100% State Benefits- Kansas
Note: Information for this document was gathered from various sources including: https://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-state-benefits/kansas-state-veterans-benefits.html
Visit the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs for more detailed information: https://kcva.ks.gov/
Veterans Homes
For more information, visit: https://www.nasvh.org/state-homes/statedir.cfm
Your eligibility for State Veterans Homes is based on clinical need and setting availability.
Each State establishes eligibility and admission criteria for its homes.
Talk with a VA social worker about the eligibility requirements of State Veterans Homes near you and to figure out a plan for paying for State Veterans Home care services.
Veterans Homes Locations:
- KANSAS SOLDIERS’ HOME
FORT DODGE, KANSAS - KANSAS VETERANS’ HOME
WINFIELD, KANSAS
State Veterans’ Cemeteries
For more detailed information visit: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/state.asp?STATE=KS
National Veterans Cemeteries:
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery 395 Biddle Boulevard Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027 Burial Space: Cremation Only |
Phone: 913-758-4105 Fax: 913-758-4136 |
Fort Scott National Cemetery 900 East National Avenue Fort Scott, KS 66701 Burial Space: Open |
Phone: 620-223-2840 Fax: 620-223-2505 |
Leavenworth National Cemetery 150 Muncie Road Leavenworth, KS 66048 Burial Space: Open |
Phone: 913-727-1376 Fax: 913-758-4136 |
State Veterans Cemeteries:
Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs Office 700 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 1004 Topeka, KS 66603 VA Grant Funded: N/A |
Phone: 785-296-3976 Fax: 785-296-1462 |
Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Ft. Dodge 11560 U.S. Highway 400 Dodge City, KS 67801 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 620-682-7564 Fax: 620-338-8776 |
Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Ft. Riley 5181 Wildcat Creek Road Manhattan, KS 66503 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 785-717-3050 Fax: 785-717-3070 |
Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Wakeeney 403 South 13th, P.O. Box 185 Wakeeney, KS 67672 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 785-743-5685 Fax: 785-743-5648 |
Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Winfield 1208 North College Street Winfield, KS 67156 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 620-705-6300 Fax: 620-229-2291 |
Many states have established state veterans cemeteries. Eligibility is like Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries but may include residency requirements. Even though they may have been established or improved with Government funds through VA’s Veterans Cemetery Grants Program, state veterans cemeteries are run solely by the states.
Kansas State Cemeteries accept veterans who received an “other-than-dishonorable” discharge, guard and reservists with at least 20 years of qualifying service, or those who die on active duty are eligible for burial.
Dependents are also eligible for burial. There is no fee for veterans or their dependents, and there is no Kansas residency requirement.
Kansas Veteran Financial Benefits
Income Tax
Military retirement pay and SBP payments are tax-free.
Homestead Act
Visit the following website for more information: https://www.ksrevenue.gov/faqs-taxhomestead.html
Customers who need help are encouraged to call the Kansas Taxpayer Assistance Center at 785-368-8222.
Disabled veterans may be eligible for a homestead refund.
Basic Eligibility:
Veterans must be Kansas residents, honorably discharged, and have at least a 50% service-connected permanent disability.
Surviving spouses may also eligible until they remarry.
How to File:
Veterans should file using the document titled: Homestead Refund Claim (K-40H)
- Complete a Kansas Homestead Claim (K-40H) between Jan. 1 through April 15.
- Do not file your homestead claim prior to Jan. 1.
- You can file your claim electronically at: https://www.kansas.gov/ssrv-homestead/login.html.
- If any due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, substitute the next regular workday.
The following list of documentation is required for all claims:
- Birth dates and verification of Social Security numbers (SSNs) for the claimant and all household members born before Jan. 1, 2018. SSN verification can be a social security card or an official government document containing the FULL social security number. ***No copies****
- Photo ID for the claimant.
- Current tax year real estate tax assessment statement from the county treasurer and/or current tax year property tax form (for mobile homes or modular homes).
This list of documentation will be required if it applies to your situation:
- Claimants that qualify by disability will need to show documented proof of their disability date.
- A copy of your current tax year federal and/or state income tax return if you have one.
- A copy of your prior year federal and/or state income tax return if you have one.
- Proof of all income (taxable and nontaxable) for all household members which may include, but is not limited to, the following: W2 forms and tax documents for pensions, social security income, SSI payments, and food stamps.
- VOIDED check or deposit slip with bank routing and account number for direct deposit.
Contact your local VSO officer for additional assistance.
Consult the local assessor’s office for detailed requirements regarding these exemptions.
Annual refiling is required.
Find your local tax assessor at this link: https://www.publicrecords.onlinesearches.com/Assessor-and-Property-Tax-Records.htm
Kansas Disabled Veteran Plate
Disabled veterans rated at 50% or above with the VA are eligible for a Disabled Veterans License plate with no registration fee.
To qualify you must:
- Be a Kansas resident or a member of the military who is not a Kansas resident and is stationed at a Kansas military base or office.
- Have served in the armed forces of the United States and are entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability of at least 50% according to the laws administered by the veterans administration, or
- Be entitled to compensation for the loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both feet or one or both hands, or for permanent visual impairment of both eyes to a prescribed degree, or
- Be responsible for the transportation of a Disabled Veteran who meets the qualifications above.
- Vehicle must be titled in Kansas in the name of the applicant or the leasing company from which the applicant is leasing the vehicle.
- The Application for Disabled Veterans License Plate, form TR-103, must be completed and signed by both the Disabled Veteran and the Regional Director for the Veterans Administration prior to making application. The form is on the web at: https://www.ksrevenue.gov/pdf/tr103.pdf.
