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Mississippi provides a wide range of federal and state-level benefits tailored for disabled veterans. These include property tax exemptions, housing assistance, deeply discounted vehicle tags, priority in public sector hiring, and more.

Because one third of Mississippi’s veterans are living with service-connected disabilities (with half of them reporting ratings of 70% or higher), the health problems and the limitations that come with such disabilities can require substantial support and resources.

Hill & Ponton helps Mississippi’s disabled veterans and their families win VA higher ratings and understand the state and federal benefits they’re entitled to. It explains the specific programs and resources offered by the state of Mississippi and how to access them.

Tax Exemptions and Financial Assistance

Do Disabled Veterans Pay Property Taxes in Mississippi?

Mississippi veterans with a service-connected total disability pay no property tax on their primary residence, and neither do honorably discharged veterans who have reached 90 years of age on or before January 1 of the claim year. Both exemptions carry over to an unremarried surviving spouse. A veteran who has reached 65 without a total disability gets a partial exemption instead. Applications are filed with the county tax assessor between January 1 and April 1. Find out more.

The age threshold drops to 85 next year. House Bill 420, signed March 20, 2026, provides that from January 1, 2027 an honorably discharged veteran who has reached 85 years of age on or before January 1 of the claim year is exempt from all ad valorem taxes on the homestead, and so is their unremarried surviving spouse. The change applies to exemptions claimed in the 2027 calendar year, so a veteran aged 85 to 89 should plan to file in the January 1 to April 1, 2027 window. For the 2026 claim year the threshold is still 90.

What Must a Veteran Do to Get the Homestead Tax Exemption?

  • File an application with the county tax assessor with your Social Security or ITIN number, date of birth, vehicle tag numbers, and proof of residence and ownership. You will be asked for the purchase price and unpaid balance, but since January 1, 2026 no applicant can be required to produce a closing statement or disclosure.
  • Own and occupy the home as your primary residence as of January 1 of the tax year.
  • Be recognized as Head of Family, own the property in a qualifying manner, live in a property that meets the definition of a homestead, and comply with Mississippi income tax and road and bridge privilege tax laws. The homestead is capped at 160 acres.

Filing is one time, not annual. A homeowner with a valid claim on file is credited with the exemption each year without reapplying. You do have to file again when the property description, ownership, use or occupancy changes, when you turn 65, and, most easily missed, when a VA rating change moves you into a different tier. A veteran whose rating reaches total disability must refile to move up to the full exemption.

Mississippi Homestead Tax Exemption Tiers

  • Tier 1 (Regular Exemption): For homeowners under age 65 without a disability exemption. Up to $300 credit against property taxes. 
  • Tier 2 (Age/Disability Exemption): for homeowners who have reached 65 on or before January 1, or who are classified as totally disabled under a federal act or under a retirement plan approved by the Department of Revenue. Exempts the first $7,500 of assessed value, which may increase in later years. Proof of age or total disability is required.
  • Tier 3 (Total Exemption): exemption from all ad valorem taxes on the homestead. This covers honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected total disability; honorably discharged veterans who have reached 90 years of age on or before January 1, dropping to 85 for the 2027 claim year; the unremarried surviving spouse of either; and, since January 1, 2023, the unremarried surviving spouse of a servicemember killed or died on active duty, or of a reserve component or National Guard member killed or died on active duty for training.

Mississippi Income Tax and Sales Tax

Mississippi does not tax VA disability compensation. Retirement income, pensions and annuities, including military retired pay, are generally not subject to Mississippi income tax where the recipient has met the retirement plan requirements. Combat zone hazardous duty pay is excluded, as is the first $15,000 of pay for National Guard and reserve service. Mississippi offers no disabled-veteran sales tax exemption and no state cash bonus for a service-connected disability.

Housing Assistance

The Veterans’ Home Purchase Board offers VA-backed mortgages with no down payment, at 100% loan-to-value, and low fees. The discharge standard is conditions other than dishonorable, not an honorable discharge, so a general or other-than-honorable discharge does not by itself rule a veteran out. Applicants need a Certificate of Eligibility from the VA and must have been a Mississippi resident either immediately before entering military service or for at least two consecutive years before applying. Reserve and National Guard members with six or more years of service, and active duty personnel with two years of residency, may also apply, as may the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died from service-connected causes.

The maximum loan is $400,000. Rates are fixed for the life of the loan and run typically one to two points below market, and the Board services every loan in-house rather than selling it on. The property has to be a single-family residence in Mississippi. One rule catches people out: a veteran who already owns a home that no longer suits their needs has to sell it before the new loan can close. See current rates and terms.

