Tennessee Benefits Guide for Disabled Veterans

Tennessee offers various transportation-related benefits to reduce the financial burden on disabled veterans and improve their mobility. These include exemptions from sales taxes and registration fees for those receiving federal grants for adaptive vehicles, as well as waivers for local county wheel taxes for veterans with 100% disability ratings. Additionally, the state provides free specialized license plates, parking placards, and decals for eligible veterans with service-connected disabilities. 

Motor Vehicle Sales Tax and Fee Exemptions

• VA Automobile Grant Recipients: New or used vehicles sold, given, or donated to disabled veterans or active-duty service members are exempt from sales tax, registration fees, and local motor vehicle privilege taxes if the individual has a service-connected disability and receives a VA grant for a specially adapted vehicle.
• Adaptive Equipment: adaptive equipment for a vehicle sold, given or donated to an honorably discharged disabled veteran with a qualifying service-connected disability is exempt from Tennessee sales and use tax.
• Sales Tax Limitation: For those receiving a VA grant, the sales tax exemption applies to the portion of the vehicle’s price that exceeds the grant amount.

County Motor Vehicle Privilege Tax Exemption

Veterans with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability, and former prisoners of war regardless of rating, are exempt from the county motor vehicle privilege tax, commonly called the wheel tax. Submit evidence of the disability to the county official who collects the tax. The wheel tax is levied county by county, so the exemption only saves money in a county that imposes one, but where it exists the exemption is required by state law.

Free Disabled Veteran License Plates

The state issues registration and license plates free of charge for the first vehicle owned or leased by a qualifying disabled veteran, and the vehicle may be registered in the veteran’s name or jointly with a spouse. Qualifying disabilities include the loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet or hands, permanent vision impairment of 20/200 or worse in both eyes with correction, and any other service-connected disability the VA determines to be a 100% permanent total disability.

Only the first plate is free. A second plate costs the regular registration fee plus half the specialty plate fee. Any plate beyond the second costs the regular registration fee plus the full cost of producing the plate.

A veteran who is entitled to a free disabled veteran plate and who holds the Purple Heart may elect a Purple Heart plate for one vehicle free of charge instead. Purple Heart receipt has to be documented on the DD-214 or equivalent.

On the death of a Purple Heart holder, the surviving spouse may be issued a Purple Heart plate for a vehicle they own or lease on submitting a death certificate. Tennessee also issues one free Gold Star Family plate to the spouse, parent, sibling or child of a service member who died in the line of duty or from injuries sustained in service.

Disabled Parking Privileges

• Medical Criteria: Tennessee’s disabled parking standard applies to all drivers, not just veterans. An applicant qualifies with paraplegia, amputation or loss of use of a leg, foot or both hands, an inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, an inability to get about without great difficulty including from cardiac or pulmonary conditions, or vision of 20/200 or worse in both functioning eyes with correction. A physician’s statement is required.
• Free Disabled Decal: veterans who meet Tennessee’s disabled driver criteria can receive a free disabled decal, which may be added to an existing specialty plate.
• Free Distinguishing Placards: a veteran who qualifies for a free disabled veteran plate may instead apply for a free distinguishing placard to use for parking. A veteran who already took the free plate can also add a placard by paying a fee equal to the regular passenger vehicle registration fee. This took effect July 1, 2026.

Helping Heroes Grant

This grant is for veterans who served in conflict zones and are pursuing a first undergraduate degree at a participating Tennessee college. Applicants need an honorable discharge and Tennessee residency, and must not already hold a bachelor’s degree. There is no income limit and no age limit.

• Benefit Amount: You can receive 1,000 dollars per semester if enrolled in 12 or more credit hours, or 500 dollars for 6 to 11 credit hours. 
• Service Requirement: you must have been awarded the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, or the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal awarded on or after September 11, 2001. The Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal also qualifies.
• Duration and Deadlines: the grant runs for up to eight full semesters or until you earn a bachelor’s degree. Funding is limited to roughly 375 veterans a year on a first-come, first-served basis, and applications are due September 1 for fall, March 1 for spring, and May 1 for summer, so apply as early as the term allows.

