Maryland Veteran’s Benefits

Discover Maryland state and local veteran’s benefits including education, employment, healthcare, tax breaks/exemptions, recreation and much more below. The Old Line State has over 400,000 veterans that can access this Mid-Atlantic’s state’s veterans benefits.

Maryland Veteran Education Benefits

The Maryland Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts Scholarship Program

This Maryland scholarship program is military members who served in Afghanistan or Iraq, and is also open to qualifying dependents and military spouses attending an approved college or higher learning institution.

This scholarship covers up to 50% of the applicant’s tuition, fees, plus room and board.

Qualifying criteria: a minimum of 60 days of service in Iraq or Afghanistan, plus additional requirements including (but not limited to) the following:

• Maintain Maryland residency
• Submit a FAFSA by March 1st each year
• Accepted for admission or enrolled in a regular undergraduate program at an eligible Maryland institution, or is accepted for admission or is enrolled in a 2-year terminal certificate program considered to be acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate program at an eligible Maryland institution
• Enrolled as either a full-time (12 or more credits per semesters) or part-time (6-11 credits per semester) undergraduate student

Active Duty, National Guard, Reservists, qualifying dependents, and spouses who meet the qualifying criteria, are eligible to apply before March 1 each year.

In-State College Tuition At Maryland State-Supported Schools

Veterans, National Guard members and Active Duty service members “residing or domiciled in Maryland” qualify for in-state college tuition rates at Maryland’s public institutions.

Veteran Employment Benefits

Maryland State Employment Hiring Preferences For Veterans

The State Of Maryland offers veteran hiring preferences to qualifying service members. Ten hiring points are available to eligible veterans with or without a VA-rated service-connected disability, former POWs, spouses of eligible veterans with VA-rated disabilities, and surviving spouses of eligible military members.

An additional two points are offered to those who meet criteria including but not limited to veterans with a service-connected disability and former prisoners of war.

The Maryland Veterans Full Employment Act of 2013

This Maryland state program is designed to help qualifying veterans and spouses get or transfer professional credentials, college credits, licensing, and related assistance when relocating to Maryland and transferring career credentials there.

The benefit of this program includes expedited service, as long as the transferring credentials meet Maryland State requirements.

Veterans with any discharge except Dishonorable are eligible can apply including Guard/Reserve members. Military spouses who are relocating to Maryland for a new military assignment, spouses of recently discharged military members, and surviving spouses are also encouraged to apply.

Veterans must apply no later than one year after military discharge. Military members and spouses who are relocating to the state on military orders are permitted to apply once they have taken up residence in the state.

Veteran Housing Benefits

T​he Veterans and Military Family Mortgage Program (Maryland Homefront)

The Department of Housing and Community Development offers T​he Veterans and Military Family Mortgage Program (Maryland Homefront). This program provides military veterans and active duty military with a special interest rate discount of 0.25% for a 30-year and a fixed rate mortgage.

The Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP)

MMP offers qualifying veterans a 30-year fixed-rate home loan for homes purchased within the state. Interest rates and other loan terms are described as being “competitive” with other home loans.

Maryland SmartBuy Program

Maryland SmartBuy is a program offering “selected state-owned homes” available for purchase with qualifying home buyers able to apply for special financing that can “pay off their outstanding student debt as part of the home purchase.”

Disabled Veteran-Friendly Maryland State Tax Credit For Adapted Housing

While this program is not specifically aimed at disabled veterans, those who qualify may find a state tax credit available for making adaptive alterations or improvements to a Maryland home to make it more accessible for a disabled home owner who has adapted the home to provide more independent living.

Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs Charlotte Hall Veterans Home

The Maryland VA operates Charlotte Hall for honorably discharged Maryland State veterans and “legal non-veteran” spouses. Applicants must be 62 or older and “deemed disabled by the Social Security Administration or the Veterans Administration.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers a daily per diem for those residing at the home, which offers both assisted living care and nursing home services. 24-hour care is available through the home as well as a range of diagnostic and medical options.

Veterans Can Buy a Home with $0 Down

{Sponsored} The VA Home Loan offers $0 Down with no PMI. Find out if you’re eligible for this powerful home buying benefit. Prequalify today!

Veteran Financial Benefits

Military Personnel and Veteran Owned Small Business No Interest Loan Program

The State of Maryland offers veteran-owned small businesses a no-interest loan up to $50,000 for those who meet the following criteria:

• A small business owned by a National Guard or Reserve member called to active duty
• A small business that employs a reservist or Guard member called to active duty
• A veteran small business owner or a veteran seeking to start a small business
• A small business that employs a VA-rated disabled veterans

According to the State of Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, these no-interest loans mature in one to eight years, with the expected loan repayment period not to exceed “the useful life expectancy of the equipment to be purchased.”

State Of Maryland Tax Breaks for Veterans

• Military Retirement Pay Income Tax Deduction: qualifying military members and/or military spouses 55 years old or younger (by the last day of the tax year) will receive a $12,000 tax exemption on retirement income. For those older than 55, the exemption raises to $20,000 of military retirement income “from federal adjusted gross income before determining your Maryland tax.”
• Maryland State Property Tax Exemption For Disabled Veterans and Certain Surviving Spouses: veterans with a permanent and total service connected disability rated 100% may be eligible for a “complete exemption from real property taxes on the dwelling house and surrounding yard”. Qualifying veterans or surviving spouses may apply at any time and are not held to the stated filing deadlines.
• Maryland State Vehicle Tax Exemption: those new to Maryland are required to title a motor vehicle within 60 days of moving to the state. Those who supply military ID or other proof of military service may be eligible to claim a Maryland vehicle excise tax credit.
• Active Duty Pay Income Tax Exemption: Up to $15,000 of military pay can be excluded if earned while serving overseas.

Additional Veteran Benefits

State Of Maryland Military Service Record Archive

This Maryland veterans’ benefit is unique-the state of Maryland maintains an archive of DD Form 214s (the active duty military discharge paperwork) for Maryland veterans who requested a transfer of DD 214 paperwork to the home of record in Maryland.

You can call to verify your DD-214 is on file at (410)-230-4444 ext.6450. This is a service offered by the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs and is not related to the National Archives or that agency’s collection of military service records.

Free Entry For Veterans At Maryland State Parks

The State of Maryland waives entrance fees at state parks and other facilities are waived for those with current military ID cards. “Day use” fees may be waived, and for those who are Maryland residents and on leave (with orders in hand) may be eligible for exemptions from certain hunting and fishing permits. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources official site offers the following:

• Maryland residents stationed in Maryland must purchase a Resident Hunting License before hunting unless they are on official leave and possess a copy of their official leave orders.
• Maryland residents while hunting during official military leave in Maryland are not required to pay for a hunting license, deer stamps, or a Maryland Managed Hunt Permit.
• Free lifetime hunting licenses are available to Maryland residents who are former prisoners of war or 100% service connected disabled as rated by the VA. The lifetime license is available only at the department’s Licensing and Registration Service Centers.
• It is important to note that the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp is not part of the complimentary hunting license. (The Migratory Game Bird Stamp, Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, and the Big Game Harvest Record are required every year.

Burial Benefits For Veterans

The State of Maryland operates five veterans’ cemeteries:

• Cheltenham
• Crownsville
• Flintstone
• Hurlock
• Owings Mills

Burial plots are offered at no cost to eligible, honorably discharged Maryland resident veterans and eligible dependents. These free plots are available first come, first served. There is no charge for the plot, headstone, or liner. Interment services are also free for veterans. Funeral services for dependents may include an opening/closing charge and other fees.

Important Links for Maryland Veterans’ Benefits

• Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs