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Washington State is home to 494,383 veterans as of late 2025, and 34.8% of them, 172,017 people, receive VA disability compensation totaling $4.3 billion a year, according to the VA. The state provides a robust network of support, ranging from property tax relief and education assistance to specialized outdoor recreation passes and employment preferences.

Disabled veterans can benefit from real financial relief through Washington’s income-tested property tax programs and its vehicle fee and excise tax exemption, as well as discounted passenger fares for state ferries, reduced-fare transit, a lifetime state parks pass, and tuition waivers for veterans and their families.

This guide helps disabled veterans and their families learn about Washington State’s programs, resources and legal assistance available to them. It explains requirements for the benefits provided by the state and how to access them. 

Property Tax Exemptions

Do Disabled Veterans Pay Property Taxes in Washington State?

Many pay substantially less, though few pay nothing at all. Washington’s program cancels excess (voter-approved) levies and the state levy outright, then exempts regular levies on a capped share of the home’s assessed value, so regular levies on the value above that cap are still owed. Eligibility turns on three things: the veteran’s disability, their income measured against a threshold set for their county, and ownership and occupancy of the home.

The Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption

Every one of Washington’s 39 counties uses the same three statutory income tiers. Only the dollar amounts differ, because each county’s thresholds are set as a percentage of that county’s median household income. For taxes payable in 2027 and later:

  • Income Threshold 1 (lowest income, largest benefit): exempt from all excess levies, the state property tax levy, and regular levies on the greater of $80,000 or 80% of assessed value.
  • Income Threshold 2: exempt from all excess levies, the state property tax levy, and regular levies on the greater of $70,000 or 45% of assessed value, capped at $200,000.
  • Income Threshold 3 (highest qualifying income): exempt from all excess levies and the state property tax levy. Above this threshold there is no exemption at all, at any disability rating.

To qualify, veterans must meet criteria covering disability, income, and home ownership:

  1. Be a veteran entitled to and receiving VA compensation at a combined service-connected rating of 40% or higher, or at the 100% rate for a service-connected disability regardless of the schedular percentage. The 40% floor replaced the old 80% requirement under Engrossed House Bill 1106, which applies to taxes levied for collection in 2027 and later, meaning every application filed from 2026 onward.
  2. Own and occupy the property as your primary residence for more than six months of the year. 
  3. Combined disposable income for the qualifying year at or below the threshold set for your county. VA disability compensation and DIC are not counted, at any rating. Almost everything else is, including income that is not taxable federally: Social Security and Railroad Retirement, military retired pay, pensions and annuities, capital gains, interest and dividends.

File with your county assessor, not the Department of Revenue. Applications are due by December 31 of the assessment year, though assessors may accept late filings, and the exemption must be renewed at least every six years. If you qualified in past years but did not know to apply, you can claim a refund for up to three years of taxes already paid.

Income Can Disqualify You Even at 100%

Washington’s exemption is income-tested, which sets it apart from the flat exemptions most states offer. Meeting the disability standard is only half of it. If your combined disposable income exceeds your county’s Income Threshold 3, you receive nothing, at any rating. Thresholds vary enormously by county, so check your county’s figure before assuming you are over the line, and check it again for next year, when the thresholds rise.

If your combined disposable income is already above Threshold 3, a higher rating will not produce this exemption. But if you have a lower income and are rated below 40%, an increase to 40% qualifies you for taxes payable in 2027 and later; and if you are rated below 100% but cannot hold substantially gainful employment, a grant of total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) puts you at the 100% compensation rate and satisfies the statute at any schedular percentage.

If the VA has denied a rating increase or a TDIU claim, a VA disability lawyer can handle the appeal.

Property Tax Deferral

If you do not qualify for the exemption, you may still be eligible for a property tax deferral, which lets you postpone payment. A deferral is a loan from the state secured by a lien on your home, accruing 5% simple interest, and it must eventually be repaid, typically when the home is sold or title transfers.

The deferral is open to Washington residents who are at least 60 years old or retired due to a disability, with income below the county’s deferral threshold. You can defer up to 80% of your equity in the home, and you must keep fire and casualty insurance in force to protect the state’s interest. File with your county assessor at least 30 days before the tax is due, and renew every year.