Transportation Benefits

Disabled Veteran License Plates for Mississippi Veterans

Mississippi veterans rated 100% permanent service-connected, or at least 70% nonpermanent, can buy two car or pickup truck license plates and one motorcycle plate for $1 each per year, regardless of the vehicle’s make or model. The two-tag allowance is the part most often missed. Vehicles registered this way are exempt from all ad valorem and privilege taxes, with no cap on value. Since July 1, 2025 a veteran rated 100% permanent can have the tag read 100% Disabled Veteran or Disabled Veteran. A veteran who wants a tag on a further vehicle can have one at the ordinary taxes and fees.

Mississippi Disabled Veteran Tag Requirements

The benefit covers private passenger vehicles, pickup trucks and motorcycles only, and proof of ownership is required when applying. A veteran with a nonpermanent 70% rating has to supply an updated VA benefits letter each year showing the rating has not dropped below 70%. An unremarried surviving spouse keeps the full allotment of two vehicle tags and one motorcycle tag, and can apply even if the veteran died before the plates were issued. At every application and renewal the spouse files a sworn statement with the county tax collector that they have not remarried.

Education Benefits

Alongside federal education benefits such as the G.I. Bill, Mississippi runs several education benefits of its own. Mississippi Veterans Affairs administers or publishes each of the following:

  • In-state tuition for veterans. Any veteran, or anyone entitled to education benefits under Title 38, is authorized in-state tuition at Mississippi public colleges and universities. Military personnel stationed in Mississippi are classified as state residents for tuition purposes.
  • POW/MIA children’s scholarship. A narrow, era-specific program. The child of a Mississippi servicemember reported a prisoner of war or missing in action in Southeast Asia, or held by a foreign government following the USS Pueblo seizure, is entitled to an eight-semester scholarship without cost at any state-supported college or university, excluding books, food, school supplies and extracurricular fees. Benefits stop once the child turns 23.
  • National Guard State Educational Assistance Program. Active Mississippi National Guard members can draw up to $10,000 per state fiscal year at Mississippi colleges and universities, up to $5,000 at junior and community colleges, and up to $10,000 for vocational and credentialing programs. Members need to have completed basic training, be registered Mississippi voters, hold a 2.0 grade point average, and remain in good standing. See the program details.
  • Honorary high school diploma. Veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam whose schooling was interrupted by service can receive an honorary diploma, and a family may apply on behalf of a veteran who has died.

Mississippi does not offer a general tuition waiver for the spouses or children of disabled veterans. The POW/MIA scholarship is the only dependent program in force, so a family should not plan around a broader waiver. Individual campuses run their own aid on top of the state programs: Mississippi State University, for one, offers scholarships for its student veterans. Find out more.

Employment Benefits

Veteran Hiring Preference in Mississippi

The State Personnel Board grants a qualified veteran preference over other applicants for an initial or promotional appointment, with additional preference for a disabled veteran. In practice that plays out on the referred list an agency receives: disabled veterans are listed at the top, then other veterans, ahead of every other applicant. Declaring veteran status on the application is what triggers it.

A veteran is defined as someone who served 90 days in the active armed forces during a period of war or armed conflict and was honorably discharged, or who was discharged in less than 90 days for a service-connected injury. Peacetime-only service does not qualify, whatever the discharge.

A disabled veteran is a veteran the VA has certified at 30% or more within the last 90 days, or who was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. The 90 days refers to how recent the VA certification is, not to how long the rating has been held.

Layoff and Reemployment Protections for Veterans

In a reduction in force, veteran status is worth 20% of an employee’s retention score. Veterans are awarded four points and disabled veterans eight, alongside seniority and performance ratings at 40% each, and the employees with the lowest total are separated first.

Mississippi also protects reservists returning from active duty: an eligible member is entitled to be restored to their previous or a similar position at the same status, pay and seniority, provided they apply for reemployment in time and were honorably discharged. Find out more.

Recreation Benefits

Free Mississippi Hunting and Fishing License for Disabled Veterans

100% disabled veterans and other Mississippi residents declared 100% disabled by Social Security or who are blind, paraplegic, or multiple amputees do not need to buy a hunting or fishing license. Veterans must carry proof of their disability and Mississippi residency while hunting or fishing, unless they get an annual Disabled Exempt license.

