Rated, Now What
Benefits by State
Georgia
Print-and-take checklist. Tick each box as you go, and keep it with your paperwork.
- Get a current VA benefits letter that states your rating and any qualifying disability (free from a Veterans Service Officer if you need help).
- Make copies of your military discharge document (Form DD-214) and a photo ID.
- File the Application for Homestead Exemption (disabled veteran) at your county tax commissioner's office by April 1, with your VA letter and proof the home is your residence.
- Confirm the current-year homestead exemption amount on the GDVS page before you rely on any figure.
- Confirm you are not reporting VA disability compensation as income, since Georgia does not tax it.
- Look up the current military retirement income exclusion and claim it on your Georgia Form 500.
- Complete Form MV-9W and take it, your VA letter, and your DD-214 to your county tag office for the free Disabled Veteran plate.
- Confirm your one-vehicle ad valorem and Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) exemption is applied at the tag office.
- Bring your DD-214, disability verification, and Georgia residency proof to a GDVS field office to get the 25 percent state park discount card.
- Mail the disability sportsman's license application with your documents, or claim the one-time free veterans license if you qualify.
- If you have combat-zone service, apply for the HERO Scholarship for you, your spouse, or your children through GAfutures within two years of eligibility.
- If you are rated 100 percent permanent and total, have your spouse or children ask a GDVS field office about Chapter 35 education benefits.
- Find your nearest Veterans Field Service Office and save the contact for free claims and appeals help.
- Purple Heart, former POW, or Medal of Honor: file Form MV-9W for your free plate and confirm the one-vehicle tax exemption.
- If you may need long-term care, review State War Veterans Home eligibility with a GDVS field office.
Full step-by-step guide: ratednowwhat.com/benefits-by-state#h2_5741a203
Education only. Not the VA, not a government agency, and not financial, tax, or legal advice. Help with a VA claim or rating is always free through a VA-accredited Veteran Service Officer.