See all the property tax relief programs for veterans → 

Assistance for Widows and Widowers of Disabled Veterans

The Property Tax Assistance Program for Widows and Widowers of Veterans provides a grant, which does not have to be repaid, toward property taxes. The veteran must have died as a result of a service-connected disability; have been rated 100% disabled for the 10 years before death; have been a former prisoner of war who was rated 100% disabled for one or more years before death; or have died on active duty or in active training status as a member of the uniformed services, reserves, or National Guard.

The surviving spouse must be at least 62 years old or unable to work due to a disability, must not have remarried, and must have income at or below the county’s Income Threshold 3. They must also own and occupy the home; a share in a cooperative, a life estate, a lease for life, or a revocable trust does not satisfy this program’s ownership test. There is no minimum length-of-marriage requirement. Claims go to the Department of Revenue, not the county assessor, at least 30 days before the tax is due, with the veteran’s DD-214, a marriage certificate, the death certificate, and a VA letter certifying the qualifying death.

Find out more from the Washington State Department of Revenue → 

Transportation Benefits

Do Disabled Veterans Pay Vehicle Registration in Washington State?

A veteran receiving VA compensation at the 100% rate that is expected to last more than one year can register one personal-use vehicle without paying vehicle license fees, license plate fees, or excise taxes, including the Sound Transit regional transit authority excise tax.

The vehicle exemption covers passenger vehicles, motorcycles, motor homes, and trucks used personally, regardless of gross weight. The vehicle cannot be registered to a business or used commercially. A veteran who prefers ordinary plates does not lose the benefit: state law lets you keep a regular-issue or other qualifying plate and still take the full fee and excise tax exemption.

Free Disabled Veteran License Plates

Washington issues the disabled veteran plate to veterans who have a service-connected disability rating, who have lost the use of both hands or one foot, who received a prisoner of war medal, who have become blind in both eyes as a result of military service, or who are receiving compensation at the 100% rate expected to last more than a year.

The Disabled Veteran license plates exempt the owner from paying annual renewal fees and standard license fees for that specific vehicle. Unlike standard plates, these do not require annual tab renewals unless the veteran chooses a special background design, which may have an additional cost. Find out more. 

Other military plates carry the same fee exemption: Purple Heart, former prisoner of war, Gold Star and Medal of Honor plates are all fee-exempt on one vehicle. A Purple Heart plate can be reissued free of charge to an unremarried surviving spouse or domestic partner with a death certificate and affidavit.

Disabled Veteran Parking Permit

Since October 1, 2025, a veteran can qualify for special parking privileges by showing a disability rating of 70% or higher from the armed forces or the VA and use of a service animal. Both conditions must be met.

If certified by a physician, ARNP or physician assistant, the same special parking privileges are granted to anyone who: cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, needs a cane, brace, wheelchair or another person to walk, uses portable oxygen, or has severe cardiac limitation.

Placards and the parking privilege ID card are free and renew every five years. Disabled veteran license plates on their own do not confer parking privileges.

Disabled Veterans Discounts for Public Transportation

Trains and Bus Discounted Rates

Veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 40% or higher are eligible for the Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP). This permit is an ORCA-compatible card honored across most Puget Sound area transit systems, including Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit and Everett Transit. The first card is free and replacements cost $3; permits issued for a permanent disability do not need renewal.

50% Discount on Washington State Ferries

Riders with disabilities qualify for a 50% discount on passenger fares (not including the vehicle or oversized cargo) across all routes. Accepted proof includes the ORCA Regional Reduced Fare Permit, the Department of Licensing disability parking privilege ID card, a Medicare card, or another regional transit ADA identification card.

Washington State Ferries does not accept VA identification, so a VA rating letter alone will not get the discounted fare. Buy tickets in person and present the ID.

Education Benefits

College Benefits for Veterans

Washington’s public universities and community and technical colleges may waive all or part of tuition and fees for an eligible veteran or National Guard member. The waiver is discretionary, and each governing board sets its own amount and credit limit, so terms vary by campus.

The University of Washington Bothell, for example, waives up to 50% of the in-state rate for a first bachelor’s degree up to 225 college-level credits, while UW Tacoma applies the same 50% up to 250 credits. Check with the veterans services office at the school you plan to attend.

Graduate and professional students may also be eligible for waivers at certain institutions, though these are often awarded on a case-by-case basis.  