Mississippi State Parks

Mississippi State Parks give a 15% discount on camping and lodging rates to veterans and active service members, and to visitors 62 and over and people with disabilities. The discount excludes holidays and special events, and it applies to camping and lodging rather than the day-use entrance fee. See the current fee schedule.

Special Hunt for Disabled Hunters

Mississippi law authorizes a special hunt for wheelchair-bound disabled hunters in the natural area at Arkabutla Lake, run with the approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Participants are chosen by public drawing, no more than 30 permits are issued, the hunt runs no longer than six days, and no hunting license is required. This one is open to disabled hunters generally rather than to veterans specifically, so a disabled veteran applies on the same footing as any other eligible resident.

Healthcare Benefits

Alongside the federal VA medical centers and clinics, Mississippi Veterans Affairs, which is the State Veterans Affairs Board, operates five Veterans Homes providing long-term skilled nursing care. Admission requires active duty service and a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable, which is broader than an honorable or general discharge. Mississippi residency is required unless no in-state applicant is waiting. Spouses of veterans and Gold Star parents may also be admitted.

A veteran rated 70% or higher, or rated 100% through individual unemployability, lives in a double-occupancy room at no charge, and so does a resident who needs nursing home care for a VA-adjudicated service-connected disability, whatever the rating percentage. A veteran below 70% without such a diagnosis pays $75 a day, which the federal aid and attendance pension can offset.

A single occupancy room adds $300 a month even for a veteran who otherwise pays nothing. Spouses and Gold Star parents pay $215 a day regardless of the veteran’s rating.

Mississippi State Veterans Homes

  • Collins: 3261 Highway 49, Collins, MS 39428 | Phone:  (601) 765-0403 
  • Jackson: 4607 Lindbergh Drive, Jackson, MS 39209 | Phone:  (601) 353-6142 
  • Kosciusko: 310 Autumn Ridge Drive, Kosciusko, MS 39090 | Phone:   (662) 289-7044 
  • Oxford: 120 Veterans Drive, Oxford, MS 38655 | Phone:  (662) 236-7641 
  • Tradition (Biloxi): 11721 Tradition Parkway, Biloxi, MS 39532 | Phone:   (228) 295-7444 

VA Medical Centers and Clinics

  • G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery VA Medical Center: 1500 East Woodrow Wilson Avenue, Jackson, MS 39216 
  • Biloxi VA Medical Center (VA Gulf Coast Health Care): 400 Veterans Avenue, Biloxi, MS 39531 
  • Columbus VA Clinic: 824 Alabama Street, Columbus, MS 39702 
  • Dogwood View Parkway VA Clinic: 6522 Dogwood View Parkway, Suite F, Jackson, MS 39213 
  • Greenville VA Clinic: 1651 Highway 1 South, Suite 1D, Greenville, MS 38701 
  • Hattiesburg VA Clinic: 5003 Hardy Street, Tower B, Suite 402, Hattiesburg, MS 39402 
  • Kosciusko VA Clinic: 405 West Adams Street, Kosciusko, MS 39090 
  • McComb VA Clinic: 1308 Harrison Avenue, McComb, MS 39648 
  • Meridian VA Clinic: 2103 13th Street, Meridian, MS 39301 
  • Natchez VA Clinic: 105 Northgate Drive, Suite 2, Natchez, MS 39120 

The Jackson clinics are part of the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center system and the Biloxi medical center anchors VA Gulf Coast Health Care. Jackson locations and Gulf Coast locations list current hours and services.

Vet Centers

Vet Centers provide readjustment counseling to combat veterans and their families, and do not require enrollment in VA health care.

Both the Jackson and Gulf Coast systems also run homeless veteran programs, including HUD-VASH housing vouchers, for veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Burial and Survivor Benefits

Mississippi Veterans Affairs, the State Veterans Affairs Board, operates two state veterans cemeteries. Veterans, their spouses and eligible dependent children are buried at no cost, unless the burial involves re-interment from another cemetery. VA provides a free grave marker and perpetual care is included. Both cemeteries accept casket burial, in-ground cremated remains and columbarium niches.

  • North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery (Kilmichael): 2 Legion Road, Kilmichael, MS 39747 | Phone: (662) 262-4232
  • Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery (Newton): 248 Honor Circle, Newton, MS 39345 | Phone: (601) 683-2959

The Burial Equity Act, signed April 17, 2024 and effective July 1, 2024, opened both cemeteries to reserve component members, Army and Air National Guard members, and Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC members discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable, along with their spouses and minor or unmarried adult children. For interments made under that law the statute requires the applicant to pay all costs: roughly $950 per person, plus $115 for a niche cover or $445 for a casket or in-ground cremation, paid to the cemetery by cashier’s check or money order before services are held. These charges do not apply to an ordinary veteran, spouse or dependent burial, which remains free.

