Summary: West Virginia offers special benefits for its military service members and veterans including State Tax Exemptions, State Employment Preferences, Education and Tuition Assistance, Vehicle Tags, as well as Hunting and Fishing License privileges. Eligibility for some benefits may depend on residency, military component and veteran disability status.
State Benefit Highlights and Eligibility
State Taxes:
State Tax Advantage: part of military retirement pay and certain other types of retirement or annuity benefits are exempted from the federal adjusted gross income when calculating state income tax.
Eligibility: Military Retiree
Retired Military Pay: First $2,000.00 is exempt, plus an additional exclusion total whose formula is years of military service multiplied by 2 percent, multiplied by military pension; or $20,000.00, whichever is less.
Military Disability Retired Pay: Disability Portion - Length of Service Pay; Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless combat incurred. Retired Pay - Based solely on disability: Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless all pay based on disability and disability resulted from armed conflict, extra-hazardous service, simulated war, or an instrumentality of war.
VA Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Not subject to federal or state taxes
Education Benefits:
National Guard Education Benefits: The State of West Virginia will pay up to 100% of in-resident tuition and fees at any state-supported college/university. Out of state students pay tuition at the in-state rates at state supported schools.
Eligibility: Available Only to National Guard service members.
Veterans Re-education Act Fund: Tuition assistance to those veterans who need a new vocation due to dislocation or unemployment.
Eligibility: Veteran must have exhausted the G.I. Bill and be in need of tuition assistance.
Dependents of Deceased Veterans Tuition Waiver (State War Orphans Education): Free tuition at state supported institutions of higher education, plus a maximum of $500.00 for fees, board, room, books and supplies and other expenses.
Eligibility: Children (age 16 –23); one year WV residence, orphaned child whose veteran parent was killed during hostile actions. Parent must have died in wartime period, or, if subsequent to discharge, death must have been the result of disability incurred in such wartime service.
Employment Benefits:
Veterans Preference: Veterans applying to State jobs will have five (5) points added to a final passing score. An additional five (5) points are added to a veteran's score if veteran is a recipient of the Purple Hear or has a compensable service-connected disability.
Eligibility:
--Under the West Virginia Civil Service System all veterans who have served under honorable conditions in the armed forces of the United States during hostile conflict are eligible for Veterans Preference.
--Veteran must be Purple Heart recipient or have compensable service-connected disability in order to receive additional five (5) points to final passing score.
State Employment: State employees receive 60 days military leave per year. Employee Health Insurance will be maintained while on state or active duty.
Eligibility: For National Guard and US Army Reserve service members who are State employees.
Special Vehicle License Plates:
Disabled Veteran or POW Plates: No fee for disabled veteran or POW tags
Eligibility: Any veteran in receipt of an auto grant or who is permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected causes; veteran must be certified POW by the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Combat Veteran: To qualify for a no-fee Combat Veteran license plate, an applicant must certify that they were honorably discharged from one of the Armed Services and during their duty, was involved in active combat against an enemy.
Purple Heart Tag: No fee for Purple Heart Tags for those wounded in action.
Eligibility: Must be wounded-in-action to be eligible for Purple Heart Tag.
Pearl Harbor Survivor: To qualify for a no-fee Pearl Harbor license plate, an applicant must certify that they were an honorably discharged member of one of the Armed Services of the U.S. and while serving, was present duing the attach on the Island of Oahu on December 7, 1941 between the hours of 7:55 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.
Prisoner of War: To qualify for a no-fee Prisoner of War license plate, an applicant must have been held as a prisoner of war during an armed conflict. An applicant must submit all documentation to be certified by the W.V. Division of Veterans Affairs in Part II of the application. The vehicle on which the plate will be placed must be a Class A passenger car or truck and may not be used for commercial purposes. The vehicle must be currently titled in West Vriginia in the applicant's name. In the event of the death of the Prisoner of War plate holder, the license plate may be retained by the surviving spouse until remarriage, non-renewal or death.
