Maryland State Benefits for 100% Disabled Veterans
100% State Benefits- Maryland
Note: Information for this document was gathered from various sources including: https://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-state-benefits/maryland-state-veterans-benefits.html
Visit the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs website for more detailed information: https://veterans.maryland.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:
Eligibility:
Maryland’s veterans’ home in Charlotte Hall is open to honorably discharged Maryland resident veterans 62 and over. Those disabled and unable to work are also eligible. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payments lower the cost of care.
State Veterans’ Cemeteries
For more detailed information visit: https://www.cem.va.gov/find-cemetery/state.asp?STATE=MD
National Veterans Cemeteries:
| Annapolis National Cemetery 800 West Street Annapolis, MD 21401 Burial Space: Closed |
Phone: 612-726-1127 Fax: 410-644-1563 |
| Baltimore National Cemetery 5501 Frederick Avenue Baltimore, MD 21228 Burial Space: Cremation Only |
Phone: 410-644-9696 Fax: 410-644-1563 |
| Loudon Park National Cemetery 3445 Frederick Avenue Baltimore, MD 21228 Burial Space: Closed |
Phone: 410-644-9696 Fax: 410-644-1563 |
| Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery Point Lookout Ridge, MD 20680 Burial Space: Closed |
Phone: 410-644-9696 Fax: 410-644-1563 |
State Veterans Cemeteries:
| Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs Cemetery Program 1122 Sunrise Beach Road Crownsville, MD 21032 VA Grant Funded: N/A |
Phone: 410-923-6981 Fax: 410-987-3920 |
| Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery 11301 Crain Highway Cheltenham, MD 20623 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 301-372-6398 Fax: 301-782-7310 |
| Crownsville Veterans Cemetery 1122 Sunrise Beach Road Crownsville, MD 21032 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 410-987-6320 Fax: 410-987-3920 |
| Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery 6827 E. New Market Ellwood Road Hurlock, MD 21643 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 410-943-3420 Fax: 410-943-3680 |
| Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery 11501 Garrison Forest Road Owings Mills, MD 21117 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 410-363-6090 Fax: 410-363-1533 |
| Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery 14205 Pleasant Valley Road, NE Flintstone, MD 21530 VA Grant Funded: Yes |
Phone: 301-777-2185 Fax: 301-777-2402 |
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.
Eligibility: A burial plot is provided to eligible veterans and their eligible dependents when the veteran is a resident of the State of Maryland and has received an honorable discharge.
Plots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
There is no cost to the veteran for burial plot, opening/closing, headstone, and state liner (if used). Eligible dependents have a minimal opening/closing cost and a direct cost for state liner (if used).
Maryland Veteran Financial Benefits
Property Tax Exemption
Visit the following website for more information: https://veterans.maryland.gov/federal-and-state-benefits-for-service-connected-veterans/
Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected disabilities are exempt from paying property tax on their primary residence.
Eligibility is extended to veterans rated 100% permanently and totally disabled or 100% permanently unemployable. The applicant must be a Maryland resident.
Upon the veteran’s death, the exemption passes to their spouse. The surviving spouse of active-duty military personnel who died in the line of duty as well as the surviving spouse of a totally disabled veteran, or a spouse who receives DIC, may also receive an exemption.
Annual refiling is often required.
Consult the local assessor’s office for detailed requirements regarding these exemptions.
Find your local tax assessor at this link: https://www.publicrecords.onlinesearches.com/Assessor-and-Property-Tax-Records.htm
Local Property Tax Benefits
Visit the following website for more information: https://veterans.maryland.gov/local-veteran-property-tax-exemptions/
Maryland disabled veteran benefits also include county-specific additions to property tax exemptions. These exemptions may be slightly different from the State of Maryland tax exemption.
Contact your local Finance Office to learn more about local property tax credits.
Military Retirement Pay Income Tax Deduction
Visit the following website for more information: https://veterans.maryland.gov/military-retirement-pay-and-pension-tax-deductions-exclusions/ or https://www.marylandtaxes.gov/
Up to $15,000 of military pay may be tax-free if earned while serving overseas. However, if you earned more than $30,000 in military pay, you are not eligible for this deduction.