You are generally eligible if you are a Washington resident who served as an active or reserve member of the U.S. military or National Guard in a war or conflict fought on foreign soil or in international waters, or in support of those serving there.

If you were discharged, you need a qualifying discharge, which includes a general discharge under honorable conditions, an other-than-honorable discharge where you can document VA eligibility for benefits, and any discharge issued solely because of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Provide a DD-214 or NGB Form 22 and proof of Washington residency.

Tuition Waivers for the Spouses and Children of 100% Disabled Veterans

Washington’s public colleges and universities must waive all tuition and fees for the child, spouse, or domestic partner of an eligible veteran or National Guard member who became totally disabled as a result of active federal service, or who is federally determined to be a prisoner of war or missing in action, and for the child or surviving spouse or domestic partner of one who lost their life as a result of that service.

The veteran must independently meet the state’s definition of an eligible veteran, meaning foreign-soil or international-waters service with a qualifying discharge. Children must be Washington residents between 17 and 26, and a child’s marital status does not affect eligibility.

A surviving spouse or a living domestic partner has ten years to use the waiver, measured from whichever occurs last: the date of death, the date of total disability, the federal determination of service-connected death or total disability, or the federal determination of prisoner of war or missing in action status. Remarriage or registering a new domestic partnership ends eligibility.

Recipients may use up to 250 quarter credits, or the semester equivalent, and, subject to available funding, receive a $500 per academic year stipend for textbooks and course materials. Graduate waivers are encouraged but not required.

Employment Benefits

Apprenticeships for Veterans

Veterans can use GI Bill benefits while working as an apprentice in fields like plumbing, electrical work, or law enforcement, drawing a monthly housing allowance from the VA on top of wages. For on-the-job training and apprenticeships the allowance decreases as wages rise: 100% of the applicable rate for the first six months, then 80%, 60% and 40% in each following six-month block, and 20% after two years. A book and supply stipend of up to $83 a month, capped at $1,000 a year, is also payable.

Veteran Hiring Preference

When a veteran applies for a job with a Washington state agency or local government, state law adds a percentage to the passing examination score. Veterans and uniformed service members who served during a period of war or armed conflict and do not receive military retirement get 10%.

Veterans who served outside a war or armed conflict, or who receive military retirement, get 5%. A disabled veteran receives the same percentage as any other veteran in the same category.

The 10% and 5% preferences apply only until the first appointment and cannot be used on promotional exams. There is one exception: an employee called to active military service from a state, county or city job gets 5% added to promotional examinations through their first promotion.

Separately, Washington state law directs that veterans with a qualifying discharge, their widows and widowers, spouses of active duty service members, and spouses of veterans with a service-connected permanent and total disability be preferred for appointment and employment in public departments and on public works.

Veteran-Owned Business Preference

State agencies are encouraged to award 3% of procurement contracts that are exempt from competitive bidding to veteran-owned businesses certified by the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Executive Order 22-01 additionally requires agencies to set their own participation goals for certified veteran-owned businesses and report progress; WDVA asks agencies to track against a 5% goal, and only WDVA-certified businesses count toward it.

To qualify, a business must be 51% owned and controlled by a veteran, a person receiving VA disability compensation or pension, or an active or reserve service member, and must be a Washington corporation or have its principal place of business here. Certification is free.

Professional Licensing for Veterans and Military Spouses

Washington’s military spouse employment act requires each licensing authority to issue a license within 30 days of a completed application to someone licensed in another state whose spouse has been transferred to Washington on military orders, and to issue a temporary license valid at least 180 days while any Washington-specific requirements are finished.

A service member’s professional license stays in force during service and can be renewed on application within six months of a qualifying discharge, and a deployed member’s spouse or domestic partner can place their license in inactive military status and reactivate it within six months of return.

Recreation Benefits

The Washington State Parks Disabled Veteran Lifetime Pass

Washington state provides a specialized Lifetime Disabled Veteran Pass to resident veterans who have a service-connected disability rating of 30% or higher. The pass grants its holder free day-use parking at all Washington state parks, free boat mooring, boat launch and trailer dump, and free nightly camping.

