Indiana offers a few key benefits for its resident veterans, in addition to what the VA offers. To apply for any of the following benefits, you can find forms at the website for the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs .
Children of disabled or deceased veterans can obtain free tuition at any state-supported college or university.
To be eligible, the veteran must have:
For veterans who entered service after June 2011, the rules are a bit different. The veteran must have lived in Indiana directly before entering the service or must have been a resident of Indiana for at least five years before the application for tuition assistance. Also, a veteran will only qualify with one of the following:
For service-connected disabilities, the amount of tuition paid depends on the VA disability rating, but it can be up to 100%.
Veterans are eligible to pay the tuition rate for in-state residents if they:
Three levels of property tax deductions are available to disabled Indiana veterans and their surviving spouses.
A deduction of $12,480 is available to Indiana veterans whose property is worth less than $143,160 and who served at least 90 days of honorable service if they are either:
A deduction of $24,960 is available to Indiana veterans who served honorably durig any period of wartime and are at least 10% service-connected disabled.
A deduction of $37,440 is available for any veteran whose property is worth less than $143,160 and who served honorably during any period of wartime if he or she is:
Indiana veterans who are at least 60 years old and active military service members are eligible to receive an exemption of $5,000 on their state income tax return.
The State Merit System, which fills most state government jobs, gives points to veterans applying for jobs with the Indiana state government.
In addition, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development provides services to veterans looking for work through the Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) and the Local Veterans' Employment Representative (LVER) Program. Veterans can receive help with job training, job placement, and counseling.
Visit the Indiana Department of Veterans' Affairs website for more information on state benefits for Indiana vets, including the Golden Hoosier Passport for state parks, specially designated license places, reduced fee hunting and fishing licenses, and eligibility for the Indiana veterans home and memorial cemetery.
In addition, see Nolo's section on VA benefits for more.
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