Nebraska Veterans Benefits

Full property tax exemption on the homestead for veterans receiving VA compensation for a 100% service-connected disability rating (including 100% via Individual Unemployability per the program guidance). Per multiple Nebraska sources there is NO income limit and NO home-value cap for the service-connected 100% disabled category. Surviving spouse may continue the exemption. Veteran/spouse must own and occupy the homestead Jan 1 through Aug 15 of the tax year. Administered by the Nebraska Dept of Revenue (Property Assessment Division); statutory authority Neb. Rev. Stat. 77-3506 et seq. Confidence medium on the 'no income limit' specific because the DVA/Revenue landing pages did not restate it verbatim in fetched text (it appears in search summaries and statute references).

For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2022, all military retirees may exclude 100% of military retirement benefits from Nebraska taxable income, to the extent included in federal AGI. No election or form is required (the prior partial-election system was repealed). Applies regardless of disability rating.

VA disability compensation is not subject to federal income tax and therefore is not included in federal AGI, the starting point for Nebraska taxable income, so it is effectively not taxed by Nebraska. Nebraska has no add-back for VA disability compensation. Note: the Nebraska DVA/Revenue pages do not address VA disability comp explicitly; this follows from federal non-taxability flowing through Nebraska's AGI-based system, hence medium confidence.

State program waiving 100% of tuition and tuition-related fees at University of Nebraska campuses, Nebraska state colleges, and Nebraska community colleges for eligible dependents (spouse, surviving spouse, biological/adopted child, or stepchild) of a qualifying veteran. The veteran must be VA-rated 100% permanently and totally disabled due to military service, OR have died after discharge as a result of a service-connected injury/illness, OR have died in service, OR be classified as POW/MIA. Student must be a Nebraska resident eligible for in-state tuition. Benefit is limited to one community college credential and one baccalaureate degree. Statutory authority Neb. Rev. Stat. 80-411.

Nebraska law (Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-238) permits private employers to adopt a voluntary veterans'/spouses' employment preference policy without violating equal-employment law, provided the employer gives notice to the Commissioner of Labor and applies the policy uniformly. This enables (but does not mandate) private-sector hiring preference for veterans.

Nebraska grants a hiring preference to eligible veterans, service members, and eligible spouses seeking initial or return employment with the State of Nebraska or any state/local government. On a passing examination or numerical score, 5% is added to the passing score for a veteran who claims the preference; an ADDITIONAL 5% is added for a disabled veteran (10% total). Eligible spouses of servicemembers also qualify within defined windows. Statutory authority Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-225 through 48-227.

Disabled Veteran license plates available to qualifying disabled veterans through the Nebraska DMV. A $40.00 fee is due at initial application and the plate renews annually in the same month as the vehicle registration. Approval for the DAV plate is independent of (not tied to) the disabled-veteran motor vehicle tax exemption. The specific VA rating/disability criteria for plate eligibility were not confirmed verbatim in this research, so confidence is medium.

Effective January 1, 2026 (LB650, enacted 2025), disabled and/or blind veterans receive an exemption from the Motor Vehicle Tax and Motor Vehicle Fee on ONE vehicle owned and used for personal transportation. Qualifying veterans are those who served on active duty, separated under honorable conditions, and have an established service-connected disability (any rating, including 0%), OR who receive VA compensation/disability retirement/pension; blind veterans qualify if vision is sufficiently defective per VA recognition. Only the motor vehicle tax and fee are waived - plate fee, sales tax, and wheel tax still apply. Veteran must be on the Nebraska DVA Military & Veterans' Registry; request within 30 days of purchase or before the registration expiration month for renewals.

Free lifetime small game hunting, fishing, and fur harvest permit (includes all state stamps) for Nebraska-resident disabled veterans. Eligibility per Nebraska Game & Parks: Nebraska resident with Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions) discharge AND a 50% or more service-connected disability rating, OR a 100% non-service-connected disability rating with a VA pension. Statutory authority Neb. Rev. Stat. 37-420. The 50% threshold is confirmed by the Game & Parks Commission source and statute; the DVA recreation landing page did not restate the exact percentage.

Nebraska Game & Parks offers a Disabled Veterans' Lifetime Annual Park Entry Permit (state park vehicle entry) to qualifying disabled veterans at no or reduced cost. Tied to disabled-veteran status (commonly the same 50%+ service-connected threshold under the veterans/military permit program), though the precise rating for the park-entry permit specifically was not stated verbatim on the fetched pages, so confidence is medium on the exact threshold. Applications are processed via the VA office in Lincoln, NE.

Nebraska operates state veterans' homes providing nursing/long-term, hospice/palliative, and memory-support care. Eligibility: veterans who served on active duty with honorable or general discharge, and Nebraska National Guard members with active duty for training, who have lived in Nebraska at least two years during their lifetime. Spouses, surviving spouses, and Gold Star spouses/parents are also eligible. Member contribution is on a sliding scale based on income/assets ranging from $0 up to $5,549 per month. Apply directly to a home or via the County Veterans Service Officer.

Temporary emergency cash assistance (established 1921) for veterans, their spouses, and dependents when an emergency disrupts their normal living and other resources are not immediately available. Covers costs such as food, rent/mortgage, utilities, eyeglasses, hearing aids, pre-approved dental, medical bills, transportation, and funerals, after normal payment methods are exhausted. 'Veteran' means active-duty service (other than active duty for training) with honorable/general discharge, or died in/as a result of service. As of Sept 3, 2025, applications may be made through a State Service Officer in addition to a County Veterans Service Officer or recognized VSO Post Service Officer. No fixed-dollar benefit amount published (need-based).