Purple Heart benefits in Texas come from two directions. Federally, the medal moves you into Priority Group 3 for VA health care, unlocks the Post-9/11 GI Bill at 100 percent, opens military base shopping and recreation, and adds 10 points to federal civil service scoring. In Texas itself, you get a $3 specialty license plate, free parking at government meters, toll waivers on a number of roads, and access to the same disability-based property tax and education programs available to all veterans. Texas does not have a property tax exemption tied to the Purple Heart alone, and that is the biggest gap recipients tend to run into.
Texas Benefits Tied Directly to the Purple Heart
Specialty License Plate
Texas issues a Purple Heart specialty license plate for $3.00. You apply by completing Form VTR-422 and submitting it with proof of the award to your local county tax assessor-collector’s office.1My Plates (Texas DMV). Purple Heart Recipient Medal If you also carry a VA disability rating of 50 percent or more, you can instead apply for a disabled veteran plate that includes a Purple Heart emblem using Form VTR-615.2Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Disabled Veteran License Plates and Parking Placards
Free Metered Parking
Under Texas Transportation Code Section 681.008, a vehicle displaying Purple Heart plates is exempt from parking fees at government-operated metered spaces. If your plates carry the Purple Heart emblem on the disabled veteran design, you can also park for an unlimited period in accessible spaces. Public colleges and universities have to honor these rights and cannot charge for the required permit.3Justia. Texas Transportation Code Section 681.008
Toll Road Waivers
Toll relief depends on who runs the road. The TxDOT Veterans Discount Program waives tolls on TxDOT-managed TEXpress Lanes, including SH 183, Loop 12, SH 114, I-635E, I-30, and I-35E in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It does not apply to privately managed lanes such as the LBJ TEXpress, North Tarrant Express, or NTE 35W TEXpress.4Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Veterans Discount Program
Around Austin, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority lets Purple Heart recipients with the specialty plate and an electronic toll tag drive free on 183A Toll, 290 Toll, the 71 Toll Lane, 45SW Toll, and 183 Toll. The MoPac Express Lane and 183 Express Lanes are excluded. Enrollment is not automatic; you register through the Mobility Authority’s website, and the Qualified Veteran Team can be reached at (512) 450-6317.5Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Qualified Service Member Program
Other authorities, including the North Texas Tollway Authority, Harris County Toll Road Authority, and Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority, set their own policies. TxDOT tells veterans to contact each authority directly for details.
Property Taxes: A Rating-Based System, Not a Purple Heart One
This is where expectations often collide with the statute. Texas has no property tax exemption tied specifically to the Purple Heart. Relief for veterans is scaled to your VA disability rating:
- 10 to 29 percent: $5,000 exemption
- 30 to 49 percent: $7,500
- 50 to 69 percent: $10,000
- 70 to 99 percent: $12,000
- 100 percent: full exemption on the homestead
The surviving spouse of a veteran rated 100 percent, or of a veteran killed in the line of duty, may also qualify if they have not remarried.6Texas Veterans Commission. Property Tax Exemptions Available to Veterans per Disability Rating A Purple Heart recipient who was wounded but does not carry a 100 percent VA rating will not get a full exemption under current law.
Efforts to change that have been running for years. Representative Dwayne Bohac introduced House Bill 1591 in the 85th Legislature in 2017, which would have exempted a Purple Heart recipient’s entire homestead value from property taxes and extended the benefit to unremarried surviving spouses, contingent on voter approval of a constitutional amendment.7Texas Legislature Online. HB 1591 Bill Text The bill died in the Calendars Committee. Members of Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 598, under commander Skyler Barker, launched a statewide survey in late 2025 that found roughly 44 percent of responding recipients do not qualify for the full exemption under the disability-rating framework. The group plans to bring that data to lawmakers and push for reintroduction in the 2027 legislative session.8KRIS-TV. Purple Heart Veterans Work to Revive Fight for Property Tax Exemption in Texas
Education, Hunting, and State Employment
The Hazlewood Act exempts up to 150 credit hours of tuition and fees at Texas public colleges and universities for qualifying veterans, and the benefit can be transferred to a spouse or dependent child. You have to have designated Texas as your home of record or entered service in Texas, received an honorable or general discharge, served at least 181 days of active duty beyond training, and currently live in Texas. Hazlewood is not a Purple Heart program; it is open to any veteran meeting those criteria, and the college makes the final eligibility call.9Texas Veterans Commission. Hazlewood Act
Texas Parks and Wildlife offers a free Disabled Veteran Super Combo Hunting and All-Water Fishing Package, but the trigger is disability, not the medal. You need either loss of use of a foot or leg or a VA rating of 50 percent or more with active compensation.10Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. License FAQs Purple Heart recipients who meet those thresholds qualify; others pay standard fees.
Texas Government Code Chapter 657 gives veterans, veterans with service-connected disabilities, certain military spouses, and surviving spouses and orphans a hiring preference at state agencies and public universities. Purple Heart recipients are not named as their own category, but they typically qualify under the general veteran or disabled-veteran definitions if honorably discharged or carrying a service-connected disability.11Texas Woman’s University. Employment Preference
Federal Benefits the Purple Heart Unlocks
VA Health Care
A Purple Heart puts you into Priority Group 3 for VA enrollment automatically, no matter your income or the severity of your injuries.12Military.com. Purple Heart Benefits Recipients are also exempt from copayments on inpatient and outpatient VA care.13U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Purple Heart Day and VA Benefits to Recipients
Post-9/11 GI Bill at 100 Percent
Under the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act (the Forever GI Bill), servicemembers and honorably discharged veterans awarded a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001, receive Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at the full 100 percent level for up to 36 months. The only service floor is 30 continuous days of active duty. Recipients also qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program, which helps cover tuition beyond the GI Bill cap at private or out-of-state schools. Both took effect August 1, 2018.14North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. Updates Forever GI Bill
Base Shopping and Recreation Access
The Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018, at 10 U.S.C. ยง 1065, lets Purple Heart recipients onto military installations to use commissaries, exchanges, and MWR facilities such as golf courses, bowling centers, recreational lodging, marinas, and restaurants. These privileges took effect January 1, 2020.15U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Patronage Expanding and FAQ Sheet You can bring up to five guests.16Dover Air Force Base. Implementation of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018
Access runs off your VA-issued Veterans Health Information Card. On your first visit to a base, bring a REAL ID-compliant credential such as a driver’s license or passport, and register at the installation’s Visitors Center, which includes a background check.16Dover Air Force Base. Implementation of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018 No separate application is required.17U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Commissary and Exchange Privileges for Veterans
Federal Hiring Preference
Purple Heart recipients qualify for a 10-point veterans’ preference in federal civil service hiring, coded “XP” by OPM. In numerical rating systems, 10 points are added to a passing score; under category rating, the veteran is placed above non-preference applicants in the assigned category.18U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Veterans Employment Preference To claim it, submit Standard Form 15 with documentation of the award.19U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Vet Guide for HR Professionals The preference applies to new competitive-service appointments, not to internal promotions or transfers.
Where to Start
The Texas Veterans Commission’s Claims Department offers free help navigating both state and federal programs. You can reach the agency at 800-252-8387, by email at info@tvc.texas.gov, or at tvc.texas.gov.20My Army Benefits. Texas State and Territory Benefits For property tax questions, take your VA award letter to your county appraisal office. For plates, go to the county tax assessor-collector.