Review 40 source-backed Indiana veteran benefit records, eligibility considerations, and program source links.
Open any record for source dates, caveats, application steps, and official links.
Indiana’s 2026 assessment-year changes, payable in 2027, create a full principal-residence deduction for qualifying totally disabled Veterans with at least 90 days of honorable service and one year of Indiana residence. Separate $350 wartime service-connected and $250 age-and-disability property-tax credits replace older deductions. The full deduction does not require a service-connected disability.
Indiana credentials may show active-military, Veteran or surviving-Veteran-spouse status. Active-duty applicants present a current CAC; Veterans present a long-form DD214 showing separation other than dishonorable; surviving spouses present the Veteran’s separation document, marriage certificate and death certificate. Adding an indicator during issuance or renewal has no additional indicator charge; amending an unexpired credential outside renewal has a fee.
A qualifying disabled Veteran may deduct a percentage of the assessed value of a homestead received without charge from a federally tax-exempt organization. IDVA lists at least 90 days of armed-forces service, honorable discharge and disability of at least 50%; the deduction ranges from 50% to 100% according to the qualifying rating. Use current State Form 12662 and present service and disability evidence through IDVA, a county service officer or the county auditor. This is donated-homestead relief, not a deduction for any purchased home.
Indiana counties may authorize a burial or cremation allowance up to $1,000; the county ordinance sets the actual amount, so $1,000 is not guaranteed. It covers qualifying Veterans or members who died in service, and eligible spouses or surviving spouses, who were Indiana residents at death. An interested person files with the county commissioners where the deceased resided and supplies military, discharge, death and burial or cremation evidence. Only one claim is allowed per deceased person, and statutory discharge exclusions apply.
IDVA’s Women Veterans Program connects Indiana women Veterans and currently serving women to federal and state benefits, health and wellness resources, education, employment and community events. It also provides resource information for their families and friends. Contact the program or a county service officer for help identifying programs for which you qualify; the outreach program is not itself a cash payment.
Indiana County Veterans Service Offices are local contacts for Veterans and their families seeking help with military-service benefits. They work with IDVA, VA and service organizations and provide county-specific contact and appointment information. Use the current county directory before visiting, since office hours and staffing vary.
Indiana changed disabled-Veteran property-tax relief for 2026 assessments, payable in 2027. Programs include a qualifying total-disability principal-residence deduction, a $350 wartime service-connected disability credit, a $250 age-62-and-disability credit, and donated-homestead relief. Separate eligibility and combination rules apply; file with the county using the current form.
Indiana residents with a documented service-connected disability may obtain a DAV small-game hunting and fishing license for $2.75 per year or $27.50 for ten seasons. DNR must approve the disability documentation for the first license. The license does not cover deer or turkey hunting and does not include gamebird, waterfowl, trout or salmon stamps; buy required extra privileges separately.
Indiana WorkOne Centers provide priority employment services for qualified Veterans, including job referrals, resume and interview help, skills assessment, training guidance and referrals to other agencies. Contact a WorkOne Veteran representative for assistance transitioning to civilian employment. Specialized services depend on the participant’s needs and eligibility; this is employment assistance, not an automatic cash grant.
Indiana offers separate education-aid programs for qualifying military members, Veterans and families, including children of disabled or deceased Veterans, Purple Heart recipients, survivors of Indiana Guard members who die on state active duty, and eligible Guard members. Benefits are program-specific: some provide up to 124 credit hours at public institutions; certain recent high-school graduates may receive up to $5,000 annually at eligible private nonprofit colleges. Do not assume every applicant receives 100% tuition: disability percentage, service dates, residence, relationship and student requirements can change coverage. Use CHE’s individual program pages and ScholarTrack.
Indiana’s State Approving Agency reviews education and training programs for use of federal GI Bill benefits. Approved options include registered apprenticeships and on-the-job training, as well as eligible schools and other training establishments. Veterans and other eligible beneficiaries must have VA education-benefit eligibility and choose an approved program. SAA approval does not by itself award a state scholarship or establish the individual’s VA eligibility.
