Iowa
Iowa offers a full property tax credit on the primary residence for veterans rated 100 percent service connected or permanently and totally disabled, a $7 lifetime hunting and fishing license for resident veterans with any service-connected disability, in state tuition at public universities, and free entry to all state parks (Iowa charges no entrance fee).
Iowa Department of Veterans AffairsProperty tax exemption
Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Credit equal to 100 percent of the property tax on the primary residence. Transfers to the unremarried surviving spouse.
State income tax
Iowa does not tax VA disability compensation, and military retirement pay is fully exempt from Iowa income tax.
Disabled veteran plates & registration
Iowa issues the Disabled Veteran plate with no annual registration fee, but only for the one vehicle a seriously disabled veteran acquired with U.S. government assistance under 38 U.S.C. 3901-3904. Apply through the county treasurer with a DD214 and Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of the federal vehicle funding.
Public employment preference
Iowa adds 5 preference points for veterans and 10 points for veterans with a service-connected disability, with an added preference for those rated 30% or more, on state and local government jobs.
In state tuition
Under 38 USC 3679(c) (originally Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act), every public college that accepts Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill students must charge in state tuition to covered students using their GI Bill, regardless of state residency. The old requirement to enroll within 3 years of separation was removed by the Isakson and Roe Act effective August 1, 2021, so there is no longer a time limit after discharge. State specific extensions to this rule are noted below where applicable.
Dependent / survivor education
Iowa's War Orphans Tuition Assistance pays up to about $12,000 a year toward college at Iowa institutions for the children of Iowa veterans killed in active service after Sept. 11, 2001 (a smaller benefit applies for earlier dates).
Hunting and fishing license
Lifetime combined hunting and fishing license for $7 for Iowa-resident veterans with a service-connected disability (any rating); apply through the county recorder with a DD214 and a current VA disability letter. Separately, any veteran who served on active federal duty can buy an annual $5 fishing or hunting/fishing combo license (plus a $2 processing fee).
State park entrance
Iowa state parks charge no entrance fee for anyone, veteran or not. Camping is a paid service reserved through the Iowa DNR, and Iowa does not run a separate statewide veteran camping discount program.
Camping & recreation
Resident veterans with a service-connected disability can get a lifetime combination hunting and fishing license for a $7 fee through the Iowa DNR.
State veterans cemetery
The Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter offers no-cost interment for honorably discharged veterans; a $300 fee applies for a spouse or dependent.
Iowa ranks 36 of 51 for rural veterans' access to accredited help: 11.83 accredited representatives per 10,000 veterans, with 38.3 percent of its veterans living rural.
Email me the Iowa benefit checklist
A clean, printable checklist of every Iowa benefit on this page - with the eligibility threshold and official source for each - sent straight to your inbox.
State legislatures revise thresholds and dollar amounts every session. The figures above are sourced from the state agency that administers each program, but the latest year is the state's word, not ours. Before you file an application, click the source link in each section and verify the current threshold.
Writing about Iowa veteran benefits? You are welcome to reference this guide. Copy the citation below and link back so your readers can verify each program against the state source, or download the benefits table.
Developers: this record is available as structured data VBD:STATE:IA