The state of Kentucky provides several veteran benefits. This section offers a brief description of each of the following benefits.

  • Housing Benefits
  • Financial Assistance Benefits
  • Employment Assistance
  • Education Benefits
  • Other State Veteran Benefits

Kentucky Veteran Housing Programs

State Veterans Long Term Care Facilities
Thomson-Hood Veterans Center is a 285 bed, long term care facility located in Wilmore, KY. Skilled nursing care is provided, with one wing of 60 beds designated for residents with Alzheimer’s disease. Western Kentucky Veterans Center opened 14 March 2002 in Hanson, KY. This 120 bed, full service facility includes 90 semi-private beds and 30 private beds for special care residents, such as those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Eastern Kentucky Veterans Center opened 21 March 2002 in Hazard, KY. This 120 bed, full service facility includes 90 semi-private beds and 30 private beds for special care residents, such as those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.

Admission Criteria: Must be a veteran with an other than dishonorable discharge and born in or entered service from Kentucky; or been a resident of the state prior to submitting an application. Residents are charged a reasonable fee per month based on the veteran’s assets and income.

Learn more about the State Veterans Long Term Care Facilities

Kentucky Financial Assistance Benefits

New Military Family Assistance Trust Fund
Kentucky has introduced a new Military Family Assistance Trust Fund to provide assistance to all Kentucky Home of Record military members and dependents who are facing undue hardships caused by deployments outside of the United States.

Contact your nearest Kentucky Dept. of Veterans' Affairs Representative for more information.

Veterans Loan Program
KDVA has a program to offer small sum loans to Kentucky Veterans, however, this program cannot begin until KDVA designs the program and gets approval for regulation on how the program will operate. KDVA hopes to launch the program soon, and will keep veterans informed about the program through their email distribution lists and press releases to the media.

Contact the Kentucky DVA to learn more about the New Veterans Loan Program

Employment Assistance

KDVA and the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet work together to ensure that veterans are able to take full advantage of the state employment opportunities available to them. The Veterans Liaison at Personnel helps veterans to identify jobs appropriate for them and compose applications that fully explore the skills they learned in the military.

Learn more about the State of Kentucky Veteran Employment Porgrams.

Kentucky Education Benefits

Tuition Waiver Program
A waiver of tuition is an education benefit provided by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in recognition of military service of certain Kentucky veterans. The tuition waiver is provided for children, stepchildren, adopted children, spouses, and unremarried widows & widowers. An approved tuition waiver means a student may attend any two-year, four-years schools or vocational technical schools that are operated and funded by the Kentucky Department of Education.

You may qualify if one of the following is true of the veteran:

• Died on active duty.
• Died as a direct result of a service connected disability as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• 100% service connected disabled.
• Totally disabled (non-service connected) with wartime service.
• Upon the death of any veteran who served during a wartime period.

Learn more about the Tuition Waiver Program

Other Kentucky State Veteran Benefits

Homeless Veterans Program
We are working to ensure the homeless provider network here in Kentucky is aware that most homeless veterans are eligible for VA benefits and their needs differ from the non-veteran homeless community. We have been able to network around the state and assess the variety of programs or lack of programs offered. KDVA has partnered with Volunteers of America (VOA) to operate a drug/alcohol treatment/transitional housing program at the Lexington, Kentucky VAMC (Leestown Campus). The 40-bed program began enrolling veterans in on April 8, 2005. KDVA will have a presence at the facility to assist those veterans in their claims.

Learn more about the Homeless Veterans Program

Women Veterans Program
The mission of the program is to ensure Kentucky’s women veterans have equitable access to federal and state veterans' services and benefits. The program provides assistance to women who served in the United States Armed Forces or in forces incorporated as part of the United States Armed Forces and who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The Women Veterans Coordinator for the Commonwealth collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies on issues related to women veterans; performs outreach to improve awareness of eligibility for services and benefits; assesses the needs of women veterans with respect to benefits and services; makes recommendations to the commissioner to improve benefits and services; and incorporates women veterans' issues in strategic planning concerning benefits and services.

Learn more about the Women Veterans Program

Burial Honors
KDVA helps implement and assist Veterans Service Organizations with Burial Honors Programs. Any Veterans Service Organization seeking a stipend for providing honors should contact our Burial Honors Program Coordinator, (888) 724-7683. Certification of Veterans Service Organizations performing Burial Honors by the National Guard, Ft. Knox or Ft. Campbell has been suspended as a result of operational requirements brought about by current world events.

Learn more about Burial Honors

State Veterans Cemeteries
Kentucky opened its first state veterans cemetery March 1, 2004 to provide interment for veterans and their eligible dependents to commemorate their service. There are plans for four more state veterans cemeteries in Kentucky to compliment Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West and the existing three National Cemeteries (Camp Nelson, Jessamine County; Lebanon, Marion County; and Mills Springs, Pulaski County) that still have burial space available.

Learn more about Kentucky State Veterans Cemeteries