Indiana Gold Star Family plates are available to qualifying spouses, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings and children of a person who died while serving on duty in active military, Reserve or National Guard service. There is no additional Gold Star plate charge, but ordinary vehicle registration fees and taxes still apply. Use State Form 54181 and the next-of-kin documentation process through BMV; vehicle restrictions apply.
Family members or funeral homes can request an Indiana Governor’s Memorial Certificate to commemorate a deceased Veteran’s service. Submit State Form 54314 with the Veteran’s DD214 to the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery using its current instructions.
Indiana participates in NASWA’s Hilton Honors Military Program, which may award up to 100,000 hotel points over an individual’s lifetime for approved employment-related travel such as verified interviews, required training or pre-employment testing. Awards are not guaranteed or reimbursement for past stays. General job searches, relocation, vacations and PCS moves are excluded. Contact a local American Job Center Veteran representative or NASWA; state eligibility and residency rules also apply.
Indiana permits a full deduction for qualifying active-duty military wages beginning in tax year 2024 and qualifying reserve/National Guard wages beginning in 2023, including covered state active duty and dual-status military technicians. This is not an exemption for unrelated civilian wages or all household income. Military retirement has a separate deduction. Members serving outside the United States and Puerto Rico may qualify for a 60-day filing extension; follow the return instructions and attach the required explanation.
Indiana offers military, Veteran, award and eligible-family specialty license plates. Eligibility documents, fees, vehicle restrictions and application routes depend on the specific plate; initial Veteran-plate purchases generally require a BMV visit and service or award documentation. A military plate does not automatically waive ordinary taxes and registration fees or authorize disability parking.
Indiana BMV may waive the CDL skills test for qualifying current or recently separated military truck drivers with comparable commercial-vehicle experience and an acceptable driving record. Its published standard requires applying within one year after discharge; written tests and the commercial learner’s permit process remain. Submit the military skills-waiver packet, command certification and service/driving documentation. Ask BMV about any temporary federal waiver options; federal authorization alone does not establish Indiana adoption.
An Indiana resident serving in the armed forces while living outside Indiana, and the spouse or dependent living outside Indiana, may retain a valid Indiana driver’s license until 90 days after discharge or post-deployment despite the printed expiration date. Carry BMV’s Military Extension Letter and confirm your circumstances with BMV. Renewal examination exceptions have separate conditions; this summary does not promise that every permit or identification card receives the same extension.
Indiana military-family leave provides up to 10 unpaid working days per calendar year for eligible employees whose spouse, parent, grandparent, child or sibling receives active-duty orders longer than 89 consecutive days. The employer generally must have at least 50 employees, and the employee must have worked at least 12 months and 1,500 hours in the preceding year. Leave may be taken during the 30 days before deployment, the member’s leave during deployment, or the 30 days after. Notice and verification rules apply; accrued nonmedical leave may be substituted, and continued health coverage is at the employee’s expense.
Indiana’s Military Family Relief Fund may help eligible Indiana service members, Veterans and dependents with a genuine hardship affecting essential needs such as housing, utilities, food, medical care, transportation, childcare, education or employment. The statutory limit remains $2,500 unless the commission approves a higher amount. Household federal gross income ordinarily must be no more than twice the federal poverty guideline, with a written-waiver process; assets and supporting records are considered. Statutory discharge exclusions and available funding apply, and an application does not guarantee an award.
A military spouse who is in Indiana solely to accompany a service member on orders and is not an Indiana resident or domiciliary may exclude qualifying income for services under federal military-spouse protection. Federal law allows the couple to elect the service member’s domicile, the spouse’s domicile, or the permanent duty station for a taxable year of marriage; previously sharing the same out-of-state domicile is not a universal requirement. Other Indiana-source income may remain taxable. Use Indiana’s current nonresident return and military-spouse instructions to document the exclusion.
