Kansas veteran state benefits

Read this first

Kansas rules change, and two Kansas agencies describe some of these programs a little differently. Where they differ, this page says so. The dollar amounts below are the ones printed on the official pages on October 15, 2026. Confirm the current number with the agency before you file.

1. Property tax: the Senior or Disabled Veteran refund (K-40SVR)

Kansas does not take a disabled veteran's home off the tax rolls. It refunds part of the increase in your property tax. The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) describes it this way:

• Veteran requirement: a service-connected rating of 50% or more, from the VA or the military, with an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions.
• Residency: Kansas resident for the entire tax year.
• Home value: the home cannot be valued at more than $350,000 in the base year.
• Income: household income of $58,041 or less for tax year 2025 (claim due April 15, 2026). KDOR defines household income as Kansas adjusted gross income of all household members. I did not find the limit for the 2026 tax year, so check KDOR before you file in early 2027.
• Refund: current-year homestead property tax minus the base-year tax. The base year is the year before your first eligible year, and base years earlier than 2021 count as 2021.
• Surviving spouses: the Kansas Office of Veterans Services (KOVS) says they qualify until they remarry.

K-40SVR is one of three Kansas homestead refund programs (K-40H, K-40PT and K-40SVR). KDOR says you can receive only one of them, and its free WebFile software can show which pays more.

KOVS also lists an older route, form K-40H, for veterans whose disability date is before January 1, 2009, with a VA determination letter. KDOR and KOVS do not describe the K-40H veteran rules in the same way, so ask KDOR which applies to you.

A 2024 bill, HB 2096, would have refunded 75% of property tax for veterans rated 100% permanent. The Governor vetoed it and it did not become law (Kansas Legislative Research Department, December 2024). I did not find a replacement that passed.

Sources: KDOR K-40SVR FAQ, KOVS state benefits guide, KLRD summary

2. Disabled Veteran license plate

• Who: Kansas resident, served in the armed forces, entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability of at least 50%. Other paths listed by KDOR include loss or loss of use of a foot or hand, certain permanent vision loss, and a person responsible for transporting a qualifying veteran.
• Cost: KDOR says the first plate carries no registration fee, at application or renewal. Property tax on the vehicle is still due. Extra plates pay normal fees.
• How: Form TR-103, signed by the veteran and the VA regional director, plus proof of insurance, submitted at your county treasurer's motor vehicle office. The plate with the wheelchair emblem also needs a medical professional's signature.
• Vehicle: auto, motorcycle or truck registered at 20,000 lbs. or less.
• Discharge wording: KOVS says the plate is no charge if the discharge was Honorable or General. The KDOR page I read does not state a discharge type.

Sources: KDOR Disabled Veteran plate page, KOVS guide

3. Parking

Kansas ties parking to the same plate. KOVS says the plate carries parking without charge in metered zones, and parking in reserved disability spaces in certain public lots with attendants. I could not retrieve the statute text (K.S.A. 8-1,145) because the state revisor site blocked my fetch, so I am relying on the KOVS wording. Ask your county treasurer or city before you skip a meter. Cities and private lots can have their own rules.

A separate disabled parking placard is not described on the KOVS page. KDOR's form TR-159A covers that and is based on a medical certification, not veteran status.

Source: KOVS guide

4. Hunting and fishing licenses

• Who: Kansas resident and honorably discharged veteran with a certified service-related disability of 30% or more (KDWPT). KOVS describes the discharge requirement as honorable or general under honorable conditions. Ask KDWPT which one it applies.
• What you get: free annual hunting, fishing, and combination licenses, funded by the Legislature. KOVS notes they are issued based on state funding.
• Renewal: you must apply each year. Licenses expire 365 days after issue.
• Age 65 to 74: KDWPT directs veterans in this range to a Senior Hunt/Fish Combination Lifetime Pass instead.
• Send: application, copy of your Kansas ID, and VA papers showing at least 30% to KDWPT, Attn: License Section/Disabled Veterans, 512 SE 25th Ave., Pratt, KS 67124-8174. Allow about two weeks. Do not fax. Hunter education proof is required if you were born on or after July 1, 1957 and want a hunting license.

Source: KDWPT disabled veteran licenses, KOVS guide

5. State parks

I did not find a current Kansas state park benefit for disabled veterans. The KDWPT page for disabled veteran licenses does not mention park permits. A 2011 KDWPT release says its park permit provision did not apply to disabled veteran licenses. KOVS lists free park permits only for active Kansas Army and Air National Guard members. This is based on pages I could read, so call KDWPT before assuming you have to pay or that you are exempt.

Sources: KDWPT, KOVS guide

6. State income tax on military retirement and VA pay

• Military retirement: exempt from Kansas income tax. KDOR's booklet says to report it on Schedule S, line A14. Do not enclose 1099-R copies, keep them.
• VA disability: KOVS lists VA disability payments among income not taxed in Kansas. The KDOR booklet section I read does not discuss it as a separate item. Kansas starts from federal adjusted gross income, and VA disability is excluded federally (see our page on that).
• Extra exemption for 100% veterans: $2,320 per qualifying veteran for tax year 2025 and later (the figure was $2,250 before 2025). The VA must certify the 100% rate, and the disability must be permanent and service-connected. Enter the number of veterans on form K-40 under Additional Exemptions and multiply by $2,320.

I read the first 100,000 of about 145,000 characters of the KDOR booklet. Check the remainder if your return is unusual.

Sources: KDOR 2025 income tax booklet, KOVS guide

Where to go

• Kansas Office of Veterans Services for an accredited representative near you
• Kansas Department of Revenue for tax forms and the plate application
• Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks for licenses and park permits
• Your county treasurer for plates and vehicle property tax