Tennessee Reconnect

Tennessee Reconnect is a general adult program rather than a veterans program, but it is often the best route for an adult veteran returning to school. It covers tuition and mandatory fees at a community college or Tennessee College of Applied Technology on a last-dollar basis, after other gift aid is applied.

• Eligibility: you must not already hold an associate or bachelor’s degree, must be classified as a Tennessee resident, must be at least 23 by January 1 of the academic year or qualify as an independent student on the FAFSA, must file the FAFSA each year, and must take part in a college success program. Continuing students need a 2.0 GPA and at least part-time enrollment.
• Support: Through “Navigate Reconnect,” the state provides free, individualized coaching to help you choose a path, apply for aid, and stay on track to graduate. 
• Prior Learning Credit: Tennessee Reconnect institutions work specifically to evaluate your military experience and training, often converting it into college credit to help you finish your degree faster. 

Veterans Upward Bound

Veterans Upward Bound is a federal TRIO program funded by the U.S. Department of Education and delivered at host campuses, not a Tennessee state program. It offers free instruction in subjects like math, English and computer skills for veterans returning to the classroom. In Tennessee it is hosted at Austin Peay State University, East Tennessee State University, the University of Memphis, and the University of Tennessee.

VETS Campus Designation

To smooth the transition from military to academic life, Tennessee designates VETS Campuses that meet seven standards set by the Tennessee Veterans Education Transition Support Act:

• an annual campus survey of student veterans, and military culture training for faculty and staff
• orientation programs for student veterans, and mentoring and support programs
• outreach to nearby military bases, a prior learning assessment process that grants academic credit for military training, and publication of that prior learning information on the campus website

Tuition Waiver for Surviving Spouses and Children

Tennessee waives tuition, maintenance fees, student activity fees and registration or matriculation fees at every state college and university for the spouse, and for dependent children under 23, of a veteran who was killed, died as a direct result of service injuries, or was reported a prisoner of war or missing in action during a qualifying period of armed conflict. The veteran must have been a Tennessee resident.

A spouse’s eligibility runs for ten years from the veteran’s death and ends immediately on remarriage. A dependent child must enroll full time before turning 23, and eligibility ends at a first undergraduate degree, 135 earned hours, or 150 attempted hours. The same families may also qualify for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship, which can cover room and board where the waiver already covers tuition.

This waiver does not cover the dependents of a living veteran rated 100% permanent and total. Families in that situation should seek federal Chapter 35 benefits instead. Veterans using VA education benefits also pay in-state tuition at Tennessee public institutions regardless of formal residency classification.

State Government Hiring Preference

Honorably discharged veterans are entitled to a hiring preference when applying for positions with the state of Tennessee. This is a legal requirement. 

• The Tie-Breaker Rule: if a veteran is in the pool of candidates being interviewed and has skills, abilities, competencies and knowledge equal to another applicant’s, preference goes to the veteran.
• Guaranteed First-Round Interview: if a veteran makes the list of eligibles for a preferred service position, the agency must invite them to complete the first-round interview questions. This applies to promotions as well as new appointments, and it is mandatory rather than discretionary.
• Transparency: if a state agency passes over an eligible veteran for a non-veteran, the hiring official must file a written explanation with the Department of Human Resources within 30 days.
• Spousal Eligibility: the interview guarantee also reaches the spouse or surviving spouse of a veteran, provided that person is a qualified Tennessee voter or has lived in Tennessee for the two years before applying, and either the veteran has a 100% service-connected disability, or is permanently and totally disabled, or died in the line of duty and the spouse has not remarried. The tie-breaker itself applies to the veteran, not the spouse.

Priority of Service at American Job Centers

Priority of service comes from federal law, the Jobs for Veterans Act, which requires every employment and training program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor to serve covered veterans and eligible spouses ahead of other applicants. Tennessee’s American Job Centers deliver it. Identify yourself as a veteran at the point of entry and you receive priority immediately, with no proof required up front.

