Military Residency Waiver for HESC Awards for Active-Duty Spouses and Dependents Stationed in New York State 

The New York State residency eligibility requirement for recipients of awards administered by New York State Higher Education Services (HESC) is waived for a member of, or for the spouse or dependent of a member of, the United States Armed Forces who is on full-time active duty and stationed in New York State. 

Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute – MERIT Scholarship 

The Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute (MERIT) Scholarship provides financial aid to children, spouses, and financial dependents of members of the United States Armed Forces or state-organized militia who, at any time while New York State residents, died or became severely and permanently disabled while performing their military duties, whether in combat or not. 

Additional information on eligibility and how to apply can be found on the HESC website. 

Our Veterans Benefits Advisors can assist you with applying for the MERIT Scholarship.  

Regents Awards for Children of Deceased & Disabled Veterans 

Through the New York State Higher Education Services (HESC), the Regents Awards is for Children of Deceased & Disabled Veterans provides up to $450 per year to students whose parent(s) served in the United States Armed Forces during specified times of war or national emergency, and as a result of such service, the Veteran either died, suffered a 40 percent or greater United States Department of Veterans Affairs service-connected disability rating percentage, was classified as missing in action, or was a prisoner of war. The Veteran must currently be a New York State resident or have been a New York State resident at the time of death.  

Veterans Tuition Awards 

The Veterans Tuition Awards, managed by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), awards are for full-time study and part-time study for eligible Veterans matriculated at an undergraduate or graduate degree-granting institution or in an approved vocational training program in New York State. 

Eligible students are those who are New York State residents discharged under honorable conditions from the U.S. Armed forces and who are one of the following: 

• Vietnam Veterans who served in Indochina between November 1, 1955 and May 7, 1975. 

• Persian Gulf Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf on or after August 2, 1990. 
• Afghanistan Veterans who served in Afghanistan during hostilities on or after September 11, 2001. 
• Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in hostilities that occurred after February 28, 1961 as evidenced by receipt of an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal or a Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. 

Military Service Deferment 

Student loan borrowers who are called to active duty (or performing National Guard duty) during a war, military operation, or national emergency may be eligible to defer federal student loan payments from the time of mobilization for up to 180 days following qualifying service. 

Post-Active-Duty Service Deferment 

Members of the National Guard or other reserve components of the Armed Forces (including retired members) called to active duty while enrolled at a post-secondary institution may defer federal student loan repayment.  

After completing active-duty service (which must include a period on or after October 1, 2007, and use of any applicable grace period, deferment may be granted for up to 13 months or until resuming enrollment on at least a half-time basis. 

Hire-A-Vet Credit 

The Hire-a-Vet Credit encourages the hire of qualified Veterans. Businesses must employ a qualified Veteran for no less than 35 hours per week for one full year. A qualified Veteran is someone who served on active duty in the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Reserves, National Guard, New York Guard or New York Naval Militia, and was released from active duty by general or honorable discharge after September 11, 2001. Qualified Veterans must attest that they were not employed for 35 or more hours in the previous 180 days. Businesses may earn up to $5,000 for hiring a qualified Veteran, and up to $15,000 for hiring one who is disabled. 

Military Service Claim for Unemployment Benefits 

If you were recently discharged from military service, you may be able to establish a claim for unemployment benefits. Applicants must meet the following conditions: 

1. You completed the first full term of enlistment, except where discharge or early release was for:

• Government convenience under an early release program 
• Medical disqualification, pregnancy, parenthood, or any service-incurred injury or disability 
• Hardship 
• Personality disorder or inaptitude (but only with a year of continuous service) 

OR 

2. As a reservist, you must have had at least 180 days of continuous active duty;

AND 

3. You received your discharge under honorable conditions. If you were an officer, you did not resign for the good of the service.

The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) will base your weekly benefit rate on your high quarter earnings in your base period. DOL will base your earnings in military service on a Federal schedule that takes into account the base pay in your last grade, plus allowances for food and clothing. 

Please have your most recent separation (DD form 214, Member 4) with you when you file your claim. Mail a copy of this form to the Telephone Claim Center to process your claim, full contact information can be found at the NYS DOL Website 

Note: The Wage Reporting Systems does not show wages earned with the Federal Government, a branch of military service, or on work done outside of New York State. Thus, the initial Monetary Determination may not list them. Follow the instructions on the Monetary Determination for missing employment and earnings, so we can use those wages to calculate your correct benefit rate. 

Veterans with Disabilities Employment Program (55-c) 

New York State wants to employ Veterans.  Section 55-c of the New York State Civil Service Law authorizes 500 positions to be filled with qualified wartime Veterans with disabilities. 

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications for the position but are not required to take an examination. Eligible Veterans are not guaranteed state employment and are not placed on a hiring list. 

Eligibility 

Eligibility does not require certification by the Employee Health Service (EHS) of the New York State Department of Civil Service. A letter of certification of a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher from the U.S. Veterans Administration (U.S. VA) will be requested. 