Veteran Plate: Veteran Plate for veterans for a one time fee of $10.00 over and above the regular license fee.
Eligibility: Must be honorably discharged veteran.
Health and Insurance Benefits:
State Group Insurance: Air/Army National Guard service members, their spouses and dependents are eligible for special State Group Insurance rates.
Service Member:
$5,000.00/$2.00 month; $10,000.00/$3.67 month; $15,000.00/$5.33 month; $20,000.00/$7.00 month; $25,000.00/$8.67 month; $35,000.00/$12.00 month; $50,000.00/$17.00 month
Spouse: $5,000.00/$2.00 month; $10,000.00/$3.66 month; $15,000.00/$6.00 month
Dependant:$2,000.00/$1.33 month; $5,000.00/$3.33 month
Eligibility: Available Only to National Guard service members.
Medical Benefits: Worker's Compensation
Eligibility: Available Only to National Guard service members.
Hunting and Fishing Licenses:
Hunting and Fishing Privileges: No fee for hunting and fishing licenses.
Eligibility: 100% service-connected veteran's disability and those veterans in receipt of a VA auto grant.
Miscellaneous Benefits:
West Virginia Veterans Bonus: Approved applicants will be eligible for a $600.00 bonus if they served in the combat zone and received a campaign badge or expeditionary medal. Or a $400.00 bonus if they had active service outside the combat zone during the time periods specified for Afghanistan and Iraq. Surviving relatives will be eligible for a $2,000.00 bonus where a veteran's death was connected with the service and resulted from the service during the time periods specified. The person receiving the bonus shall not be required to include the bonus as income for state income tax purposes.
Eligibility:
--Veterans who were bona fide residents of the State of West Virginia at the time of their entry into active service and for a period of at least six months immediately prior thereto.
--Veterans who were not separated from service under conditions other than honorable.
--Veterans of the armed forces of the United States or who were members of reserve components called to active duty by the President of the United States.
Veterans' Support: The division of Veterans Affairs of West Virginia shall assist eligible veterans, their widows, dependents and orphans in proper presentation of their claims for the benefits of their rights and privileges under federal and state laws enacted for their benefits.
State Veterams (Domiciliary): Domiciliary care in Veterans home is for ambulatory veterans who are able to go to the dining room without help; can dress themselves; can make their own bed and can participate in an assiegned therapeutic activiity. A veteran may be charged for care if he is able to pay.
Military Installations and Veterans Affairs Facilities in West Virginia
Active Duty:
No active duty Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps installations are located in West Virginia
National Guard:
West Virginia National Guard Joint Headquarters: http://www.wv.ngb.army.mil/
West Virginia Army National Guard: http://www.wv.ngb.army.mil/
West Virginia Air National Guard: http://www.wvang.ang.af.mil/contents.htm
United States Army Reserve (USAR):
Regional Readiness Command (RRC) Headquarters, 99th RRC: http://www.armyreserve.army.mil/USARC/RRC/0099RRC
Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Facilities in West Virginia:
VA Medical Centers
Beckley: Beckley VA Medical Center
Clarksburg: Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center
Huntington: Huntington VA Medical Center
Martinsburg: Martinsburg VA Medical Center
Community Based Outpatient Clinics
Franklin: Franklin Contract Outpatient Clinic
Gassaway: Gassaway - Braxton County VA Outpatient Clinic (540GC)
Parkersburg: Wood County CBOC (540GB)
Parsons: Tucker County CBOC (540GA)
Petersburg: Petersburg Contract Outpatient Clinic
Resources
http://www.wvs.state.wv.us/va/state_fed.htm
http://www.wvs.state.wv.us/va/forms.htm
http://www.nasdva.com/westvirginia.html
http://www.military.com/Education/Content?file=midatlnt.htm
http://www.goang.com/benefits/state/default.aspx?stateprovince=WestVirginia
http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate3.html#WEST%20VIRGINIA
Document Review Date: 01 June 2008
