The state of Hawaii offers many veteran benefits for service members and Veterans that have served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. These benefits include income and property tax exemptions, financial exemptions, education and training programs, hunting and fishing licenses, vehicle registrations, and assistance with employment. Your residency, military career, and disability status may result in certain differences in what benefits you may be eligible for. The following are benefits for the state of Hawaii.
Retired Military Pay Income Taxes: There shall be excluded from gross income, adjusted gross income, and taxable income any compensation received in the form of a pension for past services.
State Taxes on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Military Disability Retired Pay: There shall be excluded from gross income, adjusted gross income, and taxable income any
compensation received in the form of a pension for past services.
State Taxes on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to eligible survivors of military service members who died in the line of duty or eligible survivors of Veterans whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease.
Real Property Tax Exemptions: Real property owned and occupied as a home by any person who is totally disabled due to injuries received while on duty with the U.S. Armed Forces is exempt from all property taxes and other than special assessments.
Passenger Vehicle Tax Exemption for Certain Cars Furnished to Disabled Veterans:
Passenger cars owned by persons who, by reason of their service disability, have been furnished such cars by the federal government and have been so certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall be exempted from the tax herein provided for. This exemption shall not extend to vehicles used for commercial purposes, nor to more than one vehicle of any disabled Veteran.
Sales Tax:
Statewide: 4.0%
Counties: can levy an additional sales tax of no more than 0.5%
Current average sales tax (with local taxes included): 4.369%
Hunting Licenses: Active duty military personnel and their dependents stationed in Hawaii are considered to be residents for the purposes of obtaining a hunting license.
Hawaii Kupono Diploma Program for Wartime Veterans: The Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE) Kupono Diploma Program grants honorary high school diplomas to World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War-era Veterans, as well as individuals whose schooling was interrupted due to internment in relocation camps during World War II.
Hawaii Residency for Tuition Purposes (Veterans, Service Members, and Dependents):
Non-resident Veterans, military Service members who are stationed in Hawaii and their dependents are eligible to attend colleges in Hawaii at the resident tuition rate.
Hawaii National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program: The Hawaii Army National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program (STAP) offers tuition waivers for eligible Service members who have completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training. The waiver covers 100% of tuition if you are a community college student, and 50% of tuition if you are a four-year university student.
In order to be eligible for STAP, you must:
Be pursuing an undergraduate degree
Be enrolled in courses pertaining to that undergraduate degree
Be a satisfactory performer in your assigned Hawaii National Guard unit
Hawaii Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children: It is the purpose of this compact to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents by:
Facilitating the timely enrollment of children of military families and ensuring that they are not placed at a disadvantage due to difficulty in the transfer of educational records
Facilitating the student placement process so children are not disadvantaged by attendance, scheduling, sequencing, grading, or course content differences
Facilitating qualification and eligibility for enrollment, educational programs, and extracurricular activities
Facilitating the on-time graduation of children of military families
Providing for rule enforcement and information sharing
Promoting coordination with other compacts
Promoting flexibility and cooperation between schools, parents and students
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Eligibility for admission:
Veterans must be honorably discharged
Veterans must be residents of Delaware for at least three years (appears erroneous)
Have at least 180 days of active duty
Reserve/Guard Members eligible for retirement pay at 60
Require nursing home level care
All honorably discharged Veterans can have 5 points added to any state employment examination scores. Those with a VA service-connected disability will get 10 points added to their score.
Hawaii State Employee Leave for Military Duty: State and city employees receive 15 days of military leave per calendar year. An additional 15 days from the succeeding year may be used provided that the officer’s or employee’s entitlement to fifteen working days under this section for the succeeding calendar year shall be canceled and the officer or employee shall so agree in writing.
Hawaii State Employee Military Caregiver Leave: A State employee is eligible for up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave in a single 12-month period to care for your military relative (Spouse, Child, parent, or next of kin) if they have a qualifying serious illness or injury incurred in the line of duty on active duty.
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA): Protects civilian job rights and benefits for Veterans and members of Reserve components. USERRA also clarifies the law, improves enforcement mechanisms, and adds Federal Government employees to those already eligible for Department of Labor assistance.
Please note that your preference regarding burial in a national cemetery and use of a headstone provided by VA should be documented and kept with your paperwork and medical records.
Eligibility for burial in the cemetery is the same as for VA national cemeteries. Spouses and
dependents may also be eligible for burial. There may be a fee for burial.
National Cemeteries include:
Hawaii provides Veterans with a Regional Benefits Office and a VA Medical Center.
Hawaii VA Regional Benefits Office
Hawaii VA Medical Centers
Important information for Hawaii Veteran Benefits:
For Veterans applying for VA benefits for the first time, you must submit a copy of your DD 214 (discharge paperwork). This will provide your discharge status, along with your full name, social security number, branch of service, and dates for which you served. Honorable and general discharges qualify a Veteran for most VA benefits.
You should always keep your paperwork, along with your medical records, in a safe place where you and your family can have access to them. It is imperative to have it in a location where it cannot be destroyed or tampered with, which includes a safe.
Your eligibility for most VA benefits is based upon discharge from active military service under other than dishonorable conditions. Active service means full-time service as a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or as a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service, the Environmental Services Administration or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Any Veteran discharged from the military under the conditions of “Dishonorable” due to bad conduct discharges issued by general courts-martial may bar VA benefits. Veterans in prison and parolees may be eligible for certain VA benefits. VA regional offices can clarify the eligibility of prisoners, parolees, and individuals with multiple discharges issued under differing conditions.
State veteran benefit programs and eligibility requirements change regularly due to federal and state government updates. This information serves as general guidance. Contact us for current program details and personalized benefits assistance.