Veterans’ Preference in North Dakota 

NDCC 37-19.1-02 Public employment preference to veterans – Residency requirements. States: 

Veterans are entitled to preference, over all other applicants, in recruitment and selection processes by governmental agencies, provided that such veteran is a United States citizen at the time of application for employment. Veterans qualified for preference may not be disqualified from holding any position with an agency because of physical or mental disability, unless the disability renders them unable to properly perform the duties of the position applied for. 

ND Gold Star License Plates 

As authorized by NDCC 39-04-10.14: North Dakota Gold Star number plates 

1. The director (DOT) may issue distinctive number plates to a surviving spouse, parent, including stepmother, stepfather, parent through adoption, and foster parent who stands or stood in loco parentis, grandparents, child, including stepchild and child through adoption, and sibling, including half-brother and half-sister, of a member of the armed forces of the United States who died while serving on active duty during a time of military conflict. The director shall issue a number plate under this section upon receiving payment of all other fees required under this chapter for registration of a motor vehicle. 

1. Plates issued under this section must bear a gold star emblem logo on the left side of the plate and the letters “GS” before the number. The director shall cooperate with the director of the department of veterans’ affairs to design the gold star emblem logo. The director may issue one set of plates per eligible owner of a passenger motor vehicle or a truck the registered gross weight of which does not exceed twenty thousand pounds [9071.85 kilograms]. 

1. On request of the director, the department of veterans’ affairs shall certify those surviving family members of deceased members of the United States armed forces listed above as eligible to receive the plates. 

1. Once declared eligible for a gold star plate, the department may not remove the eligibility of a surviving family member. 

1. Once a plate number is issued to an eligible family member, the department may not assign the plate to another eligible person. 

One set of plates may be issued to an eligible family member. 

Hardship Assistance Grant

The purpose of this assistance is to provide monies to give aid and comfort to veterans [as defined in NDCC 37-14] and their spouses, or un-remarried widow/widowers of eligible veterans. 

The individual must have an unmet need of dental and/or denture work (routine and maintenance procedures are not covered), optical, hearing, transportation (for medical treatment), special needs for medical reasons, housing deposit, other emergency needs approved by the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs.  

The following requirements need to be met to apply (DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED): 

1. Qualify as veteran or eligible dependent as defined in NDCC 37-14-01.1. 

1. Income and asset level.  Income will be based on established indexes such as pension rates and poverty guidelines which will be reviewed annually. 

1. Must be a North Dakota resident for one year prior to application date. 

1. Medical bills showing all work completed, and all payments and credits must be received by the department within 60-90 days of the date of approval. 

Vehicle Excise Tax Exemption

A resident disabled veteran who has a 100% service-connected disability as determined by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, or a resident disabled veteran who has an extra-scheduler rating to include individual unemployability that brings the veteran’s total disability rating to 100%.  Exemption is good for two vehicles. 

An un-remarried surviving spouse who is receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation retains the exemption for one vehicle. 

Veterans Aid Loan

The Veterans Aid Fund is a permanent fund to be used solely for the purpose of making loans to veterans or their widow/widowers. 

To qualify, the applicant is required to be: 

• a peacetime veteran, or 
• a wartime veteran, or 
• National Guard member with active duty as defined in NDCC 37-14-01.1, 

OR 

• an un-remarried widow/widower of a qualified veteran 

AND 

• a resident of North Dakota for at least one year 
• and have the financial ability to make payments 

The maximum loan amount is $5,000. The interest rate is 8% per annum. Term limit can be from six months to 48 months. 

One half of the interest paid will be refunded provided the loan is repaid under the agreed upon terms. 

The Department has the right to take legal action to collect on delinquent loans. 

Funeral Honor Detail Stipend for Veteran Service Organizations 

Program 

The Authorized Partnership Provider Program (AP3) provides an opportunity for the North Dakota Army National Guard to maintain partnerships and compensate Veteran Service Organizations who augment the uniform members of a Military Funeral Honors detail for the Army, Army Reserve, Army National Guard and Army Air Corp/Army Air Force funerals.  

Funeral Honor Teams 

There are generally two types of Funeral Honors rendered by the North Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors section: Veteran Honors (Two-Person Detail) and a Full Honors (Nine-Person Detail).  Two Uniform members are required for both the details.  By regulation the Veteran Honors detail is required to provide the flag fold and presentation of the flag to the next of kin as well as the playing of TAPS.  The Full Honors detail is required to provide pall bearers, rifle volley, flag fold and presentation and playing of TAPS.  Members of the Veteran Service Organizations may provide 7 of the 9 personnel for the Full Honors Detail.  Typically the North Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors section provides uniformed members to cover all the required elements of the Veteran and Full Honors.  Veteran Service Organizations are generally requested by the families or funeral homes to provide additional elements of honor which include a rifle volley for Veteran Honors and a Color Guard for Full Honors. 