Up to $5,000 in retired military pay and Survivor Benefit Plan payments are tax-free.
After age 55, this increases to $15,000.
Pension Tax Exclusion
Visit the following website for more information: https://veterans.maryland.gov/military-retirement-pay-and-pension-tax-deductions-exclusions/
If you are 65 or older, totally disabled, or your spouse is totally disabled, you may qualify for Maryland’s current calendar year maximum pension exclusion. This amount is determined in Instruction 13 of the Maryland resident tax booklet.
If you’re eligible, you may be able to subtract some of your taxable pension and retirement annuity income from your federal adjusted gross income.
This subtraction applies only if you were 65 or older or totally disabled, or your spouse was totally disabled.
To speak with the Maryland Taxpayer Service call:
- From Central Maryland: 410-260-7980
- From all other areas of Maryland: 1-800-MD-TAXES (1-800-638-2937)
License Plate Discounts for Disabled Veterans in Maryland
Visit the following website for more information: https://mva.maryland.gov/vehicles/Pages/licenseplates/disabled-license-plate.aspx
The MVA will accept a letter from the Veterans Administration stating that you have a total (100%) disability and will issue a disability license plate. You can choose any plate, including a veteran plate, and it will display the universal wheelchair symbol.
If you own more than one vehicle, your options are as follows:
- One set of disability plates and one placard
OR - Two placards
Only one set of disability plates per disabled licensed driver can be issued with the universal wheelchair symbol. The other set of plates will not have the symbol and that vehicle will need a placard for disabled parking.
100% Disabled Veterans receive free registration for all license plate types.
Maryland Veterans Trust Fund
Visit the following website for more information: https://veterans.maryland.gov/maryland-department-of-veterans-affairs-veterans-trust-fund/
The Maryland Veterans Trust Fund is designed to assist with non-emergency, temporary financial challenges facing veterans or widows/widowers of veterans. It is mostly used to assist with rent/mortgage payments and utility bills.
The trust cannot assist with taxes, child support, speeding tickets, legal fees, payday and interpersonal loans, credit card debt, home repairs, food, appliances, and vehicle purchases. Grant awards are provided directly to the landlord, mortgage company, utility company, etc.
The Trust Fund Grant Administrator completes a brief interview with each veteran/widow/widower before submitting applications for review. A review committee convenes as applications are ready and, based on information supplied in the application, approves, or denies requests for assistance.
The Trust Fund receives donations from community partners and private individuals. It also receives funding through Maryland based veteran service organization casino slot revenue.
Maryland Veteran Employment Benefits
State Employment Veterans Preference
Visit the following website for more information: https://dbm.maryland.gov/jobseekers/Pages/VeteransJobs.aspx
The appointing authority for skilled and professional appointments will award a credit of 10 points on any selection test to an eligible veteran, the spouse of an eligible veteran who has a service-connected disability, or the surviving spouse of a deceased eligible veteran.
Veterans and spouses of veterans receive preference in the application process for state government positions through the award of points used in evaluating applications.
Additional points are applied to your application if you have a service-connected disability or are a former prisoner of war.
An appointing authority shall apply a credit of ten points on any selection test for:
- An eligible veteran;
- The spouse of an eligible veteran who has a service-connected disability; or
- The surviving spouse of a deceased eligible veteran.
An appointing authority shall apply a credit of two additional points on any selection test for a former prisoner of war.
A credit of five points can be applied on a selection test for an individual with disabilities, as defined by the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
CDL License
Visit the following website for more information: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/militarydriverprograms
Several FMCSA programs make it easier, quicker, and less expensive for experienced military drivers to obtain a commercial driver’s license. Maryland participates in the following program:
-
- Military Skills Test Waiver
- Military personnel could get a commercial driver’s license without the driving test within 12 months of their discharge if they obtained those qualifications in the service.
- Military Skills Test Waiver
Maryland Educational Benefits
Maryland 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)
Visit the following link for a full list: https://mhec.maryland.gov/institutions_training/Pages/acadaff/veteransbenefits/index.aspx
Veterans of the Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts Scholarship Program
The Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts (VAIC) Scholarship Program is designed to provide financial assistance to U.S. Armed Forces personnel who served in the Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts
Spouses and dependent children of these veterans may also be eligible.