The pass also does the work of a Discover Pass: state law makes the lifetime disabled veteran pass the equivalent of a Discover Pass on Department of Natural Resources and Fish and Wildlife lands, as long as the pass holder is the driver or a passenger in the vehicle. Standard reservation and change fees still apply to camping, and the pass is valid only for the person it was issued to.

To qualify, a veteran must have resided in Washington state for at least three consecutive months and provide a VA benefit verification letter on official letterhead, addressed to the veteran’s Washington state address and showing a combined disability rating of 30% or greater.

Applications can be submitted via email to passes@parks.wa.gov or by mail to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission in Olympia. Get the application forms for the disabled veteran lifetime pass. 

Washington State Fishing and Hunting Licenses for Disabled Veterans

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) issues reduced-fee licenses to Washington residents with a qualifying discharge, which is broader than an honorable discharge.

  • 30% or greater service-connected disability: residents with a qualifying discharge pay the reduced statutory rate, $12.89 for a resident disabled combination fishing license on WDFW’s current schedule, and the youth rate for hunting licenses. These are annual licenses; Washington does not issue a permanent or lifetime veteran license.
  • Age 65 and older: residents 65 or over with a qualifying discharge and any service-connected disability qualify for the same reduced rates.
  • Other qualifying disabilities: residents who permanently use a wheelchair, who are blind or visually impaired, or who have a qualifying developmental disability receive the same reduced rates on non-veteran grounds. WDFW’s separate disability status designation covers mobility impairments such as loss of use of a lower limb and provides a hunter companion card, but it does not by itself provide reduced veteran fees.
  • Hunter companions: Washington law lets certain hunters with disabilities designate one person to assist them. The companion must hold their own valid hunting license and carry the companion card; only the disabled hunter’s license is discounted.

Health Care Benefits

Washington veterans are served by several VA systems. The largest is the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, with medical centers in Seattle and at American Lake in Tacoma.

Eastern Washington is served by the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, and the southeast by the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center at 77 Wainwright Drive, Walla Walla, which also runs the Richland and Yakima Valley clinics. Veterans in the southwest corner of the state use the Portland VA Medical Center Vancouver Division at 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd, Vancouver.

These facilities offer a full range of services, including emergency care, surgery, mental health treatment, and specialized clinics for women’s health and traumatic brain injury. Veterans can also use the following clinics: 

  • Bellingham Vet Center (readjustment counseling, not a medical clinic): 3800 Byron Ave, Suite 124, Bellingham, WA 98229
  • Auburn VA Clinic: 1002 15th St SW, Auburn, WA 98001
  • Everett VA Clinic: 220 Olympic Blvd, Everett, WA 98203
  • Mount Vernon VA Clinic: 307 S 13th St, Suite 200, Mount Vernon, WA 98274
  • North Olympic Peninsula VA Clinic: 1114 Georgiana St, Port Angeles, WA 98362
  • Olympia VA Clinic: 500 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98506
  • Puyallup VA Clinic: 11216 Sunrise Blvd E, Puyallup, WA 98374
  • Richland VA Clinic: 825 Jadwin Ave, Richland, WA 99352
  • Silverdale VA Clinic: 9177 Ridgetop Blvd NW, Silverdale, WA 98383
  • Yakima Valley VA Clinic: 1211 Ahtanum Ridge Dr, Union Gap, WA 98903
  • Renton VA Clinic: 419 S 2nd St, Suite 2, Renton, WA 98057
  • Oak Harbor VA Clinic: 3475 N Saratoga St, Building 993, Oak Harbor, WA 98278
  • South Lucile Street VA Clinic: 305 S Lucile St, Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98108
  • Spokane Valley VA Clinic: 12509 E Mirabeau Pkwy, Suite 100, Spokane Valley, WA 99216
  • East Front Avenue VA Clinic: 624 E Front Ave, Suite 201, Spokane, WA 99202
  • Elwood Bud Link VA Outpatient Clinic: 2530 Chester Kimm Rd, Wenatchee, WA 98801

Washington State Veterans Homes

In addition to federal VA medical centers and clinics, Washington operates four state veterans homes for aging or disabled veterans who require long-term nursing care. These facilities provide specialized attention, including skilled nursing and 24-hour medical care. 

