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California’s benefits for disabled veterans include a property tax exemption worth $180,671 in 2026, rising to $271,009 for households under the income limit, and a law that lets qualifying veterans exclude up to $20,000 of military retirement pay from state income tax (this tax relief applies through 2029).

The state also waives college tuition for the children and spouses of disabled veterans and offers free registration on one vehicle with disabled veteran plates, free passage across the state’s toll bridges, a free lifetime state park pass from a 50% rating, and a hunting and fishing license for about $10.

California is home to 1,381,390 veterans according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and 495,409 of them, about 36%, receive disability compensation. Learn which California benefits disabled veterans can claim, the rating required, and how to access them.

Tax Exemptions and Financial Assistance

Do Disabled Veterans Pay Property Taxes in California?

The Disabled Veterans’ Exemption takes a fixed amount off the assessed value of a principal residence, and the amount is adjusted for inflation each year. For 2026 it is $180,671, and it rises to $271,009 where annual household income is $81,131 or less. On a modest home those figures can cover the assessment entirely.

A veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable qualifies by meeting any one of four criteria:

  1. rated 100% disabled by the VA
  2. paid at the 100% rate because a service-connected disability makes gainful work impossible
  3. blind in both eyes, meaning visual acuity of 5/200 or less
  4. having lost the use of two or more limbs

The Disabled Veterans’ Exemption can also be claimed by an unmarried surviving spouse, on any of three grounds: the veteran qualified during their lifetime, the veteran would have qualified had they been alive on January 1, 1977, or the veteran died from a service-connected injury or disease.

The Basic Veterans’ Exemption

California’s older Veterans’ Exemption takes $4,000 off assessed value for a veteran who served in wartime or a qualifying campaign. In practice almost no homeowner can use it, because the claimant may not own property worth more than $5,000, or $10,000 for a married couple. It is claimed on form BOE-261 and must be filed each year by February 15. Anyone eligible for the Disabled Veterans’ Exemption should take that one instead.

Does California Tax Military Retirement Pay?

California does tax military retirement pay for residents, but there is now relief. For tax years 2025 through 2029, a qualifying taxpayer can exclude up to $20,000 of federal uniformed services retirement pay, or of Survivor Benefit Plan annuity payments, from state gross income. The exclusion is capped by federal adjusted gross income of $125,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a joint return or a surviving spouse. See the Franchise Tax Board’s guidance for military filers.

Need help getting the rating you deserve for more benefits and monthly compensation? Get a free case evaluation here.

Housing Benefits

CalVet Home Loans

California has its own lender for veterans. CalVet Home Loans descends from the Veterans’ Farm and Home Purchase Act, and farms still count as fundable property alongside houses, condominiums and mobile homes. Loan ceilings shift by program and property type, so confirm the current figure on 866-653-2510 before you plan around it.

Eligibility rests on at least 90 consecutive days of active duty, or a shorter period ending in discharge for a service-connected disability, together with an honorable discharge or a release under honorable conditions. Service spent solely on training, processing or a physical examination does not count.

Where a CalVet loan is paired with the federal VA guarantee, the VA funding fee is waived entirely for a borrower who receives VA compensation for a service-connected disability, or who would receive it but for taking retirement or active duty pay instead. Surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation are covered by the same waiver.

Transportation Benefits

Do Disabled Veterans Pay Tolls in California?

Since January 1, 2023, veterans whose vehicle carries a qualifying plate (including Disabled Veteran) cross California’s toll bridges free of charge. That covers the Golden Gate Bridge and the seven state-owned bridges: Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, San Francisco-Oakland Bay, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward.

The qualifying plates are Disabled Veteran, Congressional Medal of Honor, Legion of Valor, Pearl Harbor Survivor, Ex-Prisoner of War and Purple Heart. The exemption does not extend to Express Lanes, and a veteran who already holds a FasTrak account has to seal the tag in the Mylar bag FasTrak supplies so the trip is not billed. Find out more from FasTrak.