To apply for this scholarship, you must submit an application and supporting documentation online by March 1 at https://mdcaps.mhec.state.md.us/.
Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship
Visit the following website for more information: https://mhec.maryland.gov/preparing/Pages/FinancialAid/ProgramDescriptions/prog_conroy.aspx
The Conroy scholarship program awards educational scholarships to the children or surviving spouse of various military employees and state or local employees who died or were disabled because of military service or while in the line of duty.
The award is not based on financial need.
Residents of Maryland who attend a Maryland postsecondary institution are eligible for the scholarship award.
The scholarship is renewable, and the student must reapply each year. The recipient may hold the award for five years if a full-time student, or eight years if a part-time student.
The scholarship will be offered to no more than 15 recipients annually for veterans who suffered a service-connected disability of 25 percent or greater and have exhausted or are no longer eligible for federal veterans’ educational benefits.
Maryland Veteran Recreation Benefits
Visit the following website for more information: https://dnr.maryland.gov/Pages/Military-One-stop-Shop.aspx
A free lifetime hunting license is available to Maryland residents certified as a former POWs as well as to 100% service-connected disabled veterans.
The lifetime license includes the bow stamp, muzzleloader stamp, and furbearer permit. The Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp is not part of the Complimentary License.
The lifetime license is available only at the department’s Licensing and Registration Service Centers
The Migratory Game Bird Stamp, Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, and the Big Game Harvest Record are required for each year and can be obtained from a Licensing and Registration Service Center, a sport license agent, or online
at: https://compass.dnr.maryland.gov/dnrcompassportal.
Free Lifetime Fishing License
Visit the following website for more information: https://dnr.maryland.gov/Pages/service_fishing_license.aspx
A free lifetime fishing license is available to Maryland residents certified as former POWs or 100% service-connected disabled veterans.
The license incorporates the non-tidal angler’s license, Chesapeake Bay sport fishing license, and trout stamp.
Proof of rating and a completed application are required. These documents can be scanned or faxed to one of Maryland’s Licensing and Registration Service Centers.
Follow this link to locate a service center near you: https://dnr.maryland.gov/Pages/service_centers.aspx
Admission to State Parks
Visit Maryland Department of Natural Resources Military One Stop Shop website to learn more.
All applicable day-use entrance charges are waived for all veterans of the United States Armed Forces. This waiver applies to both resident and out-of-state veterans. The waiver is applicable to the veteran only and not others in the same vehicle unless a per-vehicle charge is in effect at the time. In that case, the per-vehicle fee is waived. No other facility use service charges will be waived.
Another option for veterans and their families, is the Maryland State Park and Trail Passport that can be purchased for a yearly fee of $75 ($100 for non-residents). This pass entitles the holder to unlimited day-use entry for everyone in the vehicle (up to 10 people) to Maryland’s state parks, including unlimited boat launching.
Additional Benefits
Free Copy of Vital Records
Marriage licenses and divorce certificates are available from the Maryland Department of Health’s Vital Statistics Administration (VSA), free of charge in most cases (proof of service in the U.S. Armed Forces must be provided).
To contact the VSA by telephone, call 410-764-3038 or toll free 1-800-832-3277.
Applications for birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are available from the VSA. There is no fee for:
- A copy of a certificate of a current or former armed forces member that is requested by the member; or
- A copy of a certificate of a current or former armed forces member or of a surviving spouse or child of the member if the copy will be used in connection with a claim for a dependent or beneficiary of the member.
A veteran or the veteran’s surviving spouse can also obtain one free copy of marriage licenses and divorce decrees from the clerk of the Circuit Court of the county in which it was issued, including Baltimore City.
To locate your county Circuit Court, visit https://www.courts.state.md.us/circuit.
Death Benefit to Surviving Spouse or Estate of Maryland Resident Killed in Action
The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) may award a death benefit of up to $125,000 to the surviving spouse, children, dependent parents, or estate of any Maryland service member who is killed in action or as a direct result of a wound suffered in action.
For more information on how to obtain this benefit, contact the Human Resources Division of DPSCS at 410-339-3270.