  • Washington Soldiers Home: 1301 Orting Kapowsin Hwy, Orting, WA 98360 | Phone (360) 893-4515
  • Washington Veterans Home: 1141 Beach Dr. E., Port Orchard, WA 98366 | Phone (360) 895-4700
  • Spokane Veterans Home: 222 E. 5th Ave, Spokane, WA 99202 | Phone (509) 344-5770
  • Walla Walla Veterans Home: 92 Wainwright Dr, Walla Walla, WA 99362 | Phone (509) 394-6800

Admission requires the applicant be a bona fide Washington resident when they apply. Veterans qualify if they meet the state’s discharge requirements or are eligible for VA medical care.

A spouse or domestic partner may be admitted if they were married to or partnered with the veteran and living with them for at least three years before the date of application.

A surviving spouse or domestic partner may be admitted if the veteran was a resident of a Washington state veterans home, or entitled to admission, at the time of death, and has not since married someone outside that group. Parents whose child died while serving are also eligible.

Apply by contacting the admissions coordinator at 1-877-838-7787 or through the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Find out more. 

Burial and Survivor Benefits

The state operates the Washington State Veterans Cemetery at 21702 W. Espanola Rd, Medical Lake, WA 99022, phone 509-299-6280, which serves families across eastern Washington and beyond. Washington also has one VA national cemetery, Tahoma National Cemetery at 18600 SE 240th St, Kent, WA 98042, phone 425-413-9614, which is open to new interments for both casketed and cremated remains.

Burial at the state cemetery is open to veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. A veteran’s spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and under certain conditions unmarried adult children with disabilities may also be interred, and eligible family members may be buried even if they die before the veteran.

Interment of the veteran carries no direct charge; for an eligible family member the charge is $311 as of October 1, 2025, adjusted annually and collected at the time of service. Bring the DD-214, a marriage certificate or domestic partner registration for a spouse, and proof of dependency for a dependent child.

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.

On the state side, a surviving spouse or domestic partner aged 57 or older can keep the property tax exemption if the veteran was receiving it at death and the survivor meets the income, ownership and occupancy tests in their own right.

Federal Benefits Available to Washington State Veterans

In addition to Washington State’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 veterans can get with a rating of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, etc.

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 Washington State 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 state property tax exemption, where the survivor is 57 or older and qualifies on income and ownership
  • Access to Washington state resources  

Benefits for Toxic Exposure

Veterans who served at military installations in Washington State may have been exposed to toxins including PFAS from firefighting foam, chlorinated solvents such as TCE and carbon tetrachloride, petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, and heavy metals. Sites in Washington with a government environmental record include:

  • Fairchild Air Force Base: on the EPA national priorities list since 1989. Documented contaminants include carbon tetrachloride, TCE, benzene, chloroform, cadmium, lead, chromium and mercury, along with PFOS and PFOA in drinking water.
  • Fort Lewis: on the national priorities list since 1989. More than 1,000 buried drums were removed, and documented contamination includes TCE, other volatile organic compounds, arsenic, chromium, lead and cadmium, plus PFAS from firefighting foam.
  • McChord Air Force Base: the wash rack and treatment area was delisted from the national priorities list in 1996, but several other areas remain active cleanup sites. Documented contaminants include chloroform, benzene, arsenic, chromium and mercury, with PFAS at the wash rack.
  • Naval Base Kitsap Bangor (Silverdale, WA): two national priorities list Superfund sites, the submarine base and the ordnance disposal area, plus documented PFAS contamination reaching nearby private drinking water wells.
  • Montesano Armory: Department of Defense testing detected PFAS near the armory. Unlike the other sites listed here, it does not appear on the EPA’s national priorities list.
  • Naval Air Station Whidbey Island: two EPA Superfund site profiles covering Ault Field and the Seaplane Base, with PFOS and PFOA from firefighting foam, including a well that tested at 2,516 parts per trillion in 2017.
  • Puget Sound Naval Shipyard: on the national priorities list since 1994 as the Bremerton Naval Complex. Documented contaminants include petroleum hydrocarbons, lead, mercury and zinc, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, PCBs and asbestos.

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 Washington State

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.  

Washington State Assistance and Resources

For veterans who need to appeal a VA decision or are seeking to increase their disability rating, dedicated legal resources can ensure they receive the full compensation they deserve. 

Help from Experienced Lawyers

Our VA-accredited lawyers proudly represent Washington State 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!