State BEnefits

The following are benefits provided by State of Iowa.

Injured Veterans Grant

The Injured Veterans Grant provides up to $10,000 paid in increments of $2,500 per month upon proof that the Veteran was evacuated from the operational theater due to an injury or illness requiring at least 30 consecutive days of hospitalization. The grant is paid up to the maximum amount as long as the Veteran is hospitalized at a military or VA facility. The Veteran may also be eligible if they come down with an illness after returning from the theater if it can be proven the illness or residuals from an injury were caused by active duty in the theater. You must be a resident of Iowa or be deployed as a member of an Iowa unit to be eligible. This grant applies to injuries or illness after September 11, 2001.

Homeownership Assistance

This $5,000 grant is available to Service members and Veterans buying homes in the State of Iowa. You must have served on active duty at least 90 days on or after September 11, 2001, and purchased a home after March 10, 2005, to qualify.
Visit https://www.iowafinance.com/ or call 1-800-432-7230 for more information.

Property Tax Exemption

This benefit reduces a Veteran’s assessed home value for property tax purposes by $1,850. You must have served on active duty during a period of war or for a minimum of 18 months during peacetime to qualify.

Veterans Trust Fund

The State of Iowa has set up a multimillion-dollar fund to provide relief to Iowa Veterans and their families. Interest from this fund finances several services. Funds are presently being used for:

  • Travel expenses for wounded veterans directly related to follow-up medical care
  • Job training or college tuition assistance for job retraining
  • Unemployment/underemployment assistance due to service-related causes
  • Expenses related to nursing facilities or at-home care
  • Assistance with vision, hearing, dental care, durable medical equipment and prescription drugs
  • Individual or family counseling programs and substance abuse services
  • Benefits provided to children of disabled or deceased veterans
  • Family support group programs or programs for children of members of the military
  • Emergency housing repairs
  • Car repairs
  • Transitional housing in an emergency

Trust fund expenditures are approved through the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs. Contact your CVSO to apply!

Lifetime Hunting/Fishing License

Veterans with at least a 0% service-connected disability rating may be eligible to receive a lifetime hunting or fishing license for a fee of $7.00. To qualify, you must have served in active federal service and your disability must be a result of that service.

Veteran License Plates

Honorably discharged Veterans may purchase specialty Veteran license plates for their vehicles through the Iowa Department of Transportation. Visit https://iowadot.gov/mvd/vehicleregistration/vehicleregistration/plates/veteran or call 515-237-3110.

Education Programs

The Iowa State Approving Agency is responsible for approving all GI Bill programs in Iowa for Veterans and other eligible persons. (Program approval is not a function of the VA). Call 515-281-3317 or visit IDVA’s website to find approved schools and training establishments. Please visit the Education link for more detailed information.

High School Diploma

“Operation Recognition” enables honorably discharged Veterans who did not complete high school due to enlistment in the Armed Forces to receive an honorary high school diploma. The IDVA and the Iowa Department of Education establish eligibility.

National Guard Tuition Benefits

Dedicated ARNG ROTC Scholarships are dedicated exclusively to students wanting to serve in the Army National Guard (ARNG). Recipients incur an eight-year military service obligation with the ARNG upon completion of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and commissioning. Scholarships pay 100% of tuition and fees up to a statutory limit per year. Contact your school’s ROTC department or the Iowa National Guard’s Recruitment Office.
Visit https://www.iowanationalguard.com/Family%20and%20Services/Education/Pages/Federal%20Tuition%20Assistance.aspx

Iowa Veterans Cemetery

The Iowa Veterans Cemetery, located 10 miles west of Des Moines, near Van Meter, is available to eligible Veterans, their spouses and their dependent children for burial. Honorably discharged Veterans will be interred at no charge and spouses/dependents will be buried for a fee of $300. Burial options include full casket burial or burial of cremated remains in a columbarium niche or in-ground. An individual’s status as a Veteran or eligible Service member must be established by reasonable and substantial evidence before the Veteran or a member of the Veteran’s immediate family may be interred. Call 515-996-9048 for more information and eligibility criteria.

Iowa Veterans Home

Please visit the Iowa Vets Home link for information regarding eligibility and services.
Further information can be obtained at 1-800-645-4591 or https://ivh.iowa.gov/.

Grants

  • $10,000 Grant to members or former members of US military who are residents of Iowa and were seriously injured in theater of operation of Iraq or Afghanistan. To be eligible, the individual had to have been evacuated to a hospital outside of combat and remain under some type of medical care for a minimum of 91 days to be eligible for the full grant.
  • $5,000 matching Grant to a service member who is a resident of the state of Iowa and is buying a home in the state of Iowa. Member must have served active duty between September 11, 2001, and June 30, 2007 and purchased the home after May 11, 2005.

More Information
Applications for IDVA benefits can be found at the IDVA website at or contact the IDVA at 515-242-5331 or 1-800-838-4692.