• Career Coaching: You have access to one-on-one counseling to help translate your military occupational specialty (MOS) into civilian language for resumes. 
• Specialized Support for Disabled Veterans: If you have a service-connected disability or face significant barriers to employment, you can work with a Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist. These specialists provide intensive case management and help you develop an Individualized Employment Plan (IEP). 
• Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER): While DVOPs focus on helping you, LVERs work directly with local businesses to “sell” the value of hiring veterans and to find job openings that aren’t always listed publicly. 

Professional Licensing Benefits

Starting a new career in Tennessee is easier for veterans because the state streamlines the professional licensing process. 

• Expedited Review: Tennessee’s health-related boards and the emergency medical services board must maintain a procedure that expedites licensure for military spouses relocated to Tennessee and for service members applying within 180 days of retiring. Outside the health professions, a service member or military spouse stationed in Tennessee who holds a comparable out-of-state license can register and practice right away, then apply for the Tennessee license before the out-of-state license expires or within one year, whichever comes first.
• Military Experience Credit: licensing boards must accept military education, training and experience they determine to be substantially equivalent to state requirements, and honorably discharged veterans can seek equivalent credit toward occupational licenses with an appeal route to the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance.
• CDL Skills Test Waiver: Tennessee’s Highways for Heroes program waives the road skills test for a commercial driver’s license, though the written knowledge tests still have to be passed. Applicants must be Tennessee residents with a valid or eligible Class D license, must be on active duty or discharged within the past year, must have a safe driving record, and must supply a commanding officer’s certification of at least two years operating the same class of vehicle.

Support for Veteran Entrepreneurs

If you are looking to start your own business, Tennessee provides resources to help you succeed as a Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) or a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

• Registration Support: The state helps you register your business as veteran-owned, which can make you eligible for specific federal and state procurement opportunities. Learn more.
• Procurement: sole-source and set-aside contracts reserved for veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses are a federal program run through SBA and VA certification. Tennessee has no state set-aside, sole-source authority or bid preference. What the state does run is a goals-based program: agencies set and work toward annual internal contracting goals that include service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. A veteran who is at least 20% service-connected disabled and owns and controls at least 51% of a Tennessee business can be certified through the Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise, which lists the firm in the state directory used to build bid and proposal lists.

One more protection worth knowing: a veteran facing a state government layoff receives an additional 60 months of service credit when layoff order is calculated, which can move them well up the retention list.

Tennessee does not charge a general entrance fee for its state parks, so day-use access is free for everyone. Veterans can however enjoy special discounts for activities and overnight stays. 

• 100% Disabled Veteran Discount: If you are a Tennessee resident with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability, you are eligible for a 50% discount on camping and overnight cabin rentals year-round. 
• Standard Veteran Discount: all other Tennessee resident veterans receive a 25% discount on camping, cabins and lodge rooms in season (March 1 through November 30), rising to 50% off season (December 1 through the end of February).
• Golf and Retail Discounts: Veterans receive a 20% discount on golf greens fees and cart rentals, as well as a 15% discount on select items at park gift shops year-round. 
• Veterans Day: on November 11 each year, Tennessee resident veterans receive one free night of camping and complimentary 18-hole green fees. Premium campsites are excluded and all other fees still apply.
• Booking Limit: to get the camping, cabin or lodge discount, reservations may be made no more than 30 days in advance of arrival. This is the most common reason a discount gets refused.

To claim these benefits you must show proof of Tennessee residency, such as a driver’s license or voter registration, and proof of veteran status, such as a DD-214, VA benefits card or retired military card. The 100% discount also requires VA certification showing the disability percentage. Premium campsites, cabins and lodge rooms are excluded, and these discounts are for Tennessee resident veterans only, not family members or surviving spouses.

Tennessee Fishing and Hunting Licenses for Disabled Veterans

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) provides special licensing discounts for disabled veterans and allows resident veterans with a 100% rating or with certain disabilities to opt for a permanent $10 license, avoiding annual renewal fees. Veterans must submit a one-time application directly to the TWRA along with a VA certification letter confirming their disability status. Find out more. 