Steps to obtain the plate:
- Make application and submit the completed and signed Application for Disabled Veterans License Plate form at your local county treasurer’s motor vehicle office.
- If the applicant currently has a Kansas Disabled Veteran plate, a copy of the registration receipt for the plate may be presented in lieu of the Application for Disabled Veterans License Plate, form TR-103.
- Proof of valid insurance must be present at the time of application.
Fee for Disabled Veteran plate:
- There is no registration fee for the initial Disabled Veteran plate at the time of application or renewal. Property tax must still be paid for the vehicle to which the free Disabled Veteran plate is issued.
- Additional Disabled Veteran plates may be issued, however, standard registration fees and property taxes are due for the vehicles to which the additional Disabled Veteran plates are issued.
Military Distinctive License Plates
Many other Military distinctive plates are offered by the state of Kansas.
Visit the following website for links to the requirements for each: https://www.ksrevenue.gov/dovplates.html
You may make application for a Kansas distinctive military license plate by meeting the qualifications outlined in the Kansas Statutes Annotated listed below. Applications should be presented to your local County Treasurer’s office.
Distinctions Available:
- Combat Wounded Purple Heart
- Congressional Medal Of Honor
- Disabled Veteran (See also Form TR-103)
- Ex-prisoner Of War
- Korean War Veteran Plate
- National Guard (See also Form TR-129)
- Operation Desert Storm Plate
- Operation Enduring Freedom Plate
- Operation Iraqi Freedom Plate
- Pearl Harbor Survivor
- U.S. Veteran
- Vietnam Veteran
Kansas State Veteran Employment Benefits
Veterans State Employment Preference
Visit the following website for more information: https://admin.ks.gov/services/state-employment-center/sec-home/vp
Any veteran with a campaign medal, a service-connected disability, retired as an O-3 or below, or the spouse of a 100% disabled veteran can get veterans preference for a state job.
Veterans’ preference guarantees an interview and to consideration for the position.
Kansas State Education Benefits
Kansas offers a wide variety of Educational Benefits to resident veterans and their dependents.
State Educational Benefits can be used in conjunction with the National Educational Benefits (DEA)
If you have a question regarding a state-funded student financial aid program (i.e. scholarship status, address update, etc) please direct your inquiry directly to: scholars@ksbor.org.
College Credit for Military Service
Visit the following website for more information: https://www.kansasregents.org/students/military/college-credit-for-military-service
Kansas colleges offer service members and veterans college credit for education, training, and skills acquired while in the military.
Tuition Payment for Survivors of Those Killed in The Line of Duty
The tuition at state universities, community colleges, or vocational technical colleges is free for dependents of Kansas residents who are killed in the line of duty while on active duty or in the Kansas National Guard. Tuition assistance is also provided for former Prisoners of War.
Eligibility:
- Child, adopted Child or Child in the custody of a Veteran of the Vietnam conflict that dies from a service-connected disability they incurred in Vietnam is eligible.
- The Veteran must have entered the U.S. Armed Forces from Kansas for their child to be eligible.
For more information students should contact their educational institutions admissions office, or the Kansas Board of Regents.
Kansas Military Service Scholarship
Visit the following website for more information: https://www.kansasregents.org/students/student_financial_aid/scholarships_and_grants
Covers tuition and fees at a public Kansas institution for students who are a resident of Kansas and has served at least 90 days in a hostile fire pay location after Sep. 11, 2001 or been awarded the Purple Heart and received an other than dishonorable discharge.
Any federal military tuition assistance that the student receives will be applied first toward the student’s tuition/fees and only the remaining balance will be eligible for scholarship assistance. Eligible students may be awarded a scholarship for not more than four academic years of undergraduate study (five years if enrolled in a designated five-year program).
Funding for this scholarship is subject to state appropriations.
Because financial need is a priority in awarding this scholarship, students will need to file a FAFSA form. Once your school considers you as a graduate status student, you are not eligible for this scholarship.
Priority Deadline for applications is May 1st. Annual filing is required.
Operation Recognition
Visit the following website for more information and applications: https://kcva.ks.gov/veteran-services/state-benefits
Operation Recognition awards qualifying WWII and Korean War veterans with Honorary High School Diplomas.
Eligibility:
- All “Honorably” Discharged veterans who served in WWII between September 16, 1940 and December 31, 1946, and Korean War veterans who served between June 27, 1950 and January 31, 1955, who did not graduate from High School are eligible.
- Those who have obtained their diploma but entered service before they could participate in their graduation ceremonies are also encouraged to apply.
- Diplomas can be awarded posthumously.
Required Paperwork
- Application for “WW II and Korean War Veterans” High School Diploma (Operation Recognition Form)
- Copy of “Honorable” Discharge papers attached to application
- Discharge papers may be requested through the local County Registrar Office or through Military Archives, 2722 SW Topeka Blvd, Topeka, KS 66611. Requests submitted on Standard Form 180 (1 MB PDF) only. (KANSAS ONLY)
Kansas Veteran Recreation Benefits
Free Hunting & Fishing Licenses
Visit the following website for more information and applications: https://ksoutdoors.com/
National Guard Members and 30% or greater disabled Kansas resident veterans can get free hunting and fishing licenses.
The following link is for the Hunting, Fishing and Park Vehicle Permit: https://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/49393/501767/file/dvetApp.pdf
Discounted State Park Admission
Visit the following website for more information: https://ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Park-Fees
Kansas Army and Air National Guard and 30% or greater disabled veterans get discounted admission to state parks.