Military honors may include TAPS, a rifle detail, a color guard, and the presentation of a burial flag.

National Cemeteries in Mississippi

Mississippi has three VA national cemeteries, and all three have space for both casketed and cremated remains. There is no charge for the interment of an eligible veteran, spouse or dependent child, and no Burial Equity Act charge applies.

Burial in a Private Cemetery

For a veteran buried in a private cemetery, VA provides a free headstone or marker for deaths on or after November 1, 1990, or a bronze medallion to attach to a privately purchased headstone for service on or after April 6, 1917, along with a Presidential Memorial Certificate.

VA’s commemorative urn and plaque program applies only when a veteran’s cremated remains are not interred anywhere, and choosing an urn or plaque permanently gives up interment in a VA national cemetery together with any headstone, marker or medallion. That election cannot be reversed, so families should be certain before making it.

Surviving spouses and dependents may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), Survivors’ Pension, accrued benefits, and Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance under Chapter 35. See how to get survivor benefits.

Federal Benefits Available to Mississippi Veterans

In addition to Mississippi’s specific benefits, disabled veterans get a wide range of federal VA disability benefits, including:

  • Monthly tax-free compensation payments based on disability rating (calculate it here) 
  • Medical care, including mental health services and counseling  
  • Home loans and housing benefits  
  • Vocational rehabilitation and employment services  
  • Federal hiring preference
  • Education benefits through the GI Bill  
  • Survivor benefits  

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

100% Disabled Veteran Benefits

Mississippi veterans with a 100% disability rating receive the highest level of federal VA benefits, including:

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

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

100% Disabled Veteran Benefits for Spouse and Dependents

Spouses and family members of 100% disabled veterans may also be able to get several benefits:

  • CHAMPVA healthcare  
  • DIC eligibility  
  • Education benefits  
  • Continued property tax exemption  
  • Access to Mississippi state resources  

Benefits for Toxic Exposure

Veterans who served at contaminated military bases or who were exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, or other environmental hazards may qualify for VA disability benefits. The contamination documented at Mississippi installations includes tactical herbicides and the dioxin they carried, PFAS from firefighting foam, and industrial solvents.

Mississippi Military Bases with Known Toxins

  • Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport (Gulfport, MS): the Air Force stored Herbicide Orange, Herbicide Blue and Herbicide White here from June 26, 1968 to June 10, 1977, and ran a drum-emptying operation on base in May and June 1977. Roughly 850,000 gallons of Agent Orange in 55-gallon drums sat on a 31-acre site, and spills and leaks during storage carried 2,3,7,8-TCDD dioxin through base drainage into off-base swampland. This is the only Mississippi location on VA’s list of places tactical herbicides were tested, used or stored outside Vietnam.
  • Naval Air Station Meridian (Meridian, MS): a federal facility under Navy-led environmental cleanup, tied to PFAS in firefighting foam.
  • Keesler Air Force Base (Biloxi, MS): a federal facility under Air Force environmental cleanup, with PFAS from firefighting foam.
  • Camp McCain Training Center (Grenada, MS): PFAS from firefighting foam at this National Guard training site.
  • Columbus Air Force Base (Lowndes County, MS): PFAS from decades of firefighting foam use.

No Mississippi military installation is on the EPA National Priorities List but cleanup at these sites runs through the Defense Department’s Installation Restoration Program and state agreements rather than Superfund, and VA decides exposure claims on service and evidence, not on a site’s Superfund status.

If you served at a base in a different state, you can check its history of toxic contamination and potential health effects using the Military Base Toxic Exposure Map.

Getting VA Disability in Mississippi

Getting through the VA disability claims process can be tricky, but there are local and national resources to help guide you. These resources include local veteran groups, state-supported VA services, and experienced disability attorneys.

Free Guide to Getting VA Disability

Attorney Matthew Hill has written THE book on how to get VA disability compensation and benefits. And it’s yours free of charge. We also offer a free ebook for easy, immediate access.

Mississippi State Assistance and Resources

Help from Experienced Lawyers

Our VA-accredited attorneys proudly serve Mississippi veterans who were denied or underrated, with no upfront costs. Contact us for a free evaluation, and even if we do not take your case, we will point you in the right direction.

Hill & Ponton has successfully assisted disabled veterans all over Mississippi. Find out more about our legal services: