Tennessee VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

Tennessee’s main benefit for disabled veteran homeowners works differently from most states: instead of an exemption, the state reimburses property tax on up to $175,000 of your home’s value, and you reapply against each year’s bill. The rest of the state package is tied mostly to a permanent and total rating: a free first license plate, a county vehicle privilege tax exemption and a $10 hunting and fishing license.

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

Key Tennessee Benefits at a Glance

Property Tax Relief

Tennessee’s Property Tax Relief program is run by the Comptroller of the Treasury and funded by the General Assembly. It is a reimbursement, not an exemption. You still receive your property tax bill and pay it, and the state pays back part or all of the tax. The amount varies with your assessment and local tax rate, and it applies only to your primary residence.

Disabled veteran homeowners qualify if they have:

• A service-connected permanent and total disability, as determined by VA; or
• A 100% permanent total disability from having served as a prisoner of war; or
• A service-connected disability from paraplegia or permanent paralysis of both legs and the lower body, legal blindness, or loss or loss of use of two or more limbs.

For 2026, relief is calculated on up to $175,000 of market value. Unlike the elderly and disabled homeowner programs, which have a $38,470 income cap and a $33,600 value cap, the disabled veteran program lists no income limit.

Surviving spouses qualify if they were married to the veteran at death, have not remarried, and the veteran met one of the disability requirements. Relief also extends to the surviving spouse of a veteran whose death was service-connected and combat-related, and of a service member who died while deployed in support of combat or peace operations.

How to apply:

1. Contact your county trustee, or your city collecting official if the home is inside city limits. Applications are available only there.
2. Veterans complete Form F-16 and surviving spouses Form F-16S, which let the state get your disability information from VA. Spouses also provide the death certificate and ID.
3. Apply when you receive your tax bill. The deadline is 35 days after the delinquency date, and your taxes must be paid by then.
4. After approval, you’ll get a relief voucher with each year’s tax bill. Present it to the collecting official with any balance due before the deadline.

Questions go to the State of Tennessee Tax Relief office at 615-747-8871 or 1-800-221-9927.

State Taxes

Tennessee does not tax wages, and the Hall income tax on interest and dividends was repealed for tax periods beginning January 1, 2021. There is no state income tax on military retirement pay, VA disability compensation or survivor benefits.

Vehicles and Driver Licenses

• Disabled Veteran license plate: For veterans with a disability incurred or aggravated in active service that meets Tenn. Code Ann. 55-4-256. You need a VA letter showing a permanent and total rating with an effective date. The first plate is free; a second plate is $26.50 a year (initial fee $28.15). Available for passenger vehicles and motorcycles.
• County motor vehicle privilege tax: Veterans with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability, and former prisoners of war, are exempt from the county motor vehicle privilege tax. Show proof of disability to the county official who collects it.
• Veteran designation on your license: Honorably discharged veterans can add a veteran designation to a driver license or photo ID by bringing a certified or original DD-214 to a driver services center. Standard fees apply.

Hunting, Fishing and State Parks

• Resident Disabled Veteran Hunting and Fishing license: A one-time $10 license for Tennessee residents certified by VA as 100% service-connected, or 30% disabled by reason of war service. It covers the base hunt/fish combination and supplemental hunting and fishing licenses. WMA, special and federal permits are extra. Apply through GoOutDoorsTennessee; this license is not sold by regular agents.
• State park camping and lodging: Tennessee resident veterans with a 100% service-connected disability get 50% off camping and overnight cabin lodging. All resident veterans get 50% off base camping rates from December 1 to the end of February.
• Veterans Day: Resident veterans get one free night of camping and one free round of golf at state parks. Call 1-888-867-2757.

Education

The Helping Heroes Grant, administered by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, pays $1,000 per semester for 12 or more hours or $500 for 6 to 11 hours, for up to eight full semesters or until you earn a bachelor’s degree.

To qualify you must be a Tennessee resident and an honorably discharged veteran, or a current or former Guard or Reserve member called to active service. You must also have received the Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (on or after September 11, 2001), Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal or another medal THEC approves. You must reapply each year: by September 1 for fall, March 1 for spring and May 1 for summer.

Tennessee State Veterans Homes

The Tennessee State Veterans’ Homes Board operates these homes, which provide long-term, skilled nursing and rehabilitative care:

• W.D. “Bill” Manning Tennessee State Veterans Home, Humboldt
• Tennessee State Veterans Home, Murfreesboro
• Brigadier General Wendell H. Gilbert Tennessee State Veterans Home, Clarksville
• Ben Atchley Tennessee State Veterans Home, Knoxville
• Tennessee State Veterans Home, Cleveland

A sixth home in Arlington is listed as coming soon.

Employment Preference

The TEAM Act strengthened veteran preference for state “preferred service” jobs. Veterans who meet the minimum qualifications for an open preferred-service position are guaranteed an interview.

VA Regional Office and Medical Centers

Nashville VA Regional Benefit Office: 7100 Commerce Way, Brentwood, TN 37027.

• Nashville VA Medical Center, Nashville, and Alvin C. York VA Medical Center, Murfreesboro (VA Tennessee Valley Health Care System)
• Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center, Memphis
• James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Mountain Home

VA clinics in Tennessee include Athens, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dover, Dyersburg, Gallatin, Harriman, Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, LaFollette, McMinnville, Millington, Morristown, Mountain City, Rogersville, Savannah, Sevierville and Tullahoma (at Arnold Air Force Base).

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 local help, the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services has Veterans Service Officers at field offices around the state, many inside VA medical centers and clinics. Call TDVS at 615-741-2345.

Crisis Support

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