Minnesota
Minnesota gives a market value exclusion of up to $300,000 of homestead value for veterans rated 100 percent permanent and total ($150,000 for 70 to 99 percent ratings), free hunting and fishing licenses for veterans rated 100 percent, in state tuition at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State systems, and free state park admission for qualifying veterans.
Minnesota Department of Veterans AffairsProperty tax exemption
Market value exclusion: $150,000 of homestead value for veterans rated 70 to 99 percent; $300,000 for veterans rated 100 percent permanent and total. Transfers to the surviving spouse for 8 years.
| Rating tier | Exemption |
|---|---|
| 70 to 99 percent | $150,000 market value exclusion |
| 100 percent permanent and total | $300,000 market value exclusion |
State income tax
Minnesota does not tax VA disability compensation, and it offers a military retirement subtraction (or a low-income credit) that lets eligible retirees exempt their military pension from Minnesota income tax.
Disabled veteran plates & registration
Minnesota gives veterans rated 100% total and permanent (including TDIU) a free driver's license/ID, free registration and title on up to two vehicles, and a motor-vehicle sales-tax exemption on one vehicle; Ex-POW, Medal of Honor, and Gold Star plates are free.
Public employment preference
Minnesota adds a 10-point preference for veterans on state jobs and 15 points for disabled veterans on local-government jobs, with preference also for certain spouses.
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. Minnesota GI Bill (state) provides additional tuition assistance up to $1,000 per term for eligible veterans.
Dependent / survivor education
Minnesota waives tuition at public colleges (through a bachelor's) plus a $750/year stipend for the unremarried surviving spouses and children of veterans who died on active duty or from a service-connected condition.
Hunting and fishing license
Free Minnesota resident combination hunting and fishing license.
State park entrance
Free annual Minnesota State Parks Veterans Permit.
Camping & recreation
Minnesota gives veterans with any level of service-connected disability a free annual state parks vehicle permit (unlimited access to Minnesota state parks and recreation areas for a year). Show a VA award letter, VA health care ID, DoD privilege card, or Disabled Vet plate at the DNR License Center or any staffed park ranger station.
State veterans cemetery
Minnesota operates state veterans cemeteries (including Little Falls, Preston, and Duluth) with no-cost burial for eligible veterans and their spouses or dependents.
Minnesota ranks 38 of 51 for rural veterans' access to accredited help: 14.79 accredited representatives per 10,000 veterans, with 32.8 percent of its veterans living rural.
Email me the Minnesota benefit checklist
A clean, printable checklist of every Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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:MN