Do Disabled Veterans Get Free Car Registration in California?

Yes, on one vehicle. A veteran holding Disabled Veteran plates pays no registration or license fees on a single passenger vehicle, motorcycle, or commercial vehicle of 8,000 pounds or less not operated for hire. The plates themselves are issued without additional fee. Replacement fees still apply if plates are lost or damaged.

California defines eligibility around mobility rather than rating alone, so a veteran qualifies by meeting any one of these: a 100% VA rating for a diagnosed disease or disorder that substantially impairs mobility, needing an assistive device to move around, the loss or loss of use of one or more limbs, or permanent blindness.

The plates also allow free parking at meters and access to blue and green curb spaces. Apply with certification form REG 256V.

Is There a Vehicle Tax Break for Disabled Veterans in California?

When the VA pays part of the purchase price under its automobile allowance, that share counts as a sale to the federal government and is not taxed, so the veteran owes sales tax only on the portion they fund themselves. Separately, the items and materials used to adapt a vehicle for a driver or passenger with a physical disability are exempt, and through mid-2030 that exemption also reaches veterans with a severe burn injury. The vehicle itself is not covered, but its adaptation is. See the CDTFA guidance for veterans.

Education Benefits

The College Tuition Fee Waiver for the Dependents of Veterans

California’s tuition benefit is built for the family rather than the veteran. The College Fee Waiver for Veteran Dependents covers system-wide tuition and fees at any California Community College, California State University or University of California campus. It is not a stipend: books, housing and living costs are not covered.

Plan A

The unmarried child of a wartime veteran who is totally service-connected disabled, or whose death was service-connected, qualifies between the ages of 14 and 26 (30 if the child is a veteran too).

The spouse, registered domestic partner and unmarried surviving spouse qualify too, with no age limit and no income limit. The veteran’s total rating must have been in place before the child turned 21, and a dependent receiving federal Chapter 35 benefits cannot use Plan A at the same time.

Plan B

Only children qualify, wartime service is not required and there is no age restriction, but the student’s own income plus any parental support must stay under the California state poverty level published by the Franchise Tax Board, which sets the limit at $22,941 for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Applications go in on form DVS-40 through a County Veterans Service Office. Find out more.

What Can a Disabled Veteran Use for Their Own Schooling?

Federal programs can cover the veteran’s own tuition: the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill, and Veteran Readiness and Employment, which pays for training and education aimed at getting a service-connected veteran back into suitable work.

Employment Benefits

Veterans’ Preference in California

California’s preference for state jobs is stronger than the points systems most states use. Once CalHR approves the application, a veteran who passes an entrance examination is placed in rank 1 of the eligibility list whatever their score, which puts them in front of the hiring manager rather than merely nudging them up the list. Approval stays on file and applies automatically to every qualifying examination afterwards.

The preference covers a veteran, the widow or widower of a veteran, and the spouse of a 100% disabled veteran, and selected service members within six months of separation can claim a transitional version of it. It does not attach to promotional examinations, and it stops once the person reaches permanent civil service status. Learn more.

Disabled Veteran State Contract Preference

The Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise program gives veteran-owned businesses an edge in state contracting. To certify, a firm must be at least 51% owned by one or more disabled veterans, and its daily operations must be managed and controlled by one or more disabled veterans, though not necessarily the same people who own it.

California sets the bar for who counts as a disabled veteran here at a 10% or greater service-connected disability plus domicile in California, so an out-of-state owner does not qualify. Certification for the Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise program runs through the Department of General Services.

Recreation Benefits

Are California State Parks Free for Disabled Veterans?

Yes, through the Distinguished Veteran Pass. It goes to honorably discharged war veterans living in California whose combined service-connected rating is 50% or greater, to former prisoners of war, and to Medal of Honor recipients. The pass covers day use, camping and boating at state parks at no charge.

