Pennsylvania

Print-and-take checklist. Tick each box as you go, and keep it with your paperwork.

• Download your VA benefit summary letter, rating decision, or Individual Unemployability documentation at va.gov/records/download-va-letters
• Find your County Director of Veterans Affairs at the Pennsylvania DMVA County Director locator
• Request MA-VA Form 40 (or MA-VA Form 40ss for a surviving spouse) and VA Form 3288 from your County Director
• Check every eligibility box that applies on MA-VA Form 40: wartime service, 100% permanent disability or Individual Unemployability at the 100% rate, blindness, paraplegia, or loss of two or more limbs
• Gather your property deed copy, DD-214, and, if your income is above the current presumptive-need level, your expense documents
• If applying as a surviving spouse, attach your marriage certificate and the veteran's death certificate
• Get the application date-stamped by your County Tax Assessment Office, then submit through your county or mail it to the Fort Indiantown Gap address
• Confirm the exemption posted on your next county, township or borough, and school district tax bills
• Confirm your VA disability compensation, military retirement pay, and Social Security are not showing as Pennsylvania taxable income
• Bring your VA rating letter and DD-214 to PennDOT with Form MV-371DV (free registration) or Form MV-145V (Disabled Veteran plate)
• Bring your VA disability certification to a county treasurer's office or the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for your free or reduced-fee fishing license
• Bring your VA disability certification to the Pennsylvania Game Commission for your free or reduced-fee hunting or furtaker license
• If your child qualifies for the Educational Gratuity Program, file the FAFSA and Pennsylvania State Grant application, then apply through your County Director
• For an emergency, call your County Director about Veterans Temporary Assistance (up to $1,600) or the Military Family Relief Assistance Program (up to $5,000)
• For a Purple Heart, Prisoner of War, or Medal of Honor plate, gather your award proof and use Form MV-371DV plus the U.S. Military Service Registration Plates application
• If anything here touches your actual VA rating (a new claim, an appeal, or confirming Individual Unemployability), route it to a free accredited Veteran Service Officer at VA.gov, never a paid company

Full step-by-step guide: ratednowwhat.com/benefits-by-state#h2_5741a207

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.