New Jersey offers various benefits for veterans. On this page, you’ll find a concise overview of each of these benefits.
New Jersey Veteran Housing Benefits
NJ Veterans Memorial Homes
New Jersey operates veterans’ residences located in Menlo Park, Paramus, and Vineland. These facilities warmly welcome honorably discharged wartime veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents. Priority is extended to individuals who are residents of New Jersey.
Those interested must adhere to specific asset limitation guidelines. Residents contribute towards their stay based on their income level.
Veterans Haven
Veterans Haven offers a transitional housing initiative designed specifically for homeless veterans. The program is structured into three sequential phases: treatment, self-reclamation, and community reintegration. Each phase spans three to six months and is customized to address the unique treatment requirements and vocational aspirations of the veterans.
Eligible veterans are referred to Veterans Haven by a VA Medical Center subsequent to a comprehensive medical assessment. Admission to the program necessitates the veteran’s commitment to a comprehensive, long-term regimen centered around psychological, social, and vocational rehabilitation. Emphasizing sobriety, the program maintains a strict policy against drug and alcohol use. Veterans Haven facilities are situated in Glen Gardner and Winslow.
New Jersey Financial Benefits
Income Tax
If your primary residence was in New Jersey before joining the military, your active-duty income is exempt from state taxes under the following conditions:
- You did not maintain a permanent residence in New Jersey during the tax year.
- Your time spent in New Jersey during the tax year was less than 30 days.
- You maintained a permanent residence outside New Jersey throughout the entire year. (Note: Barracks, bachelor officers’ quarters, or assigned quarters on a vessel do not qualify as permanent residences. However, if you pay for and upkeep an apartment or home, whether owned or rented, outside New Jersey through personal funds or forfeited quarters allowance, that does qualify as a permanent residence outside New Jersey.)
Additionally, retired pay and SBP (Survivor Benefit Plan) payments are exempt from taxation.
Veteran Income Tax Deduction
Honorably discharged veterans are eligible for a one-time tax deduction of $6,000 in the year of their discharge from active duty.
New Jersey Property Tax Deduction
New Jersey resident veterans who were honorably discharged and served for a minimum of 14 days in a combat zone are entitled to an annual $250 property tax deduction. Permanently and totally disabled war veterans, as well as qualifying surviving spouses, are eligible for a complete exemption from property tax on their home.
New Jersey Catastrophic Entitlement
Permanently and totally disabled wartime New Jersey resident veterans are eligible to receive a monthly payment of $150. Qualifying disabilities include loss of sight, amputation of limbs, paralysis, and others. Surviving spouses may also be eligible for this benefit.
New Jersey Employment Benefits
Veterans Preference for State Jobs
When applying for New Jersey state jobs, qualified veterans who achieve a passing score are prioritized at the top of open competitive employment lists.
Disabled veterans with a minimum 10% disability receive the highest preference, superseding both veterans and other applicants on open competitive employment lists.
The spouse of a disabled veteran is granted the same preference as the disabled veteran. However, if the spouse receives this preference, the veteran forfeits their entitlement. The surviving spouse of a disabled veteran maintains the same preference as the disabled veteran until remarriage. Likewise, the surviving spouse of any veteran who died in service is entitled to the disabled veteran preference until remarriage.
CDL License
Veterans who possess or previously held a military commercial driver’s license are excused from the behind-the-wheel segment of the CDL license examination.
Veterans Status for Pensions
Veterans working for the state may be eligible for unique retirement benefits, applicable only to those enrolled in:
- New Jersey Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS)
- Police and Firemen’s Retirement System (PFRS)
- New Jersey Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF)
Veterans retirement benefits differ from the standard retirement plan available to most participants in the above pension funds. These benefits include the option to retire at age 55 with 25 years of service and offer a more favorable calculation of the maximum annual allowance during retirement.
War Orphans Tuition Assistance
Dependent children of military members who passed away during their service or due to service-related disabilities, or those officially designated as Missing in Action (MIA), are eligible to receive $500 per year for four years of college or equivalent training.
To be eligible, the child must have been a resident of New Jersey for at least one year immediately before applying and be between the ages of 16 and 21 at the time of application. Additionally, the veteran must have been a resident of the state.
New Jersey Veteran Recreation Benefits
Fishing and Hunting Licenses for Disabled Veterans
Honorably discharged disabled veterans from New Jersey are entitled to receive complimentary hunting and fishing licenses, along with pheasant, quail, and trout stamps at no cost.
Licenses for Active Duty Service Personnel
Active duty members, regardless of their stationed location, are eligible to obtain New Jersey hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses at the resident rate.
Licenses for NJ National Guard Members
Qualified active New Jersey National Guard personnel are granted complimentary licenses, permits, and stamps.
New Jersey State Veteran Cemetery
NJ resident veterans, their spouses, and dependent children are eligible for free interment and perpetual care at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown.
