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Utah Veterans Benefits & Disabled Veterans Benefits

Utah Veteran Benefits

In addition to federal programs such as the GI Bill, there are veterans education benefits programs provided by the states.  The following are the Utah veterans’ benefits programs.

Utah Veteran Education Benefits

Tuition Waiver for Purple Heart Recipients

Purple Heart recipients are eligible for a tuition waiver at all public institution of higher learning in Utah. This benefit can be used toward a degree up to and including a Master’s Degree. To receive this benefit the Veteran must submit proof that they have a Purple Heart to the State Institution they are attending.

Scott B Lundell Tuition Waiver for Military Members’ Surviving Dependents

Surviving dependents of service members killed in action on or after September 11, 2001 are eligible for a tuition waiver at state schools.

Veterans Tuition Gap Program

Effective 1 July 2014 the Veterans Tuition Gap Program came into effect. This “funding” gap enables qualifying military Veterans to receive tuition assistance for the last school year at state institutions of higher education.

With the Post-9/11 federal GI Bill, veterans have up to 36 months of educational benefits. A few years back, Utah passed this initiative to pay a veteran’s tuition if they are in their final year of school and have exhausted all of their benefits.

It is for tuition only and does not include housing or books.

Veterans Tuition Gap Program: Utah National Guard State Education Benefits

The State of Utah, through the UTAH NATIONAL GUARD, may pay up to 100% of my tuition assistance based on the following caps and guidelines:

• Up to $250.00 per semester hour (SH), $167.00 per quarter hour (QH) or $6.66 per clock hour (CH) for tuition; not to exceed the institution’s residential tuition rate.
• Up to $5000 for the 2017-2018 State Budget Year, subject to availability of funding. iii. STA funds will not cover the cost of any fees, except in the following circumstances:

1. The state retains the right to use STA funding toward the payment of course related fees as an incentive measure for under-utilized programs or for other policy related issues.
2. Changes to the fee payment policy will be addressed each year on the Statement of Understanding (SOU).
3. For the 2017-2018 school year, STA is not approved for use toward fees except for those cases where admin error is involved through misinformation provided by a member of the Utah National Guard Education Office.

Find VA-approved colleges and universities in Utah with our School Finder.

Utah Veteran Housing Benefits

Disabled Veteran Property Tax Abatement

This is available for disabled veterans and for their unremarried widows or minor orphans. To qualify, a veteran’s disability rating must be at least 10%. There is a formula for the percentage cap. The maximum property tax abatement is $260,370, which would be for those rated at 100% for their service-connected disability. Disabled veterans would need to multiply the percentage of disability by 260,370, so a 10% disability would be $26,037. Then, this amount is subtracted from the taxable value of the property, and taxes are paid on the remaining amount. Disabled veterans will only have to apply once, then it will be automatically renewed each year.

Armed Forces Property Tax Exemption

There is a property tax exemption for members of active or reserve components of the US Armed Forces who perform qualifying active-duty military service. To be considered as “qualifying active duty service,” the service member will need to have had a minimum of 200 days of service in a calendar year, regardless of if they were performed consecutively. They can also qualify if they have 200 consecutive days that may cross over into a second calendar year but have not been applied toward the count of the previous year’s taxes. The amount of the tax exemption is equal to the total taxable value of the real property. The exemption can be claimed up to a year following the year the service was completed. The spouse of the military service member can not claim this exemption. A service member can not use this on property that is owned exclusively by the military service member’s spouse.

Utah Veteran Health Care Benefits

Veterans’ Home

Utah has four Veterans’ Homes. They are located in:

• Salt Lake City
• Ogden
• Payson
• Ivins

Wartime service is not required for the Utah Veterans’ Homes, however, wartime veterans with one day or more of wartime service will have priority. A veteran’s spouse or surviving spouse may also qualify for admittance to the nursing homes, providing that the marriage to the veteran did occur at least one year before the application is submitted.

Utah Veteran Employment Benefits

Veterans Job Preference

Veterans, spouses, or unmarried widows or widowers who are eligible for veterans job preference are granted either 5 or 10 additional points for employment preference. The points will be added to the results of any written and/or oral exam or other related qualifying technique or examinations by any Utah government entity.

Veterans Hiring Priority

Officers, agents, or representatives of the state, or any contractors performing work for the Utah State Government are required by law to give preference to a preference eligible veteran.

Waiving CDL Skills Test

Utah will waive the CDL Skills test for military veterans who meet the licensing qualifications. They will also need to be honorably discharged in the previous 90 days, and have operated a CMV during the immediate two year period preceding discharge.

For more information regarding Utah veterans’ benefits, please visit – Utah Department of Veterans Affairs

RELATED:

• State Veterans’ Benefits – By State
• Utah BAH Rates
• Yellow Ribbon Schools
• States Offering Free College To Veterans And Dependents
• Choice Act: In-State Tuition Benefits For Veterans