Louisiana
Louisiana exempts an additional $2,500 of assessed value (on top of the standard $7,500 homestead) for veterans rated 50-69 percent, $4,500 for 70-99 percent, and grants a full homestead property tax exemption at 100 percent. Free hunting and fishing licenses for veterans rated 50 percent or higher; in state tuition at LSU System and Southern University System; and free day-use admission to state parks for disabled veterans.
Louisiana Department of Veterans AffairsProperty tax exemption
Louisiana's 2022 constitutional amendment (effective January 1, 2023) sets three tiers on top of the standard $7,500-of-assessed-value homestead exemption: veterans rated 50-69% get an additional $2,500 of assessed value exempt ($10,000 total), veterans rated 70-99% get an additional $4,500 ($12,000 total), and veterans rated 100% (or with 100% unemployability) are fully exempt from ad valorem property tax on the homestead. Surviving spouses can keep the exemption.
| Rating tier | Exemption |
|---|---|
| 50 to 99 percent | $7,500 additional (total $15,000) |
| 100 percent service connected | $15,000 additional (total $22,500) |
State income tax
Louisiana does not tax VA disability compensation, and military retirement pay is fully exempt from Louisiana income tax.
Disabled veteran plates & registration
Louisiana issues Disabled Veteran plates to veterans rated 50%+ (and a 100% DAV plate for total disability), validated by the Parish Veterans Service Officer; a 'Disabled Veteran' indicator is also available on the license or ID.
Public employment preference
Louisiana civil service adds 5 points for honorably discharged veterans and 10 points for service-connected disabled veterans, extended to spouses of unemployable veterans, unremarried widows, and Gold Star parents.
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
Louisiana's Title 29 program gives an in-state tuition exemption at public colleges to the children (16-25) and spouses of veterans who are service-connected disabled, deceased, or POW/MIA (residency rules apply).
Hunting and fishing license
Free Senior or Disabled Veteran Hunting and Fishing License.
State park entrance
Louisiana State Parks give free day-use entrance to disabled veterans (show VA documentation at the gate). Standard camping and facility fees still apply.
Camping & recreation
Veterans rated 50% or higher can get a Disabled State Park Pass exempting them (and everyone in their vehicle) from Louisiana State Park day-use entrance fees.
State veterans cemetery
Louisiana operates state veterans cemeteries (Keithville, Leesville, Rayville, and Slidell) with no-cost burial for veterans; a plot fee at the VA allowance applies for spouses and dependents.
Louisiana ranks 17 of 51 for rural veterans' access to accredited help: 9.25 accredited representatives per 10,000 veterans, with 28.8 percent of its veterans living rural.
Email me the Louisiana benefit checklist
A clean, printable checklist of every Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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:LA