Indiana Guard members performing covered state-duty activities may qualify for Indiana workers’ compensation under IC 22-3. A separate state-duty pension provision addresses qualifying disability and death, with adjudication and approval requirements; eligible survivors can include a spouse, dependent child or dependent parent. Reasonable funeral expenses for a qualifying state-active-duty death are capped at $20,000. These are duty-specific state protections, not automatic full military pay or VA disability compensation for every illness or injury. Report the event promptly through the Guard.
Indiana law authorizes scholarship extensions for qualifying former Indiana Guard members whose scholarship participation was interrupted by active duty. The statutory applicant definition requires prior scholarship-applicant status when called to active duty, acceptance at an Indiana state institution full- or part-time, and applicable aid requirements. Apply within one year after leaving the Guard; the extension cannot exceed the active-duty service period, and the commission determines the award under its rules. CHE’s public instructions additionally describe honorable discharge, prior grant use and overseas service after September 10, 2001. Confirm the applicable application rules with CHE or the Guard Education Services Office through ScholarTrack; this is not an automatic full-tuition entitlement for every former member.
The National Guard Association of Indiana offers voluntary State Sponsored Life Insurance in partnership with the Armed Forces Benefit Association. Service-member coverage and dependent coverage are available through specified plans, with enrollment and continuation requirements. This is an association insurance offering, not automatic state or VA compensation. Use the provider’s current enrollment forms and confirm premiums, coverage, beneficiary choices, and continuation terms before enrolling.
For Indiana’s 2026 assessment year, payable in 2027, qualifying wartime Veterans with an honorable discharge and at least 10% service-connected disability may receive a $350 property-tax credit under the new Veterans credit law, replacing the former $24,960 deduction. This credit can be combined with the separate eligible $250 credit, but not the full principal-residence disabled-Veteran deduction. Confirm service, certification, survivor and filing rules with the county auditor.
Indiana Purple Heart recipients who are state residents, and qualifying surviving spouses who have not remarried, may obtain Purple Heart plates. A modified plate with the accessibility symbol is limited to the original recipient who separately qualifies for a disability plate or placard; it is not automatic for a survivor. A qualifying owner operating the owner’s Purple Heart-plated vehicle is exempt from metered-parking fees and overtime penalties, but not prohibited-parking rules. The privilege does not transfer to other drivers. Complete the applicable IDVA/BMV certification and confirm registration taxes, fees and optional personalization charges with BMV; this is not a blanket free-registration guarantee.
A qualifying honorably discharged armed-forces Veteran or former Indiana National Guard member may receive resident tuition at an Indiana state college or university when enrolling within 12 months after discharge. Undergraduate and graduate enrollment can qualify. Within 12 months after enrollment, submit the required Indiana-residency evidence, such as voter registration, a qualifying Indiana license or vehicle registration, or other approved proof; failure to establish it may result in nonresident charges. This is resident pricing, not free tuition.
Indiana resident tuition may be available to nonresident active-duty members stationed in Indiana, their qualifying dependents, and nonresident members of the Indiana National Guard under separate statutory routes. For active-duty families, dependent admission and timely enrollment while the member qualifies are important; qualifying dependents can retain resident pricing during continuous enrollment even after the member’s station changes. Both undergraduate and graduate study may qualify. Confirm the correct military/dependent route with the state institution; this is not a tuition waiver.
Qualifying military disability payments excluded from federal adjusted gross income are not added back merely because the recipient lives in Indiana. Federal exclusion is conditional—not every military disability retirement payment is federally tax-free. For military retirement income that is included federally, Indiana provides its separate full military-retirement deduction under Information Bulletin 27. Review the payment type and tax documents rather than assuming a VA percentage makes all income exempt.
