Review 33 source-backed Arkansas veteran benefit records, eligibility considerations, and program source links.
Open any record for source dates, caveats, application steps, and official links.
Arkansas publishes a homestead and personal-property tax exemption for a VA-certified 100% service-connected total and permanent disability or specified special-monthly-compensation loss-of-use or blindness awards. Qualifying unremarried surviving spouses and minor children may have continuation rights.
The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs connects Arkansas Veterans and eligible dependents to local, state and federal services through its district and county Veteran Service Officer network. Use the department’s VSO locator to find assistance.
DFA’s free Disabled Veteran plate requires VA certification of eligibility under Act 7 of 1949 or Act 30 of 1979. The current page specifies 100% non-service-connected disability. One additional plate and one plate reissued to an eligible surviving spouse are each $4; spouse relationship and death documents may be required. Confirm this plate’s category with DFA rather than assuming a service-connected rating alone qualifies.
AGFC offers several military-disability hunting and fishing licenses. Product-specific disability rules and proof of one year of Arkansas residency apply. Apply through the AGFC office or mail where offered; check each product’s trout, waterfowl and other permit requirements.
Arkansas Workforce Centers offer eligible Veterans priority of service, career planning, skills assessment, resume and job-search help, and training or apprenticeship connections. Identify yourself as a Veteran at your local center. DVOP specialists provide intensive services for eligible Veterans with significant employment barriers.
A qualifying spouse, parent, sibling or child of a deceased service member may request one Arkansas Gold Star Family plate. DFA requires DD Form 1300, proof of family relationship when requested, and applicant ownership or co-ownership of the vehicle. The service member must meet the department’s honorable-duty and service-connected-death definition.
Arkansas exempts sales of motor vehicles and adaptive equipment to disabled Veterans when purchased with VA financial assistance. A separate exemption applies to qualifying Veterans blinded by a service-connected injury, with a one-vehicle-per-two-years limit. Confirm documentation with DFA before purchase; this is a sales-tax rule, not an income-tax or general Veteran sales-tax exemption.
Arkansas Heroes assists eligible undergraduate spouses and dependent children of qualifying Arkansas military and other public-service heroes. Military routes include qualifying death, MIA/POW, Medal of Honor, Purple Heart and service-related 100% total and permanent disability. Students generally need one year of Arkansas residency; dependent children must be under 26 and remarried spouses are ineligible. Eligible tuition, on-campus housing and mandatory fees are coordinated with Chapter 35 benefits, for up to eight semesters or a degree. ADHE lists July 1 as the annual deadline.
Arkansas high school students who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard through a delayed-entry, Split Training or similar early-entry program and finish basic training before high school graduation receive two units toward Career Focus graduation requirements. Ask the school about documenting completion and recording the credit. This is high-school graduation credit for the student’s own completed training, not a dependent benefit or a promise of college credit.
An Arkansas school district may award a diploma to a resident Veteran who left high school to serve in World War II, Korea or Vietnam and was honorably discharged. The rule requires 18 consecutive months of active duty during its specified wartime dates, or discharge with a service-connected disability. Present qualifying discharge records to the school district.
Arkansas exempts qualifying disabled Veterans’ homestead and personal property from property tax. The 100% route requires service-connected total and permanent disability; specified VA special-monthly-compensation loss-of-limb, loss-of-use or blindness routes may also qualify. Qualifying unremarried spouses and minor dependent children may receive survivor relief. Apply through the county collector.
Arkansas exempts survivor benefits funded by the retirement pay of a member of the uniformed services from state income tax. This retirement-funded survivor exemption is distinct from VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Confirm the character of your annuity and the current return instructions when filing.
VA DIC is a tax-free survivor benefit, not a payment to the deceased Veteran. Arkansas’s income-tax instructions exempt VA benefits. Eligibility for DIC is determined by VA under survivor, service and death-related rules; some qualifying total-disability-duration cases also apply.
DFA offers military and Veteran specialty license plates with product-specific eligibility, documentation, issuance locations and fees. Browse the Military category and the individual plate page before applying; family eligibility varies by plate.
Current federal law lets a service member and spouse elect, for a taxable year of marriage, the member’s domicile, the spouse’s domicile or the member’s permanent duty station for tax purposes. Qualifying nonresident spouses in Arkansas solely to accompany a member under military orders can exclude covered personal-service income from Arkansas taxation. Arkansas publishes Form AR-MS for the exemption claim, attached to AR1000NR with military earnings documentation when seeking a refund. The state booklet still describes an older shared-home-of-record condition that does not describe all current federal elections. Confirm the proper election and filing treatment with DFA or qualified military tax assistance; this is not a blanket exemption for every type of income.
