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 VETERANS STATE BENEFITS
Veterans Emergency Assistance
Veterans, their widows, infants or
dependants are provided up to three months of temporary, emergency financial
assistance. The aid must be used for food, clothing, fuel or shelter. To be
eligible, honorably discharged veterans must have served in the U.S. Armed
Forces during established war service dates or during hostile fire or terrorist
attack in peacetime as determined by the state Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs. Upon the recent death of a veteran, the veteran's surviving
spouse, children or parents may be eligible for assistance if the deceased
veteran qualified prior to death and if the survivors meet dependent eligibility
requirements. For information call (800) 54-PA-VET.
Real Estate Tax Exemption
Honorably discharged veterans who are residents of Pennsylvania and are
certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as being 100 percent
disabled from a wartime service are eligible for exemption from real estate
taxes on a principal dwelling. The State Veterans Commission also must determine
the need for the exemption. If the veteran dies, the exemption can pass onto the
surviving spouse if he or she has not remarried. For information, call (800)
54-PA-VET.
Blind Veterans Pension
Honorably discharged veterans are eligible for Blind Veterans Pension of $150 a
month. The veteran must have been a resident of Pennsylvania at the time of
entering the Armed Forces and while performing service duties suffered an injury
or incurred a disease which resulted in blindness. The blindness is described as
having vision at 3/60 or 10/200 or less. For information, call (800)
54-PA-VET.
Paralyzed Veterans Pension
Honorably discharged veterans are eligible for Paralyzed Veterans Pension of
$150 a month. The veteran must have been a resident of Pennsylvania at the time
of entering the Armed Forces. Veterans qualify if they are residents of the
state now and if they suffered an injury or disease resulting in the loss of use
of two or more extremities during a war conflict or hostilities during
peacetime. For information, call (800)
54-PA-VET.
Birth and Death Records
Certified copies of birth and death certificates are issued to veterans and
their dependents without cost by the Division of Vital Records, P.O. Box 1528,
101 S. Mercer Street, New Castle, PA 16103. For information call (724)
656-3100.
Persian Gulf Veterans Bonus
Program
Eligible
current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, the reserve or the
Pennsylvania National Guard, or their beneficiaries may receive a one-time
benefit of $75 for each month of active service in the first Persian Gulf War,
up to $525. An additional $5,000 benefit is available for those who were a
prisoner of war or died while on active service.
Veterans must have:
- Served on active duty in the
Persian Gulf Theater of Operations from Aug. 2, 1990 to Aug. 31, 1991
- Received the Southwest Asia
Service Medal for the same period
- Been a legal resident of
Pennsylvania during the time of active duty in the Persian Gulf Theater of
Operations
- Been honorably discharged,
if not currently on active duty.
The deadline for submitting
applications for this bonus is Aug. 31, 2015.
For more information or to
obtain an application, visit the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
website at
https://www.DMVA.state.pa.us
EMPLOYMENT
Civil Service Preference
Honorably discharged veterans receiving a passing score on a Pennsylvania Civil
Service examination are given an additional 10 points on initial appointment
only. Widows of veterans and spouses of disabled service-connected veterans also
are extended the same preferential rating. For information, contact the
Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission, P.O. Box 569, Harrisburg, PA 17108 or
call (717) 783-3058.
Veterans Hiring
Veterans
employment representatives are located throughout the state. The representatives
will help veterans with job counseling and placement information. For
information, contact your local PA CareerLink office.
State Retirement
Honorably discharged veterans employed by the state for three years or more may
buy back their time spent in the U.S. Armed Forces (not to exceed five years)
for retirement purposes. For information, contact your personnel department
or the State Employees' Retirement System at (800) 633-5461. SERS will
automatically connect you to the retirement counseling center in your county.
EDUCATION
Educational Gratuity
Payments
of educational gratuities are given to children of honorably discharged
veterans. To be eligible, veterans must be certified by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs as having wartime service-connected disabilities rated as
totally or permanently disabling. Children of veterans who died in service
during a war or armed conflict also are eligible. Children must be between 16
and 23, a resident of Pennsylvania for a period of five years immediately
preceding the application date and attending a Pennsylvania school to be
entitled to the gratuity. For information, call (800) 54-PA-VET.
Grants for Veterans and POW/MIA
Dependents
Qualified
veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible for state grants while they are
full-time undergraduate students. Veterans must comply with Pennsylvania's
residency requirements and other requirements of the Pennsylvania Higher
Education Assistance Agency.
Dependent children of members or
former members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served on active duty after Jan. 31,
1955, who are or have been listed as missing in action or prisoners of war also
are eligible for state grants. For more information, call PHEAA 9800)
692-7392.
TRANSPORTATION
Vehicle Registration for Disabled
and Severely Disabled Veterans
Disabled and severely disabled veterans are
eligible for special license plates if they are certified by the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs as being disabled as the result of a service injury. For
information, call (800) 932-4600.
Purple Heart Recipients or
Ex-Prisoner of War Vehicle Registration
Any former POW or Purple Heart
recipient may apply for this special red, white and blue license plate. Veterans
will need certification of imprisonment from the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs. For information, call (800) 932-4600.
Parking Placard for Disabled
Veterans
Disabled veterans may receive free parking placards for their
vehicles which would allow them to park in spaces designated for handicapped
persons. To be eligible for a parking placard, veterans must have a letter from
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs explaining the nature and extent of
their disability. For information, call (800) 932-4600.
Driver's License Veteran
Designation
Veterans
may get their veteran designation listed on their driver's license. Qualified
applicants include those who have received a DD214 or equivalent for service in
the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard. There is no extra fee for the
designation, besides the normal fee for a new license. For more information,
visit
https://www.dmv.state.pa.us or call your
state representative.
RECREATION
Free Fishing Licenses
Disabled
veterans are eligible for a free fishing license if they meet certain criteria.
They must be a Pennsylvania
resident who is disabled as the result of an armed conflict or war injury
consisting of a loss of, or loss of use of one or more limbs, total blindness or
certified by the U.S. Veterans Administration as being 100 percent disabled.
Eligible veterans can obtain more
information about the free fishing license at the county treasurer's office or
the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, P.O. Box 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106,
or by calling (717) 705-7800.
Applicants should have their VA
certification, discharge papers and proof of wartime service.
Physicians certificate of
disability is not acceptable.
Free Hunting Licenses
Disabled
veterans are eligible for a free fishing license if they meet certain criteria.
They must be a Pennsylvania
resident who is disabled as the result of an armed conflict or war injury
consisting of a loss of, or loss of use of one or more limbs or
certified by the U.S. Veterans Administration as being 100 percent disabled.
Eligible veterans can obtain more
information about the free hunting license at the county treasurer's office or
the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110,
or by calling (717) 787-4250. Applicants should have their physician's
certificate, discharge papers and proof of wartime service.
Guaranteed Antlerless Deer
License
Disabled veterans who are Pennsylvania residents can obtain an
antlerless deer license even if a county has allocated all of its licenses.
The fee for the license is the
same as the fee for a regular or military antlerless deer license. The
difference here is that disabled veterans are guaranteed a license.
Contact your county treasurer's
office for more information.
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