Any Veteran who has received the Purple Heart medal or who has a disability rating assigned by the U.S. VA of at least 10 percent is automatically eligible. 

New York State Peddler’s License 

New York State Veterans with other than dishonorable discharges from the United States Armed Forces are eligible to apply for a free lifetime Veterans Peddler’s License provided the Veteran served overseas in peace or war.  

This license provides Veterans and surviving spouses with the right to peddle, vend, and sell goods, wares or merchandise, or solicit trade on the highways within a specific jurisdiction.  

The permit does not supersede any restrictions placed by City, Town, or Village Clerks except that City, Town, or Village Clerks may not charge Veterans and surviving spouses a fee for a peddler’s license licenses. The County Clerks are responsible for issuing the licenses. An additional no-fee license may be necessary depending on the City, Town, or Village. 

New York State Blind Annuity Program 

The Blind Annuity Program benefit is for legally blind  wartime Veterans, or surviving un-remarried spouses of legally blind wartime Veterans, who live and are domiciled in New York State.  Blindness need not be a service-connected disability. 

Eligibility 

A qualifying Veteran must be a New York State resident and domiciliary who is determined to be legally blind (20/200 vision in the better eye with best correction, or has 20- degree limitation of field of vision), and who served on active duty during specific wartime periods or received an expeditionary medal for certain conflicts. Generally, the Veteran must have served at least 90 days active duty for other than training purposes.   However, fewer than 90 days active duty is acceptable if the Veteran was discharged for a service-connected disability. 

To demonstrate New York State residency, a Veteran or un-remarried surviving spouse of a Veteran must submit a copy (no original needed) of one authoritative document showing proof of residency in New York. 

Acceptable documents include: a New York State driver’s license or non-driver ID card; a voter registration notification card; a current utility bill (such as water, electricity, trash collection, cable TV, etc.) listing the applicant’s name and address; a proof of your current mortgage; a residential lease issued within one year of the current date; a property tax or school tax bill or receipt for the current year; an assisted-living facility or nursing home statement; a federal or New York State income tax W-2 form; a federal or New York State income tax or earning statement; or any other official document showing your current status as a New York State resident.         

If a Veteran met all the criteria for the Blind Annuity benefit, but never actually received the benefit during his or her lifetime, the un-remarried surviving spouse of that Veteran may still be eligible to receive the benefit. 

Gold Star Parent Annuity Program 

The Gold Star Parent Annuity Benefit authorizes an annuity payment to each Gold Star parent of a deceased Servicemember. There will be an annual increase at a rate equal to the percentage increase of benefits set by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Applicants approved for the Gold Star Annuity Payment are required to verify eligibility on a yearly basis. To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements:  

1. Applicant must be a Gold Star Parent (as defined in 10 U.S.C. 1126):

Please Note: Federal Law defines a Gold Star Parent as the Parent of: 

(1) A Servicemember who lost his or her life during World War I, World War II, or during any subsequent period of armed hostilities in which the United States was engaged before July 1, 1958; OR 

(2) A Servicemember who lost his or her life after July 1, 1958 in any of the following circumstances:         

(A) while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; or 

(B) while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or 

(C) while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party against an opposing armed force; OR   

(3) A Servicemember who lost his or her life after March 28, 1973, in any of the following circumstances:  

(A) an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of Defense; or 

(B) military operations while serving outside the United States (including the commonwealths, territories, and possessions of the United States) as part of a peacekeeping force.      

(C) The term ‘Gold Star Parent’ for this Annuity includes any biological parent, step-parent, and parent by adoption who was serving in the role of a parent to the Servicemember at the time of the Servicemember’s death.                                                

2.  Applicant must be a New York State resident and domiciliary

How to Apply 

Applications may be submitted at anytime. Payments will be authorized and disbursed in semi-annual installments (March and September). The following documentation is required to process a Gold Star Parent Annuity Benefit: 

1. Gold Star Parent Annuity Benefit Application form 

1. Evidence of military service of the deceased veteran. Acceptable evidence includes a DD Form 1300 (Report of Casualty); or a copy of the telegram from the U.S. Department of Defense advising the parent of his or her loss. 

1. A proof of New York State residency. Acceptable evidence includes a copy of the applicant’s property tax bill or utility bill, voter registration documentation, pay stub or current NYS Driver’s License. 

New York State Income Tax Exemption for Military Pay 

Combat Zone pay 

Military pay received for active service as a member of the United States Armed Services in an area designated as a combat zone is exempt from New York State, New York City, and Yonkers income taxes. Service members are entitled to a New York subtraction modification in computing New York adjusted gross income for combat pay included in federal adjusted gross income. 

Non-Combat Zone pay 

If you are a New York State resident and your permanent home (domicile) was in New York State when you entered the military, but you were assigned to duty outside the state, you are still a New York State resident. 