Eligibility 

In the past the North Dakota Army National Guard has been able to pay a $50 stipend for the additional elements of honor, however our regulations have changed over time and as of 1 April 2017 we are no longer authorized to provide a stipend for these additional elements of honor.  Veteran Service Organizations are still welcome and encouraged to provide the additional elements of honor but the North Dakota Army National Guard cannot provide compensation.  As of 1 October 2016 the North Dakota Army National Guard can no longer compensate Veteran Service Organizations who participate in Air Force, Marine, Navy or Coast Guard Funeral Honors. 

There is another change to the Authorized Partnership Provider Program (AP3) which affects Veteran Service Organizations.  As mentioned above we can pay a $50 stipend when the Veteran Service Organizations are requested by the North Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors for the playing of “Live” TAPS.  The North Dakota Army National Guard can also pay a $50 stipend per Veteran Service Organization members who are requested by the National Guard to perform the required elements of honor for Veteran and Full Honors. 

As an example, if due to weather the North Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors section could not make it to a location to provide Veteran Honors and requested assistance from a Veteran Service Organization the Veteran Service Organization could receive up to $150 in a stipend.  This is because two members are required for the flag fold and presentation and there is always the option for a contracted bugler to play TAPS.  As another example, if the North Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors section requested assistance from members of a Veteran Service Organization for Full Honors, the Veteran Service Organization could receive up to $350 in a stipend.  This is because the North Dakota Army National Guard is only required to provide two uniform members for Full Honors.  The other seven members can come from a Veteran Service Organization. 

ND Commemorative Memorial Coin 

As per ND Century Code 37-18-15 the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs is to “confer a commemorative memorial coin upon a family member of a deceased North Dakota veteran during military funeral honors”.  

The single coin conferred upon a family member will be at no cost to the family. 

Funeral Honor Details will obtain coin from the Funeral Director and present it to the family immediately following US Flag presentation.  See: Policies and Procedures 

Order additional coins  

• Family members may order additional coins at a cost of $10 each. (Checks only) 
• Purchases must be through the ND Department of Veterans Affairs. 
• Order form: SFN 61442 
• Coin Engraving Form 

About the Coin 

This project originated with Senator Sorvaag of Fargo ND. With his help SB 2183 passed the 65th Legislative Assembly. ND Department of Veterans Affairs has been directed to collect donations until we have enough funds to design and produce at least 4,000 coins. This will be enough coins to provide a two-year supply for the presentation of one coin to a family member by a North Dakota Funeral Honors team. 

Front side: has all five military service emblems, US and ND flag and verbiage: 

• * NORTH DAKOTA MILITARY FUNERAL HONORS * ON BEHALF OF A GRATEFUL STATE * 
• Wheat symbolizes “Love and Charity” 
• White in the outer ring represents “Purity and Innocence” 

• Blue field in middle represents “Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice” 

Back side: has soldier field cross with open space below if the family would want to have something engraved on the coin such as veterans name, rank, service dates etc. 

• Verbiage: *DAY IS DONE * GONE THE SUN * ALL IS WELL * SAFELY REST * (popular verses used with the music “TAPS” which is played at military & veteran funerals) 
• Wheat represents the “Divine Harvest” 
• Gold back represents “Achievement and Honor”. 

ND Gold Star License Plates 

As authorized by NDCC 39-04-10.14: North Dakota Gold Star number plates 

1. The director (DOT) may issue distinctive number plates to a surviving spouse, parent, including stepmother, stepfather, parent through adoption, and foster parent who stands or stood in loco parentis, grandparents, child, including stepchild and child through adoption, and sibling, including half-brother and half-sister, of a member of the armed forces of the United States who died while serving on active duty during a time of military conflict. The director shall issue a number plate under this section upon receiving payment of all other fees required under this chapter for registration of a motor vehicle. 

1. Plates issued under this section must bear a gold star emblem logo on the left side of the plate and the letters “GS” before the number. The director shall cooperate with the director of the department of veterans’ affairs to design the gold star emblem logo. The director may issue one set of plates per eligible owner of a passenger motor vehicle or a truck the registered gross weight of which does not exceed twenty thousand pounds [9071.85 kilograms]. 

1. On request of the director, the department of veterans’ affairs shall certify those surviving family members of deceased members of the United States armed forces listed above as eligible to receive the plates. 

1. Once declared eligible for a gold star plate, the department may not remove the eligibility of a surviving family member. 

1. Once a plate number is issued to an eligible family member, the department may not assign the plate to another eligible person. 

One set of plates may be issued to an eligible family member. 

ND Dependent Tuition Waiver 

ND Dependent Tuition Waiver 

If you are the dependent of a North Dakota veteran who was killed, totally disabled or declared missing in action, you may attend a University System institution without paying tuition or fees for up to 45 months. 