• 100% Disabled Veterans: Residents with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability rating are eligible for a permanent sport combination hunting and fishing license for a one-time fee of $10. 
• 30% or Higher Disability: veterans who are 30% or more disabled by reason of service in any war can obtain the same permanent $10 license. This route does not require a 100% rating.
• Wheelchair and Amputee License: separately from the veterans license, any Tennessee resident permanently restricted to a wheelchair, or who has lost 75% or more of a lower limb to amputation, can get a permanent sport combination license for a one-time $10 fee. This one takes a certificate from a Tennessee-licensed physician rather than a VA rating letter, so a veteran who does not reach 30% war-related or 100% P&T may still qualify this way.
• Assistant Allowances: Tennessee law lets certain hunters with disabilities designate one person to assist them. The licensee must complete and keep a TWRA designation form naming one assistant per calendar year and listing that person’s ID number. The assistant cannot carry a fishing pole without a fishing license, or a firearm or other hunting weapon without a hunting license, and no extra bag or creel limit is allowed for them.

Tennessee veterans are served by three VA health care systems: the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System covering middle Tennessee from Nashville and Murfreesboro, the Memphis VA Health Care System covering west Tennessee, and the VA Mountain Home Healthcare System covering the northeast from Johnson City. Between them they run four medical centers and more than thirty clinics across the state.

• Nashville VA Medical Center: 1310 24th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212 | Phone: (615) 327-4751 
• Alvin C. York Veterans Administration Medical Center: 3400 Lebanon Pike, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 | Phone: (615) 867-6000 
• Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center (Memphis): 116 North Pauline Street, Memphis, TN 38104 | Phone: (901) 523-8990
• Mountain Home VA Medical Center: 400 Dogwood Avenue, Mountain Home, TN 37684 | Phone: (423) 926-1171 
• Chattanooga VA Clinic: 6401 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 | Phone: (423) 893-6500 
• William C. Tallent VA Outpatient Clinic (Knoxville): 8033 Ray Mears Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37919 | Phone: (865) 545-4592

Each system also runs community-based outpatient clinics across its region, including Clarksville, Cookeville, Columbia, Gallatin, McMinnville and Tullahoma under Tennessee Valley; Jackson, Dyersburg, Covington, Millington and Savannah under Memphis; and Bristol, Morristown, Sevierville and Rogersville under Mountain Home. Check the VA locations page for the system nearest you.

Tennessee State Veterans Homes

For veterans requiring long-term care, the Tennessee State Veterans Homes provide skilled nursing, rehabilitative therapy and memory care. Admission generally requires that the veteran was a Tennessee resident at the time of admission, was born in the state, entered the armed forces from Tennessee, has a Tennessee home of record, or has an immediate family member acting as primary caregiver who lives in Tennessee.

Spouses of veterans and Gold Star parents may also be admitted on a space-available basis if they need a skilled level of care. Care is paid through VA per diem, Medicare, TennCare, long-term care insurance or private pay, and veterans rated 70% or higher can qualify for the VA’s higher per diem, which covers the full daily room rate.

• Clarksville Veterans Home: 250 Arrowood Drive, Clarksville, TN 37042 | Phone: (931) 245-4700 
• Cleveland Veterans Home: 1940 Westland Dr. SW, Cleveland, TN 37311 | Phone: (423) 813-3600 
• Humboldt Veterans Home: 2865 Main Street, Humboldt, TN 38343 | Phone: (731) 784-8405 
• Knoxville Veterans Home: 1 Veterans Way, Knoxville, TN 37931 | Phone: (865) 862-8100 
• Murfreesboro Veterans Home: 345 Compton Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 | Phone: (615) 895-8850 

The Tennessee Department of Veterans Services manages five state veterans cemeteries where eligible veterans can pre-register for burial. Interment of the veteran is provided at no charge, and Tennessee also charges no fee for the burial of a spouse or eligible dependent children, which is more generous than most states.

Surviving spouses and dependents may also qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, Survivors’ Pension for low-income surviving spouses and children of wartime veterans, accrued benefits the VA owed the veteran but had not paid at death, and Chapter 35 Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance. Learn more about getting survivor benefits.