For the 2026 assessment year, payable in 2027, qualifying totally disabled Veterans may deduct 100% of their principal residence’s assessed value after at least 90 days’ honorable service and one year of Indiana residency. Qualifying unremarried surviving spouses may continue relief. A new application is required for the full deduction; the former $14,000 deduction does not automatically become full relief. Other charges may remain.
Honorably discharged Veterans may receive a no-fee license to vend, hawk, or peddle goods in Indiana when a license is required by local ordinance. Apply through the county auditor or local licensing authority and confirm all local requirements.
Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Madison provides casket, in-ground cremation, columbarium and scatter-garden options for eligible Veterans and family members. Eligibility includes qualifying military discharge or service circumstances, eligible surviving spouses, and children under 21 or permanently dependent on the Veteran. The cemetery lists no charge to eligible Veterans and spouses for plot opening/closing, outer burial container, monument and chapel use. Contact the cemetery and use its current burial or pre-need application; other funeral arrangements are separate.
Indiana Veterans’ Home in West Lafayette provides long-term skilled nursing, short-term rehabilitation and memory care for qualifying honorably discharged Veterans, their spouses or surviving spouses, and Gold Star parents. Applicants generally need one year of Indiana residence immediately before applying, with specified service-entry/discharge residency waivers, and must pass the home’s background check. No wartime-service requirement applies. Contact admissions about care needs, availability, charges and the current application.
For admitted residents, Indiana Veterans’ Home provides on-site medical care, pharmacy services, optometry, podiatry, dentistry, X-ray services and physical and occupational therapy. Residents can choose outside clinicians, with transportation and staff support for scheduled appointments. These services are part of the home’s care program, not a walk-in statewide specialty-care entitlement; admission eligibility and the individual care plan apply.
Indiana’s public-employment preference has distinct rules. Qualifying Veterans seeking full-time employment with a political subdivision receive an examination preference equal to 10% of the total possible points after at least 181 days of armed-forces service. A separate provision gives qualifying line-of-duty-disabled former members preference for appointment to a civil office when they can perform its duties. Statutory discharge exclusions apply. These provisions are not a universal 10% bonus for every state-agency hiring process.
Indiana permits private employers to adopt a voluntary, written Veterans’ preference for hiring, promotion or retention during a reduction in force. A qualifying Veteran has served in the armed forces or Reserves, or Indiana Army or Air National Guard, and was released from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable. The policy must be applied uniformly, and the employer may request a DD214. Existing collective-bargaining agreements and federal labor and USERRA duties remain protected. This is not a preference every employer must offer.
Indiana offers a no-cost high-school diploma to qualifying honorably discharged Veterans who attended an Indiana public or nonpublic high school in good standing and left before graduation for military service. The current IDVA fact sheet lists World War II (December 7, 1941–December 31, 1946), Korea (June 27, 1950–January 31, 1955) and Vietnam (August 5, 1964–May 7, 1975). Veterans, surviving spouses or eligible family members may submit the application to IDVA; the diploma recognizes the Veteran’s interrupted schooling.
Indiana’s military-records page explains how to request a DD214. Most records are held by the National Personnel Records Center, and IDVA directs requesters to the National Archives’ eVetRecs service. IDVA holds some records from 1989 onward; the Indiana State Archives may hold records from 1979–1988 and records associated with historical war-bonus applications. State-held availability depends on the individual record and post-separation address; it is not guaranteed for everyone who enlisted in Indiana.
VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation is a federal tax-free survivor payment, not a separate Indiana award. Eligible spouses, children or parents must meet VA relationship and death-related rules. Certain spouse or child claims can instead qualify through the veteran’s duration of total service-connected disability. VA decides eligibility; state residence is not a requirement.
Indiana retains a vehicle-excise credit mechanism for certain eligible disabled Veterans, but the 2026 percentage-based full-residence deduction ordinarily leaves no unused deduction to transfer. A separate route may allow eligible non-property-owning Veterans up to $70 per vehicle on two vehicles, with a county-auditor affidavit. Confirm current statutory eligibility and the assessment/payable year with the auditor.