A 100% permanent and total service-connected disability rating from the VA unlocks the strongest package of Maryland 100 percent disabled veteran benefits the state offers: a full exemption from property tax on your home, no excise tax when you title a vehicle, waived vehicle registration fees, free lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, tuition assistance for you and your family, and a 10-point preference on state job applications. Several of these benefits continue for a surviving spouse who has not remarried. Federal programs tied to the same rating layer on top without reducing anything Maryland pays.
Full Property Tax Exemption on Your Home
This is the largest dollar benefit. Under Tax-Property Article § 7-208, a dwelling owned by a veteran with a permanent, 100% service-connected disability is completely exempt from real property taxes as long as it is the veteran’s primary residence.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Tax-Property Code Section 7-208 (2025) The exemption covers the home, the surrounding yard, and any structures needed to use the property as a residence. It applies to properties occupied by no more than two families.
One eligibility detail trips people up: the disability cannot have been caused by the veteran’s own misconduct, so the VA rating letter needs to show a qualifying service-connected origin.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Tax-Property Code Section 7-208 (2025)
How to Apply
Use form SDATRP_EX4B, the Application for Exemption for Disabled Veterans, available on the State Department of Assessments and Taxation website.2Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Application for Exemption for Disabled Veterans You’ll submit it to the local SDAT office in the county where the property sits, along with three documents:
- Your DD-214 showing honorable discharge or release under honorable circumstances.
- Your most recent VA rating notification packet showing a final 100% permanent and total rating (or 100% permanently unemployable), including the rating’s effective date and the date of the VA’s decision.
- Proof of Maryland residency: a current Maryland driver’s license, voter registration card, or a redacted copy of your prior year’s Maryland income tax return.
Match the property account number on the form exactly to the assessment record. If approval comes through after you’ve already paid the year’s bill, the county finance office typically issues a prorated refund.3Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Real Property Exemptions
No Excise Tax or Registration Fees on Your Vehicle
Maryland normally charges a 6.5% excise tax when you title a vehicle.4Maryland MVA. Excise Tax On a $35,000 vehicle, that is $2,275 out of pocket at titling. Transportation Article § 13-810 exempts qualifying disabled veterans’ vehicles from this tax entirely.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 13-810 – Exemptions From Excise Tax
Transportation Article § 13-903 then waives the annual registration fees on a vehicle owned by, or leased to, a veteran the VA has designated as totally disabled, or one who has lost the use of a hand, arm, or leg, or has permanent severe visual impairment. Each exempt vehicle displays a special identification marker approved by the MVA, and qualifying veterans can receive disabled veteran plates at no registration cost.6New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Code Transportation 13-903 – Vehicles Exempt From Registration Fees
Free Lifetime Hunting and Fishing Licenses
Maryland residents with a 100% service-connected disability qualify for a complimentary lifetime hunting license and a complimentary lifetime fishing license through the Department of Natural Resources.7Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs. Benefits for Service Connected Veterans The hunting license bundles the bow stamp, muzzleloader stamp, sika deer stamp, and furbearer permit. It does not include the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp, the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, or the Big Game Harvest Record, which you still buy annually if you need them.8Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Hunting Licenses, Stamps and Permits
You can only get these licenses in person at a DNR Licensing and Registration Service Center, not online and not through a regular license agent. Bring your VA disability certification. Statutory authority sits in Natural Resources § 10-303, which also covers veterans the VA has determined are unemployable and former prisoners of war.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 10-303
State Park Access
Day-use entrance fees at Maryland state parks are waived for all U.S. veterans, and when a park charges per vehicle rather than per person, the entire vehicle fee is covered. Other facility use and service charges are not.10Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Veterans Admission Waiver A permanent and total disability also qualifies you for a Universal Disability Pass, which adds state park privileges beyond the general veteran waiver.7Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs. Benefits for Service Connected Veterans
Education: The Conroy Scholarship
The Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program pays tuition for 100% permanently disabled veterans and for their children, stepchildren, and unremarried surviving spouses. It can be used at any qualifying Maryland institution, public or private, including private career schools.11Maryland Higher Education Commission. Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program The award is capped at the full-time resident undergraduate tuition at the most expensive four-year public university in the University System of Maryland, excluding University of Maryland Global Campus and the Baltimore campus.12New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Code Education 18-601 – Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program
Apply through the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend by July 15. The Maryland Higher Education Commission does not receive applications for this program; the institution handles everything.11Maryland Higher Education Commission. Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program
10-Point State Hiring Preference
Maryland adds 10 points to the selection test score of an eligible veteran applying for a competitive state government position. The same 10-point credit goes to the spouse of a veteran with a service-connected disability and to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran. Former prisoners of war receive another 2 points on top. Authority is State Personnel and Pensions Article § 7-207.13Maryland Department of Budget and Management. Determine Your Eligibility for Veterans Credit Claim it by marking veteran status on the application and attaching your DD-214 and VA disability documentation.