State Veterans Cemeteries

• Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery: 7931 McCrory Lane, Nashville, TN 37221 | Phone: (615) 532-2238 
• East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery (Lyons View): 5901 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 | Phone: (865) 577-3228 
• East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery (John Sevier Hwy): 2200 E. Gov. John Sevier Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37920 | Phone: (865) 577-3228 
• West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery: 4000 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, TN 38125 | Phone: (901) 543-7005 
• Parkers Crossroads State Veterans Cemetery: 693 Wildersville Road, Parkers Crossroads, TN 38388 | Phone: (731) 967-4127 

VA National Cemeteries

• Chattanooga National Cemetery (open to casket and cremation burial): 1200 Bailey Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404
• Mountain Home National Cemetery (open to casket and cremation burial): 215 Heroes Dr, Mountain Home, TN 37684
• Nashville National Cemetery (cremation only): 1420 Gallatin Pike S, Madison, TN 37115
• Knoxville National Cemetery (cremation only): 939 Tyson St NW, Knoxville, TN 37917
• Memphis National Cemetery (cremation only): 3568 Townes Ave, Memphis, TN 38122

In addition to Tennessee’s specific benefits, disabled veterans also 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  
• Education benefits through the GI Bill  
• Survivor benefits  
• Federal hiring preference  

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

• 50% VA disability benefits
• 60% VA disability benefits
• 70% VA disability benefits
• 80% VA disability benefits
• 90% VA disability benefits

100% Disabled Veteran Benefits

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 Tennessee 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  
• Federal education benefits through VA Chapter 35 Dependents’ Educational Assistance
• Continued Tennessee property tax relief for an unmarried surviving spouse
• Access to Tennessee state resources  

Veterans who served at military installations in Tennessee may have been exposed to hazardous substances including PFAS from firefighting foam, chlorinated solvents such as TCE and PCE, explosives residue, PCBs and heavy metals. Sites in Tennessee with a government environmental record include:

• Naval Air Station / NSA Mid-South (Millington): an EPA-tracked federal facility, not on the national priorities list. Documented contamination includes PFAS in groundwater and chlorinated solvents, principally TCE, at the former airfield.
• Memphis Defense Depot: on the EPA national priorities list since 1992. Documented contaminants include PCE, TCE, benzene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, dieldrin, PCBs, lead, arsenic and chromium. Buried mustard gas bombs were removed from the Dunn Field portion of the site.
• Arnold Air Force Base (Tullahoma): firefighting foam containing PFAS was used at the base from the 1960s onward, and PFAS has been reported in groundwater near the fire training area. The site is managed under the Defense Department’s own environmental restoration program rather than EPA Superfund.
• Milan Army Ammunition Plant: on the EPA national priorities list since 1987. Documented contaminants include TNT, RDX, HMX, DNT, nitrobenzene and nitrate in soil and groundwater.
• Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant (Chattanooga): TNT production residue from the 1940s in groundwater, surface water, soil and sediment. Evaluated by the EPA but cleaned up under a state-led order rather than a national priorities listing.
• Holston Army Ammunition Plant (Kingsport): RDX and HMX explosives discharged to the river, addressed under a state compliance agreement and a major water treatment upgrade.
• Oak Ridge Reservation: on the national priorities list since 1989, covering Y-12, the East Tennessee Technology Park and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Documented contamination includes radionuclides, mercury, uranium and PCBs. This is a Department of Energy complex rather than a military base, but it employed service members and contractors whose claims turn on the same records.

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.

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.

Tennessee State Assistance and Resources

• Tennessee Department of Veterans Services: 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, Nashville, TN 37243 | Phone: (615) 741-2345 
• Nashville Field Office: 1310 24th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212 
• Memphis Field Office: 1030 Jefferson Ave, Memphis, TN 38104 

Help from Experienced Lawyers

Our VA-accredited lawyers proudly represent Tennessee veterans who were denied or underrated by the VA, with no upfront costs. Contact us for a free evaluation – even if we don’t take your case, we’ll point you in the right direction! 

• Memphis VA Lawyers & Resources 
• Clarksville VA Lawyers & Resources