Arkansas Purple Heart - Combat Wounded License Plate: Resident recipients of the Purple Heart are eligible for the Arkansas Purple Heart license plate. Applicants must provide certification from the Department of Defense that they received the Purple Heart. One license plate may be reissued to the surviving spouse of a Purple Heart recipient for a regular registration fee. Learn more about the Arkansas Purple Heart - Combat Wounded License Plate
The $3 lifetime combination license gives Veterans certified by VA as 100% totally and permanently disabled hunting and fishing privileges after one year of Arkansas residency. HIP registration, waterfowl stamps and a trout permit may be separately required. Apply at AGFC Little Rock or by mail.
For $1.50, Veterans certified by VA as 100% totally and permanently disabled with one year of Arkansas residency receive lifetime Resident Fisheries Conservation License privileges. A separate trout permit is required to retain trout or fish certain waters. Apply at AGFC Little Rock or by mail.
For $1.50, eligible 100% permanently and totally disabled Veterans with one year of Arkansas residency receive lifetime Resident Sportsman’s hunting privileges. Separate HIP registration and waterfowl stamps may be required; current seasons and bag limits still apply.
Military retirees age 60 or older with one year of Arkansas residency may purchase a $35.50 lifetime hunting/fishing combination license. Proof of military retirement is required; additional permits and stamps may be needed.
Military retirees age 60 or older with one year of Arkansas residency may purchase a $25 lifetime hunting license with Resident Sportsman’s privileges. Proof of military retirement, applicable stamps and current hunting rules are required.
Military retirees age 60 or older can apply for Arkansas lifetime hunting, fishing or combination licenses with proof of military retirement and one year of Arkansas residency. Fees and additional trout or waterfowl permits depend on the product. Apply through AGFC regional offices or by mail.
Arkansas state agencies apply preference to qualified resident Veterans, eligible disabled Veterans’ spouses and unmarried surviving spouses in hiring, promotion and retention. Applicants must provide proof and have substantially equal qualifications. Passing numerical scores generally receive 5 points, or 10 for qualifying disability-related applicants; agencies must also document preference when not using numerical scores.
Arkansas exempts military retirement benefits received by members of the uniformed services. Its tax instructions also exclude VA benefits and explain that qualifying disability income may be exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 104. Use the correct retirement or disability category when filing; do not assume every disability-related payment has the same treatment.
ADVA operates state Veterans cemeteries at North Little Rock and Birdeye. Eligible Veterans and qualifying service members, spouses and dependent children may be interred, subject to service, discharge and dependent rules. Veteran interment is free; the agency currently lists $807 for a spouse or qualified dependent. Submit military and family documents for pre-eligibility.
ADVA operates nursing homes in Fayetteville and North Little Rock. Veterans with honorable discharge, their spouses and Gold Star parents may apply; applicants must have a medical need for nursing-home placement. Contact the home to review admission requirements and availability.
UA Little Rock’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic provides supervised legal advocacy, referrals and self-help resources for Arkansas Veterans, including disability-compensation appeals and trauma-related discharge upgrades. The clinic currently says it is not accepting new applications for appeals or discharge-upgrade assistance because of demand and limited resources. Review its resource and referral options; all existing filing deadlines still apply.
Arkansas permits private and local government employers to adopt a written, uniformly applied preference among equally qualified applicants for hiring, promotion or retention. Eligible groups include qualifying Veterans, U.S.-citizen spouses of Veterans with VA permanent total disability, and U.S.-citizen unmarried surviving spouses. The policy is voluntary, not a statewide promise of a job; submit the Veteran’s DD214 to a participating employer.
U.S. citizens with 100% total and permanent disability can receive half-price regular campsite fees year-round at Arkansas State Parks with qualifying proof. This is not limited to Arkansas residents or service-connected disability. The discount does not apply to winter rates or rental camping facilities; check documentation with the park.
Eligible active-duty military members with an Arkansas driver license who reside outside Arkansas may apply to Driver Services for an official expiration-date extension. If approved, the license remains valid until 60 days after separation or honorable discharge from active duty. Suspended, canceled or revoked licenses are excluded.
Families or funeral directors must arrange military funeral honors for eligible deceased Veterans through the appropriate military service. ADVA and Arkansas State Veterans Cemeteries do not provide or arrange the honors themselves. The agency lists branch-specific contacts.
The $52.50 lifetime combination license and permit is available to Arkansas residents with one year of residency and VA-certified service-connected disability of at least 70%, or at least 50% plus a Purple Heart. It includes hunting, fishing, trout and state duck-stamp privileges. Apply at AGFC Little Rock; it does not replace federal requirements.
Arkansas residents may request a Veteran designation on their driver license or ID with qualifying military documentation showing honorable or general-under-honorable-conditions discharge. Standard license or ID fees apply.