Your military pay is subject to New York State income tax to the same extent it is subject to federal income tax. 

If your permanent home (domicile) was in New York State when you entered the military, but you meet the conditions for nonresident status, your military pay is not subject to New York State income tax. 

If your permanent home was not New York State when you entered the military, but you were assigned to duty in New York State, you do not become a New York State resident even if you have a permanent place of abode here. You are a nonresident, and your military pay is not subject to New York State income tax. 

If you are a nonresident, other income that you receive from New York State sources (including your spouse’s income) may be subject to tax. 

State Supplemental Burial Allowance 

To honor servicemembers who gave their lives in combat, New York State offers surviving family members a Supplemental Burial Allowance of up to $6,000.    

Eligible individuals must prove their relationship to a servicemember who: 

(1) Is a New York State resident at the time of his/her death OR was a member of the New York Army National Guard or New York Air National Guard at the time when he/she entered active duty status, during which period of service he or she died.   

— AND — 

(2) Either: 

• Passed away in a combat zone. 
• Passed away while receiving hazardous duty pay, pursuant to Title 37, Section 310 (a)(4) of the United States Code; or 
• Passed away from wounds sustained in a combat zone or while receiving hazardous duty pay.   

This money is used to defray funeral and interment costs not covered by the federal government. A family member must bear part or all costs of the servicemember’s funeral and/or interment to be eligible.  

To apply for the Supplemental Burial Allowance, please fill out the Burial Allowance application (link below) and submit copies of the following documents along with your application:  

• One document proving the servicemember’s combat-related death (such as a casualty report from the military, a death certificate listing cause of death, etc.). 
• One document proving EITHER: (1) The servicemember was a resident of New York State at the time of his/her death, or (2) The servicemember was a member of the New York Army National Guard or New York Air National Guard at the time when he/she entered active-duty status, during which period of service he or she died.  

•   ** NOTE: Documents to prove proof of residence include, but are not limited to, a New York State driver’s license or non-driver ID card; a voter registration notification card; a current utility bill (such as water, electricity, trash collection, cable TV, etc.) listing the applicant’s name and address; a residential lease issued within one year of the current date; a property tax or school tax bill or receipt for the year in which the servicemember passed away; a federal or New York State income tax or earning statement; or any other official document showing the servicemember’s status as a New York State resident.**        

• Document(s) showing the amount of money that the Burial Allowance applicant paid for the funeral and/or interment costs of the servicemember.  

• One document showing proof of the applicant’s family relationship to the servicemember.  
• Document(s) showing how much money, if any, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs paid the applicant or other family members to assist in covering the funeral and interment expenses.   

New York State Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Exemption 

Through the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Veterans can qualify to be exempt from registration fees and vehicle plate fees if: 

• You are a qualified disabled Veteran under Federal Title 38, Part III, Chapter 39, or 
• You qualify for and apply for Congressional Medal of Honor custom plates, or 
• You qualify for and apply for Former Prisoner of War custom plates. 

New York State Veterans’ Nursing Homes 

The New York State Veterans’ Homes are skilled nursing facilities owned and operated by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and State University of New York (SUNY) for Veterans and their dependents. They exist to provide quality care to all eligible Veterans and dependents in need of skilled nursing care and rehabilitative services. 

For those Veterans with a 70% or greater service-connected disability rating, the Department of Veterans Affairs will pay 100% of the cost of care at a State Veterans Home. (38 U.S.C.  § 1745). 

The Veteran will have not out of pocket costs as long as he or she is in a State Veterans Home. This benefit has no means test or income limitation. New York State has 5 State Veterans Homes located in Oxford, Montrose, St Albans, Long Island, and Batavia. 

• There are no out-of-pocket costs charged to the Veteran residing in a State Veterans Home for routine skilled nursing care 
• Service-connected rating determined by the Regional VAMC 
• The Veteran is entitled to keep all social security, pensions or other income that would normally be used to offset their cost in a long-term care facility 

Other honorably discharged Veterans with at least 30 days active service, as well as their spouses, may obtain skilled nursing assistance (subject to bed availability) at Veterans Homes at a cost far below the average price of a private facility. 

Additional Assistance: 

If you would like to learn more about the benefits and services you may be eligible for as a Veteran, servicemember, or as a family member of a Veteran or servicemember, please call the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services Help Line at 1.888.838.7697 (VETSNYS), where you may also schedule an appointment with one of our Veterans Benefits Advisors. 

New York State Real Property Tax Deadline Extension 

New York State Localities are permitted, at their discretion, to extend the payment period for any tax owed on real property. 

Eligibility is limited to a person who has been ordered to active military duty, other than for training, for a period beginning with a declaration of war by Congress or during any periods of combat designated by presidential executive order or during hazardous (“imminent danger”) duty. 

This benefit is contingent upon the passage of a resolution by the effected municipality authorizing the extension. 

For more information, please contact your local property tax office to determine eligibility.