Disabled Veteran Benefits in Rhode Island

Rhode Island does not run one statewide property tax break. State law sets a $1,000 exemption for veterans of the wars and conflicts it lists, including service in uniform during the Cold War, and an additional $1,000 for a veteran the VA finds totally disabled through service-connected disability. Both come with a list of town-by-town exceptions: in Newport, for example, each is $4,000. So the amount you get depends on where the home is.

For the total-disability exemption you show the assessor a certificate from the VA saying you are totally disabled. A separate $10,000 exemption, which also has town exceptions, applies to a veteran who is totally disabled and received specially adapted housing help from the VA, on the home you live in. The basic exemption and the $10,000 one also reach an unmarried widow or widower.

You apply with your town tax assessor, not the state, and you bring your DD-214. You must be a legal resident of Rhode Island, and the exemption is applied in the town where you live. The state's own list of every town's amounts is linked from the veterans office page.

Rhode Island's disabled veteran waiver covers tuition at any public institution of higher education in the state, at any rating from 10% to 100%. You must be a permanent resident of the state and show proof of your VA rating.

It does not cover mandatory fees and other charges, only tuition. And you have to apply for financial aid first: any aid you are awarded is applied to the tuition bill before the waiver covers the rest.

Separately, veterans and active duty members get in-state tuition rates at URI, CCRI and RIC as soon as they establish residence in Rhode Island.

The Disabled Veteran plate is free to a veteran with a 100% service-connected disability, for vehicles up to 12,000 pounds. The state says there is no charge for the plates or registration. It allows one set per eligible veteran.

The paperwork is an Executive Certification from the VA's Rhode Island Regional Office in Providence; the DMV says it is the only form it is allowed to accept. The same certification gets you a Disabled Veteran driver's license, and the DMV says the holder is exempt from any cost for it for life. It does not include a commercial license.

A 100% rating also qualifies you for a veteran disability parking placard. Below 100% you can still apply for a regular placard with a physician's approval. A veteran with papers showing an honorable discharge can add the Veteran designation to a license or ID at no charge.

Rhode Island charges no fee at state-owned recreation facilities to a veteran the VA finds 100% disabled through a service-connected disability, or to a car carrying one who does not drive. The law says that covers parking, admittance and golf fees. It does not cover camping, picnic table or specialized facility fees, and you show the identification the Department of Environmental Management asks for. A resident veteran VA rates as totally disabled also plays the Goddard park golf course free.

For hunting and fishing, state law entitles a 100% disabled veteran to a continuing license with no license fee. The catch is the wording: it is issued at the discretion of the licensing authority, on presentation of the discharge or disability papers the Department of Environmental Management prescribes.

The veteran provision is written for 100% only. Separately, every resident over 65 is entitled to a permanent hunting and fishing license with no fee.

Rhode Island fully exempted military service pensions from its personal income tax starting with tax year 2023. You subtract the pension that was included in your federal adjusted gross income when you file your state return.

This is separate from the state's other pension break, which is limited to people who have reached full retirement age and have a federal AGI below a set amount. The state says you cannot count military pay toward that second modification, because the same income cannot be deducted twice.

On competitive entrance exams for state classified jobs, a veteran gets 5 points and a disabled veteran gets 10 points added to the final score. You still have to earn a passing score first, since the points are added only after you pass.

To count as a disabled veteran you must be a war veteran, meaning you earned a campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal, with an honorable or general discharge, and have a VA service-connected rating. The preference applies to entrance exams, not to promotions.

The Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter buries eligible veterans at no cost. Spouses and dependent children can be buried there too, but may be charged fees.

The Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol takes veterans who served in wartime, were honorably discharged, and enlisted from Rhode Island or lived in the state two years. Residents pay according to their means, and the state says costs are typically set at 80% of adjusted net income.