In the course of speaking with Veterans, it is apparent that many Veterans are unaware of various State benefits available to them. In addition to federal benefits for Veterans, most states offer a variety of programs for Veterans and their families. These benefits include scholarships, vocational programs, tax exemptions, nursing home care for elderly and disabled Veterans, and more. The National Association of State Directors of Veteran Affairs has a link to each state’s Department of Veterans Affairs at http://www.nasdva.us/links.htm.
For example, my home state of New Jersey has a program called “Catastrophic Entitlement” which pays $750.00 per year to disabled New Jersey Veterans who served during wartime and are 100% permanent service-connected disabled. There are a number of conditions and criteria for eligibility which can be accessed at http://www.nj.gov/military/veterans/njguide/