What a Surviving Spouse Keeps
If the veteran dies, the property tax exemption does not end. A surviving spouse who has not remarried and still owns and lives in the home continues receiving it. The statute covers three situations:
- The exemption continues automatically on a home that was already exempt, as long as the spouse owns and occupies it.
- If the veteran was domiciled in Maryland at death but the home had not yet been granted the exemption, the surviving spouse can apply for it on that same home.
- If the surviving spouse sells the qualifying home and buys another, the exemption transfers to the new residence.
“Surviving spouse” also includes the spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty and a spouse who receives Dependency and Indemnity Compensation from the VA. Remarriage ends eligibility.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Tax-Property Code Section 7-208 (2025) Surviving spouses also qualify for the vehicle registration fee exemption under the same definition.6New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Code Transportation 13-903 – Vehicles Exempt From Registration Fees
Federal Benefits That Stack with Maryland’s
A 100% permanent and total rating also triggers federal programs that run alongside state benefits.
CHAMPVA for Spouses and Children
A spouse and dependent children of a veteran rated permanently and totally disabled qualify for CHAMPVA, a VA-administered health insurance program, as long as they are not eligible for TRICARE. Dependent children keep coverage until age 18, or up to age 23 if enrolled in school. Children who became permanently disabled before age 18 may stay covered indefinitely. Family members age 65 or older must also enroll in Medicare Parts A and B (or a Medicare Advantage plan) to keep CHAMPVA.14Veterans Affairs. CHAMPVA Benefits
Chapter 35 Education Assistance for Dependents
Dependents may qualify for the VA’s Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program, which pays a monthly allowance directly to the student. For the 2025–2026 academic year, full-time students at colleges or non-college degree programs receive $1,574 per month; three-quarter time pays $1,244 and half time pays $912.15Veterans Affairs. Chapter 35 Rates for Survivors and Dependents Chapter 35 can run alongside the Conroy scholarship because the two cover different costs from different sources.
Adaptive Housing and Vehicle Grants
Veterans whose service-connected disability includes loss of use of limbs, severe visual impairment, severe burns, or ALS may qualify for the VA’s Specially Adapted Housing grant for home modifications such as ramps, widened doorways, and accessible bathrooms. For fiscal year 2026 the SAH maximum is $126,526, usable across up to six separate projects over a lifetime.16Veterans Affairs. Disability Housing Grants for Veterans A separate automobile allowance and adaptive equipment grant helps pay for a vehicle or modifications for veterans who have lost the use of hands, feet, or eyesight.17Veterans Affairs. Automobile Allowance and Adaptive Equipment
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
If a veteran’s death results from a service-connected condition, the surviving spouse may receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The base monthly DIC rate for 2026 is $1,699.36, with higher amounts available for circumstances such as dependent children or the veteran’s years of service. DIC is tax-free at the federal and Maryland state level.
Tax Treatment of VA Disability Pay
VA disability compensation is not taxable at the federal or Maryland level. The rule applies at any rating percentage, but at 100% the practical impact is larger because the monthly payments are substantially higher. Military disability retirement pay received as a pension or annuity for a service-connected injury is also excluded from Maryland taxable income.