Disabled Veteran Benefits in U.S. Virgin Islands

The full exemption is the benefit worth the most. A veteran whose service-related disability entitles them to VA compensation for permanent and total disability is exempt from all real property taxes the Tax Assessor levies on their homestead. The office's summary of local benefits lists no partial exemption for lower ratings, so the cut-off is the permanent and total designation, not a percentage.

Below that, there is a flat $650 Veteran tax credit for a property owner who is a veteran, or the widow or widower of one. The application asks for a copy of your DD214, not a disability rating, and under the same credit it asks whether you are a National Guard member with twenty years or more of service. The credit is claimed on the homestead application, where you select it as your one other credit on top of the homestead exemption, so it cannot be combined with the senior or disability credits on the same form.

Two steps trip people up. First, go to the Office of Veterans Affairs for a signed Veteran Tax Exemption Eligibility Form. Then file the homestead credit application, which is due at the Office of the Tax Assessor by March 1. You must be a permanent resident of the territory on January 1 of the year you claim, and the homestead credit does not apply to vacant land.

The territory waives tuition at UVI for Virgin Islands veterans. It is tuition only: all fees are paid by the veteran. Virgin Islands veterans can also attend UVI CELL, the university's continuing education arm, without fee or charge of any kind. It offers in-class programs and more than 500 online courses and describes its programs as free to VI veterans.

The waiver form asks for no disability rating. You certify that you were released under conditions other than dishonorable, and that you are not entitled to have your tuition paid by federal veterans' funds. You also cannot get a waiver for the same class twice.

Read the eligibility line carefully. The office lists free tuition among benefits for "Virgin Islands Veterans" only. Its definition is a veteran domiciled in the Virgin Islands who entered the armed services there, or who was domiciled there but entered in another jurisdiction while temporarily living in it. Ask the office whether you meet it before you count on the waiver. Enroll first, then take the waiver form to the Office of Veterans Affairs. Only the director can approve it.

Any veteran residing in the territory can get veterans license plates at no cost, up to three sets. This is a free plate, not free registration: the fees for registering the vehicle are still yours to pay, and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles sets them. The office's summary of local benefits lists no registration fee waiver for any disability rating.

The disabled veterans plate has been issued since October 2023 and is limited to one per eligible veteran. The office's 2025 summary says it is for veterans with a "Permanent and Total" disability designation, based on military service, on their VA Benefit Summary Letter. Its 2023 announcement worded it as a letter identifying you as "permanently disabled" or "totally and permanently disabled".

Plates are issued by the Office of Veterans Affairs, not the motor vehicle bureau. The bureau will not register veterans plates without the office's eligibility form, and you must be the registered owner or lessee of the vehicle. Separately, you can have the word "Veteran" added to your driver's license, and there is no charge to change the license for it.

For travel within the VA Caribbean Healthcare Network, the Office of Veterans Affairs reimburses 100% of the flight to the closest VA medical facility. It covers non-service-connected appointments; service-connected ones are funded through the local VA clinic. The VA outpatient clinic must start the referral, or the director must authorize it in an emergency, and you hand in the appointment slip, boarding passes and ticket receipt when you return.

A companion's ticket is covered when the physician states the medical need in writing. If you are 70 or older, a companion's ticket is covered whether the clinic says so or not.

For care outside that network, the office reimburses no more than $250 a trip, for no more than three trips per fiscal year. You must be seen at a VA hospital or medical center, the director must pre-approve the trip before you travel, companions are not covered, and it depends on available funds. Veterans residing in the territory also get free emergency ambulance service.

The territory reimburses a maximum of $5,000 for the burial expenses of a Virgin Islands veteran. The office lists it as a local benefit. It is tied to the territory's definition of a Virgin Islands veteran: someone domiciled in the Virgin Islands at the time of death who entered the armed services there, or who was domiciled there but entered elsewhere.

A free burial plot is available in local cemeteries that have a designated veterans section. A spouse or minor child, and in some cases an unmarried adult child, can be buried alongside the veteran. The 2025 summary lists the plot for veterans residing in the territory, but the office's burial policy letter is narrower: only veterans who were bona fide residents of the Virgin Islands when they were drafted or enlisted are eligible for the veterans burial site. Families should confirm with the Office of Veterans Affairs.

The loan runs through the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority. The Office of Veterans Affairs lists it as a home or land loan with a maximum of $220,000 at 3.5%, and marks it "when available": a commitment is issued once you meet the requirements and funds exist. You need the office's Housing Finance Authority eligibility form first. The authority's homeownership page also says no earnest money deposit is required for qualified veterans.

On jobs, 10 points are added to a veteran's score on local civil service examinations, and 15 points for a disabled veteran. The office defines a disabled veteran here as one with a service-connected disability currently rated at 0% or more, so any service-connected rating counts. The widow or spouse of a disabled veteran gets the same preference.