MISSOURI STATE VETERAN BENEFITS
We endeavor to keep this information current, but it is subject to change without notice.
MISSOURI VETERAN EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Veterans Preference for State Employment
Missouri helps resident veterans be hired for state jobs by giving them a 5-point preference on state applications and exams. Veterans with service-connected disabilities receive a 10-point preference. Certain spouses of veterans may also be eligible to receive the same preference points their qualifying veteran would receive.
Commercial Driver Exam (CDL) Exemption
Like some other states, Missouri will waive the driving skills portion of a CDL when active duty or retired military meet certain conditions. For example, the veteran must prove at least 60 days experience driving military vehicles within a two-year period immediately preceding CDL application. CDL applicants still must pass the knowledge portion of the exam; only the skills test can be waived.
MISSOURI VETERAN FINANCIAL BENEFITS
Income Tax
The Show-Me State does not tax active duty or military retirement pay.
Property Tax Credits
Veterans determined by the VA to be 100% disabled may be able to claim the Missouri Property Tax Credit to offset part of their annual real estate taxes or rent. The state limits the credit to $750 for renters and $1,100 for homeowners; however, the credit each Missouri disabled veteran receives depends on the total amount of real estate taxes (or rent) paid combined with total taxable and nontaxable household income.
MISSOURI VETERAN RECREATION BENEFITS
Fishing & Hunting Licenses
Active duty members stationed in Missouri, along with their families, can buy hunting and fishing licenses at the resident rate, regardless of actual residency.
Missouri offers a reduced rate for Guard and Reserve members who are currently called up under federal orders (or were mobilized in the past year). These members pay only $5 for the right to hunt or fish in Missouri.
Finally, Missouri allows any veteran with at least a 60% service-connected VA disability and an honorable discharge to hunt or fish without a license… for the most part. Some special tags for turkey or trout or the like may still be necessary. Having that said, Missouri basically just requires the qualified veteran to carry proof of eligibility with them while engaged in their sport.
MISSOURI VETERANS HOMES
Missouri hosts seven veterans’ homes to serve those eligible veterans who require skilled nursing care. Between its various long-term facilities, Missouri manages 1238 beds located in:
- Cameron
- Cape Girardeau
- Mexico (also home of the Missouri Military Academy)
- Vernon
- James
- Louis
- Warrensburg
Veterans must show proof of residing in the state for a least 180 days at some point in their lives and have an ‘other than dishonorable’ discharge. Veterans will need to submit health and financial information as well. Each year the rates are established by the Commission, but documented hardship can reduce those rates on an individual basis.
MISSOURI STATE VETERANS CEMETERIES
Missouri does not charge for burial in their state’s veterans cemeteries. They use the same criteria that national cemeteries use to determine eligibility, and once eligible, veterans, their spouses and dependent children can all be interred. However, there are some extenuating circumstances that would bar an otherwise eligible veteran from burial. Missouri law says that any veteran convicted of a capital crime on either the federal or state level will be refused. Additionally, veterans who escape conviction for their capital offences by way of death or flight are also barred from internment.
The five State Veterans Cemeteries can be found in Bloomfield, Ft. Leonard Wood, Higginsville, Jacksonville and Springfield.
You can find more information regarding these benefits and other programs at the Missouri Department of Public Safety Veterans Commission website.
