South Carolina Veterans & Disabled Veterans Benefits
South Carolina Veterans Benefits Programs
The following are South Carolina veterans’ education, healthcare, taxes, and employment benefits programs.
Education Benefits for Veterans In South Carolina
The state of South Carolina provides veterans benefits programs in addition to federal programs such as the GI Bill.
South Carolina Tuition Waivers For Children of “Certain Veterans”
Qualifying children of South Carolina veterans may be offered tuition waivers at state schools. This benefit is for children of SC veterans who died on duty or as a result of military service.
It is also offered to the children of veterans who were “permanently and totally” disabled as a result of military service and those awarded the Purple Heart or the Medal of Honor.
The Veteran must meet the following requirements:
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- Served in wartime on active duty
- Received an “other than dishonorable” discharge
- Resident of South Carolina “at the time of entry into service, during service and currently a resident,” or;
- Resident of South Carolina for at least one year and currently a resident, or
- If the Veteran is deceased, “they were a resident for one year before their death.”
Contact the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs to learn more.
South Carolina National Guard College Assistance Program (SCNG CAP)
The SCNG College Assistance Program pays up to 100% of college tuition and fees at state-supported institutions, up to a maximum of $4,500 per year. There is also a lifetime cap of $18,000 per service member.
To qualify, you must be a South Carolina National Guard member seeking a first undergraduate degree. To learn how to apply or for more information on eligibility, contact the South Carolina National Guard, Education Service Office.
RELATED: National Guard Tuition Assistance
Find colleges in South Carolina with our School Finder. Use the filters to sort schools by state.
South Carolina Veteran Nursing Homes
The State of South Carolina operates Veteran Nursing Homes in the following locations:
- Roy Stone Veterans Pavilion, Columbia
- Veterans’ Victory House, Walterboro
- Richard Michael Campbell Veterans Nursing Home, Anderson
- Veteran Village, Florence
- Palmetto Patriots Home, Gaffney
The care offered may vary depending on the facility, but these locations generally offer skilled and intermediate care.
The veteran must be a state resident and have a medical need for residential care. The official site of the State of South Carolina advises applicants to contact the individual facility to learn about admission requirements and pre-need planning.
South Carolina Veteran Burial Benefits
The State of South Carolina supports the M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery, which is open to veterans, spouses, and children of qualifying veterans. Services include opening and closing the grave, grave liner, marker, and perpetual care.
According to the official site, there is “no cost for the plot, grave liner, permanent marker, or the opening and closing of the gravesite for the Veteran; there is a $300 fee for the burial of a Spouse and each Child.”
The eligibility requirements for Cooper Veterans Cemetery are the same as those for VA National Cemeteries; you can get more information at the VA official site.
South Carolina Veterans Hiring Preference
The State of South Carolina offers veteran hiring preference to qualifying veterans with honorable discharges for employment or an appointment in public departments or public works that hire on a merit system.
According to the official site, “To claim Veterans Preference, all eligible persons shall submit a DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, along with the State Application for Employment to the appointing authority.”
You cannot receive preference if you do not provide a DD Form 214 or its equivalent.
South Carolina Tax Benefits For Veterans
The State of South Carolina does not tax military retirement pay or military disability retirement pay. South Carolina also offers property tax exemptions for qualifying veterans and surviving spouses.
Those listed as prisoners of war, Purple Heart recipients, and those with a 100% permanent service-connected disability may qualify for tax exemptions for the value of a primary residence or two passenger vehicles.
Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Exemption
In South Carolina, veterans and others “declared permanently and totally disabled by the Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, other state or federal agencies” may qualify for a state homestead tax exemption “in an amount set by the General Assembly.” To qualify, you must be 65 or older.
Specially Adapted Housing Tax Exemption
Veterans and other qualifying residents can apply “for the exemption of state, county, and municipal taxes” on a veteran’s home in South Carolina when the applicant has ” lost the use of their lower extremities or who have paralysis of one lateral half of the body resulting from injury to the motor centers of the brain.”
South Carolina Veteran Retirement Credit
The State of South Carolina offers its public employees a retirement credit of up to 6 years “for any period of military service for which he or she does not already have service credit in one of the correlated defined benefit plans.”
South Carolina CDL Skills Test Waiver For Veterans
The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles allows qualified military service members to skip the “commercial skills test” for a Commercial Driver’s License.
Applicants must pass knowledge tests and comply with mandatory federal regulations. A condition of this program is that applicants cannot have a suspended, revoked, or canceled license in the previous two years.
The South Carolina Military Family Relief Fund
This relief fund offers grants to qualifying South Carolina Guard and Reserve military families. The grant provides financial relief for food, housing, utilities, medical services, and other expenses when the service member is called to active service.
Capped at a $2,000 maximum, these grants are offered once per deployment.
For more information regarding South Carolina veterans’ benefits, please visit the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs.
Related state military and veteran information:
About the author
Lori Waddell serves as Co-director of an emergency response COAD in Montana, a freelance writer, and an Air Force Key Spouse. She is passionate about empowering communities and individuals through knowledge and resources. She currently lives in Montana with her husband and two children.