To be eligible, you first must be accepted for enrollment by a University System campus.  For detailed information, contact the financial aid office or veterans services department on the campus of your choice. 

15-10-18.2. Definitions. 

1. “Dependent” for purposes of section 15-10-18.3 means:
2. A child, stepchild, spouse, widow, or widower of a resident veteran, as “veteran” is defined in section 37-01-40, who was killed in action or died from wounds or other service-connected causes, has a one hundred percent service-connected disability as determined by the department of veterans’ affairs, has an extra-schedular rating to include individual unemployability that brings the veteran’s total disability rating to one hundred percent as determined by the department of veterans’ affairs, died from service-connected disabilities, was a prisoner of war, or was declared missing in action;
3. A child or a stepchild of a veteran, as defined in section 37-01-40, who was killed in action or died from wounds or other service-connected causes, has a one hundred percent service-connected disability as determined by the department of veterans’ affairs, has an extra-schedular rating to include individual unemployability that brings the veteran’s total disability rating to one hundred percent as determined by the department of veterans’ affairs, died from Page No. 8 service-connected disabilities, was a prisoner of war, or was declared missing in action, provided the child’s other parent has been a resident of this state and was a resident of this state at the time of death or determination of total disability of the veteran; or
4. A child or a stepchild of a veteran, as defined in section 37-01-40, who was killed in action or died from wounds or other service-connected causes, has a one hundred percent service-connected disability as determined by the department of veterans’ affairs, has an extra-schedular rating to include individual unemployability that brings the veteran’s total disability rating to one hundred percent as determined by the department of veterans’ affairs, died from service-connected disabilities, was a prisoner of war, or was declared missing in action, provided the child’s other parent establishes residency in this state and maintains that residency for a period of five years immediately preceding the child’s or stepchild’s enrollment at an institution under the control of the state board of higher education.
5. “Resident veteran” means a veteran who:
6. Was born in and lived in this state until entrance into the armed forces of the United States;
7. Was born in, but was temporarily living outside this state, not having abandoned residence therein prior to entrance into the armed forces of the United States;
8. Was born elsewhere but had resided within this state for at least six months prior to entrance into military service and had prior to or during such six-month period:

(1) Registered for voting, or voted in this state; 

(2) Being an unemancipated minor during such period of residence, had lived with a parent or person standing in loco parentis who had acquired a residence as set forth in this section; or 

(3) If not registered for voting in this state, not registered for voting in another state; or 

1. Has been a resident of this state for the ten years prior to the request for tuition waiver. 

15-10-18.3. Free tuition in North Dakota institutions of higher education. 

Any dependent, as defined in section 15-10-18.2 upon being duly accepted for enrollment into any undergraduate degree or certificate program of a North Dakota state institution of higher education, must be allowed to obtain a bachelor’s degree or certificate of completion, for so long as the dependent is eligible, free of any tuition and fee charges if the bachelor’s degree or certificate of completion is earned within a forty-five-month or ten-semester period or its equivalent and if tuition and fee charges do not include costs for aviation flight charges or expenses. Once an individual qualifies as a dependent under sections 15-10-18.2 and 15-10-18.3, the dependent may not be disqualified from the benefits of this section: 

1. Due to the return of the prisoner of war;
2. Due to the return of the individual missing in action; or
3. Because the veteran through whom the benefit was obtained had a one hundred percent service-connected disability at the time of death.

North Dakota Veterans Homes 

Caring for America’s heroes since 1893, the North Dakota Veterans Home is a living tribute to North Dakota veterans and their spouses, treating them with the utmost respect and dignity. 

With dedicated, compassionate staff, engaging social activities, a variety of amenities, and skilled nursing services, the North Dakota Veterans Home is committed to creating a safe, enriching environment designed to feel like home. 

Fisher House North Dakota 

The Fargo VA HCS has been approved for a Fisher House!  

See news release 

The Fisher House ND will provide a “home away from home” for families of patients receiving care at the Fargo VAHCS. The accommodations are at no cost to the guests. The House would be located on or near the VAHCS campus allowing military and veteran families to be close to their loved ones during a medical crisis and close to other families going through a similar experience. Easy comparison is that a Fisher House is like a Ronald McDonald House for Veterans. 

See Fisher House ND Flyer 

See Fisher House National Flyer 

The Fargo VAHCS provides health care to 33 thousand veterans living throughout North Dakota, 17 counties in Minnesota and one in South Dakota. Our reach is large and the need is the greatest when veterans are hospitalized and families require a close place to stay. The Fisher House ND Committee is tasked with fund raising the estimated $8 million for the construction costs of the Fisher House. Once the Fisher House is constructed it will be donated to the Federal VA after which all operating costs will be funded by the Federal VA.