The Distinguished Veteran Pass is a lifetime benefit tied to the holder alone and cannot be lent to a spouse, though the passcard itself is reissued every five years. Applications call for a California driver license or ID card, a DD Form 214, and, for a disability claim, both a VA letter dated within the past year confirming the combined rating and proof of service during a recognized wartime period. The pass cannot be used for units run by concessionaires or by federal or local agencies, and it does not cover group sites or special events. Apply here.

Do Disabled Veterans Get Discounts on Fishing and Hunting Licenses in California?

An honorably discharged veteran rated 50% or greater service-connected pays $10.04 for a sport fishing license at a California Department of Fish and Wildlife office, or $10.54 through a license agent. A reduced-fee hunting license runs to the same price on the same disability basis.

Unusually, this one is not limited to residents, so a qualifying veteran living out of state can buy at the same reduced rate. Proof is a VA letter confirming honorable discharge and a rating of at least 50%, and the VA Benefit Summary Letter is accepted. Apply here.

Healthcare Benefits

Federal care in California runs through regional VA health care systems, each built around a medical center with community clinics and Vet Centers around it. The state adds its own long-term care network on top, and CalVet connects veterans to both.

VA Medical Centers

  • West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, the hub of VA Greater Los Angeles: 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90073
  • Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego: 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161
  • Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Long Beach: 5901 East Seventh Street, Long Beach, CA 90822
  • Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, Loma Linda: 11201 Benton Street, Loma Linda, CA 92357
  • Palo Alto VA Medical Center: 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, with sister medical centers at 4951 Arroyo Road, Livermore and 795 Willow Road, Menlo Park
  • San Francisco VA Medical Center: 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121
  • Sacramento VA Medical Center: 10535 Hospital Way, Mather, CA 95655, alongside the Martinez VA Medical Center at 150 Muir Road, Martinez, CA 94553
  • Fresno VA Medical Center: 2615 East Clinton Avenue, Fresno, CA 93703

Each system runs community-based outpatient clinics and Vet Centers well beyond these addresses. Use the VA facility locator to find the nearest one, or call the VA on 800-698-2411.

California Veterans Homes

CalVet runs eight veterans’ homes, offering affordable long-term care to aged and disabled veterans. Levels of care run from independent living with light support through to round-the-clock skilled nursing. A non-veteran spouse or registered domestic partner can be admitted, but only on a joint application with the veteran and on their own terms: at least a year of marriage or registration and shared residence, age 55 or over unless homeless or disabled, California residency, and medical insurance. The surviving spouse or partner of a Medal of Honor recipient or former prisoner of war may apply alone.

  • Barstow: 100 East Veterans Parkway, Barstow, CA 92311 | Phone: 800-746-0606
  • Chula Vista: 700 East Naples Court, Chula Vista, CA 91911 | Phone: 888-857-2146
  • Fresno: 2811 West California Avenue, Fresno, CA 93706 | Phone: 855-769-5792
  • Lancaster: 45221 30th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93536 | Phone: 661-974-8141
  • Redding: 3400 Knighton Road, Redding, CA 96002 | Phone: 855-769-5791
  • Ventura: 10900 Telephone Road, Ventura, CA 93004 | Phone: 888-272-2104
  • West Los Angeles: 11500 Nimitz Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90049 | Phone: 877-605-1332
  • Yountville: 260 California Drive, Yountville, CA 94599 | Phone: 800-404-8387

Find out more about the Veterans Homes of California.

Burial and Survivor Benefits

California veterans have two systems to choose between. CalVet runs three state veterans cemeteries, and the VA National Cemetery Administration operates a much larger network of national cemeteries across the state.

California State Veterans Cemeteries

  • Northern California Veterans Cemetery: 11800 Gas Point Road, Igo, CA 96047
  • California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery: 2900 Parker Flats Road, Seaside, CA 93955

Burial is open to service members and veterans who met the minimum active duty requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Spouses, minor children and, in defined circumstances, dependent unmarried adult children may be buried as well, even if they die first, and a non-veteran spouse or dependent can be interred while the veteran is still living or buried elsewhere.

