $15,000 exemption, with higher local amounts in some towns.
• Gold Star parents: Covered separately under R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-3-5.

How to apply: Apply at your city or town tax assessor with your DD-214. For disability-based exemptions, also bring a VA certificate of your disability. The Office of Veterans Services notes that most qualifying conflicts are listed on the back of your tax bill. The Division of Municipal Finance’s statewide summary of local exemptions is useful for comparing towns, but its figures date from the 12/31/2021 assessment date. Confirm current amounts and filing deadlines with your assessor.

State Taxes

Starting with tax year 2023, R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-30-12(c)(11) lets you subtract all military service pension benefits included in your federal adjusted gross income. The subtraction can’t exceed the military pension you actually received that year. VA disability compensation isn’t included in federal adjusted gross income, so Rhode Island doesn’t tax it either.

Vehicles and Driver Licenses

• Disabled Veteran plates and fee exemption (§ 31-6-8): This covers honorably discharged wartime veterans who lost, or lost the use of, an arm, hand, foot or leg. It also covers veterans with VA documentation of a 100% combined service-connected rating or individual unemployability. They are exempt from the annual registration fee and the driver license fee. The DMV issues one set of “Disabled Veteran” plates for a car or a commercial vehicle of 12,000 pounds or less. After the veteran’s death, a surviving spouse can keep the plates for life or until remarriage.
• Veteran plates (§ 31-3-53): Any veteran can get “Veteran” plates, with a branch decal and a “War Veteran” decal if eligible, for each vehicle they own. There is no service or transfer charge for the plate, but normal registration fees apply.
• How to apply: Bring the Application for Registration and your DD-214 to the DMV. For Disabled Veteran plates, add documentation from the Providence VA Regional Office describing your disability.

Hunting and Fishing

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-31(c), a veteran who is 100% disabled can get a continuing license to hunt, fish or both at no cost from the Department of Environmental Management. Present your discharge papers and disability documentation once; you don’t need to reappear to renew. Resident licenses otherwise cost $24 for freshwater fishing or hunting since July 1, 2025.

Education

• Disabled Veterans Tuition Waiver (R.I. Gen. Laws § 30-30.1-1): A permanent Rhode Island resident with a VA service-connected rating of 10% to 100% can take courses at any public college or university in the state without paying tuition. Other fees and charges still apply. You must apply for financial aid first, and any aid you receive goes toward tuition. The waiver covers courses at the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island.
• National Guard State Tuition Exemption Program: Members of the Rhode Island Army and Air National Guard can take tuition-free courses at CCRI, RIC and URI on a space-available basis. Contact the Guard Education Office in Cranston at 401-275-4039.

State Veterans Home

The Rhode Island Veterans Home at 480 Metacom Ave., Bristol, opened in 2017 overlooking Mount Hope Bay and has 208 beds for nursing and residential care. It is the state’s only veterans home.

Eligibility:

• Honorable discharge and at least 90 days of active wartime service.
• Rhode Island residency for the two consecutive years before applying, or you entered the service from Rhode Island.

Residents pay based on their means, typically 80% of adjusted net income. Call admissions at 401-253-8000.

Employment Preference

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-4-19, veterans who pass a competitive entrance exam for the state classified service get 5 points added. Disabled veterans get 10 points. The preference doesn’t apply to promotional exams.

• Veteran: More than 30 days of active duty other than training with an other-than-dishonorable discharge, a discharge for service-connected disability, or 20 years of Guard or Reserve service with a retirement certificate.
• Disabled veteran: A war veteran, meaning one with a campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal and an honorable or general discharge, who has a VA service-connected rating.

VA Regional Office and Medical Centers

Providence VA Regional Benefit Office: 380 Westminster St., Providence, RI 02903.

• Providence VA Medical Center, 830 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence. Its Rhode Island clinics are the Eagle Square and Eagle Street VA Clinics in Providence and the Middletown VA Clinic. The system also runs clinics in Hyannis and New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Filing a Federal VA Claim

The VA claims process is federal and the same in every state. See How to File a VA Claim, Check Your Claim Status and 2026 VA Disability Rates. For free help, contact the Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services (RIVETS) at 560 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02886, or call (401) 921-2119. Its Veterans Resource Center helps with VA and state benefit applications.

Crisis Support

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