How to Get an Arizona Disabled Veteran License Plate

An Arizona disabled veteran license plate combines the state’s veteran plate with the international symbol of accessibility, and for veterans with a 100 percent VA disability rating it also waives the vehicle license tax and registration fee. The plate itself costs $25, the accessibility symbol is added at no extra charge, and you apply through the Arizona MVD with proof of both military service and disability.¹

Who Qualifies

Two things have to be true. You need to be a veteran, and you need a permanent physical disability. Arizona issues the veteran plate and the accessibility symbol under separate authorities, and when one person qualifies for both the symbol is added to the veteran plate at no additional charge.¹

Under ARS 28-2409, the accessibility symbol plate goes to any vehicle owner or lessee with a permanent physical disability. Veterans have a shortcut: a copy of your VA disability certificate showing a 100 percent rating serves as proof, and no separate signature from a healthcare provider is required on the application.²

Veterans without a 100 percent rating can still qualify if they have a permanent physical disability. They go through the standard route, where a licensed healthcare provider completes the medical certification portion of the application.

What the Plate Gets You

Disability Parking

A vehicle displaying the accessibility symbol plate can legally park in designated disability spaces, so long as the person the plate was issued to is the driver or a passenger. ARS 28-884 treats the plate itself as sufficient, so a separate hanging placard is not needed.³ The privilege travels with the person, not the car; someone else borrowing the vehicle cannot use disability spaces on the strength of the plate alone.

Vehicle License Tax Exemption

This is the piece with real money attached. Under ARS 28-5802, Arizona waives both the vehicle license tax and the registration fee for a veteran the VA has certified at 100 percent disability who is drawing compensation on that basis.⁴ Because the vehicle license tax works like a property tax on the vehicle, the annual savings can run into the hundreds depending on what you drive.

The limits are worth knowing. The exemption covers one vehicle at a time. The veteran must be an owner, though co-ownership with another person is allowed. At initial registration you have to present satisfactory proof of the VA’s 100 percent determination to claim the waiver.⁴

Veterans who obtained a vehicle through federal VA adaptive vehicle assistance also qualify for the tax exemption on that vehicle or any replacement, regardless of disability percentage.

Surviving Spouse

If a veteran with a 100 percent rating dies, the vehicle license tax exemption passes to the surviving spouse and stays in effect until the spouse remarries or dies. It continues to apply to one vehicle or any replacement the surviving spouse owns.⁴

Documents You Need

Because two authorizations are being combined on one plate, you supply proof for each.

Proof of veteran status. A DD-214 or DD-215 is the standard. Arizona also accepts a VA medical card, a statement of honorable service from the VA or the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services, and membership cards from recognized veteran organizations such as the VFW or Disabled American Veterans.¹
Proof of disability. A copy of the VA’s disability certificate if you are rated at 100 percent. Otherwise, medical certification completed by a healthcare provider on the application itself.²
Form 96-0104, the Individual Disability Plate/Placard Application. It asks for your name, date of birth, Arizona driver license number, address, and vehicle information including VIN and current plate number.⁵
Form 96-0143, the Special Plate Application. This handles the veteran plate selection and payment.⁶

Have your current vehicle registration in front of you when you fill everything out so the vehicle information matches what the state already has on file.

How to Apply, Cost, and Timing

You can mail the completed packet to the MVD Special Plates Unit at PO Box 2100, Phoenix, AZ 85001-2100, paying by check or money order. You can also file in person at any MVD field office or an Authorized Third Party provider, though third-party locations may add a small convenience fee.⁶

The veteran plate is $25 to issue and $25 to renew each year. Adding the accessibility symbol costs nothing more.¹ If you qualify for the ARS 28-5802 exemption, the vehicle license tax and registration fee are waived on top of that.

Plan on about six weeks from when the Special Plates Unit receives your paperwork until the plates arrive by mail. Keep your current plates on the vehicle until the new ones show up.⁶

Federal VA Automobile Allowance

Separate from anything the state does, the federal VA offers a one-time automobile allowance of up to $27,074.99 toward a specially equipped vehicle for veterans with certain service-connected conditions, including loss or permanent loss of use of a hand or foot, severely impaired vision, severe burns, or ALS.⁷ The VA also pays for adaptive equipment such as hand controls, wheelchair lifts, and specialized seating when medically justified.⁸

Application is through VA Form 21-4502, separate from any Arizona MVD paperwork. A vehicle purchased with that VA aid also qualifies for the Arizona vehicle license tax exemption, so the two benefits stack.⁴

1
Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services. Veteran License Plates
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-2409 – International Symbol of Access Special Plates; Placard
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-884 – Parking Space for Persons With Physical Disabilities
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-5802 – Vehicle License Tax Exemption; Veterans
5
Arizona Department of Transportation. Individual Disability Plate/Placard Application – Form 96-0104
6
Arizona Department of Transportation. Special Plate Application – Form 96-0143
7
Veterans Affairs. Current Special Benefit Allowances Rates
8
Veterans Affairs. Automobile Allowance and Adaptive Equipment