There is no interment fee for the veteran. A fee does apply to eligible spouses and dependent children, set at the VA’s current plot allowance rate, revised each October 1, and payable on the day of interment. CalVet also maintains a third cemetery on the grounds of the Yountville veterans’ home, reserved for residents of that home and their eligible dependents. Find out more.

National Cemetery Resources

  • Bakersfield National Cemetery, open to casketed and cremated remains: 30338 East Bear Mountain Boulevard, Arvin, CA 93203 | Phone: 661-867-2250
  • Miramar National Cemetery, open to casketed and cremated remains: 5795 Nobel Drive, San Diego, CA 92122 | Phone: 858-658-7360
  • Riverside National Cemetery, open to casketed and cremated remains: 22495 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, CA 92518 | Phone: 951-653-8417
  • Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, open to casketed and cremated remains: 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, CA 95620 | Phone: 707-693-2460
  • San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, open to casketed and cremated remains: 32053 West McCabe Road, Santa Nella, CA 95322 | Phone: 209-854-1040
  • Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, closed to new interments though burials in existing gravesites continue: 1700 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, San Diego, CA 92106 | Phone: 619-553-2084
  • Golden Gate National Cemetery, closed to new gravesites: 1300 Sneath Lane, San Bruno, CA 94066 | Phone: 650-589-7737
  • Los Angeles National Cemetery, closed to new gravesites, with the adjoining Annex taking cremated remains: 950 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90049 | Phone: 310-268-4675
  • San Francisco National Cemetery, closed to new gravesites: 1 Lincoln Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94129 | Phone: 650-589-7737

The VA supplies the gravesite, opens and closes the grave, provides a burial liner, sets a headstone or marker, and maintains the site in perpetuity, along with a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. Cremated remains are interred with the same honors as casketed remains.

Survivor Benefits

Widows and widowers of California veterans may be entitled to accrued benefits, a Survivors’ Pension, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation and other survivor benefits.

The Disabled Veterans’ Exemption carries over to an unmarried surviving spouse, and the College Fee Waiver reaches the spouse and children of a veteran who died of service-connected causes.

benefits available after a veteran’s death

Federal Benefits Available to California Veterans

  • Medical care, including mental health services and counseling
  • Monthly tax-free compensation payments based on disability rating (calculate it here)
  • Special compensation, Aid & Attendance and other financial benefits

Eligibility for some of these benefits depends on the disability rating percentage. Use the links below to see what federal benefits California veterans can get with a rating of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, etc.

100% Disabled Veteran Benefits

  • Full monthly VA compensation
  • Full VA healthcare coverage
  • Dental care
  • Adaptive equipment grants

See all federal benefits for a 100% disabled California veteran →

100% Disabled Veteran Benefits for Spouse and Dependents

  • CHAMPVA healthcare
  • DIC eligibility
  • Education benefits, including California’s College Fee Waiver for dependents
  • A continued property tax exemption, which in California runs until the surviving spouse remarries

Benefits for Toxic Exposure

A veteran who developed a disability after being exposed to environmental hazards in service may be entitled to VA compensation. California carries one of the heaviest concentrations of contaminated military land in the country, and several installations sit on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List. The recurring problems are the solvents trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in groundwater, PFAS from firefighting foam, petroleum and jet fuel, PCBs, heavy metals including arsenic and lead, and unexploded ordnance on former ranges.

California Military Bases with Known Toxins

If you served at a base in a different state, check its history of toxic contamination and potential health effects using the Military Base Toxic Exposure Map or get in touch with us for a free evaluation of your claim.

Getting VA Disability in California

If you’re applying for VA disability benefits in California, there are many resources to help guide you through the process. These include local veterans’ organizations, California VSOs, and VA-accredited attorneys who understand how the system works.

Free Guide to Claiming and Winning Benefits

Attorney Matthew Hill has written THE book on how to get VA disability compensation and benefits. And it’s yours free of charge.

Get the free book

Help from Experienced Lawyers

Our VA disability appeal lawyers proudly represent California veterans who were denied or underrated by the VA, with no upfront costs. Find out more: