Johnston County Veterans Services

Thank A Vet Program

One of the responsibilities of the Register of Deeds office is to record approximately 14,000 Veterans' original copy of certificates of discharge (DD 214) in Johnston County. This program encourages Veterans to have their DD 214 recorded by providing Veterans who bring their DD 214 and another photo ID to the Johnston County Register of Deeds office and have the document recorded with a Thank A Vet Photo ID Card. This ID card entitles the Veteran to discounts or incentives from participating local county businesses when they present their card.

a list of participating businesses can be found at https://www.johnstonnc.com/rod/tav.cfm.

Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1C)

Disabled Veterans that meet the requirements below are eligible to receive a property tax exclusion for the first $45,000 of the appraised value of a permanent residence. The residence must be owned and occupied by a North Carolina resident that is either 1) An Honorably Discharged Disabled Veteran, or 2) An Unmarried Surviving Spouse of an Honorably Discharged Disabled Veteran.

Eligibility

Any permanent resident of Johnston County who is either 1) An Honorably Discharged Disabled Veteran, or 2) An Unmarried Surviving Spouse of an Honorably Discharged Disabled Veteran is eligible for receiving the property tax exclusion from the North Carolina State Government.

There are important distinctions to make concerning those who do qualify...

• Disabled Veteran refers to a Veteran who either 1) has a 100% permanent total service-connected disability, or 2) Receives benefits for specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. 2101.

• A Disabled Veteran who has a 100% permanent service-connected total disability must provide a Veteran's Disability Certification, which may be in the form of a VA Award Letter or a separate letter from the VA or other relevant federal agencies. The certification must state the appropriate disability level to qualify for the exclusion.

• Those applying for this benefits must provide evidence of the Veteran's honorable discharged (DD214).

• A Disabled Veteran who has received benefits for specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. 2101 must show acceptable proof from the VA of the benefits received under the program.

• An unmarried surviving spouse of an Honorably Discharged Disabled Veteran must provide proof the deceased spouse met all the requirements at the time of death (VA Award Letter and DD214).

Applying

Applications should be completed during the regular listing period, January 1 through January 31, but may be timely filed through June 1.

Applications received after June 1 are considered untimely and will not be counted for that year, instead they will be counted for the following year.

You can request an application by:

• Calling the Johnston County Veterans Services Office at (919) 989-5067
• Visiting the Johnston County Tax Office
• Visiting the Johnston County Veteran Service Office at 309 E. Market St. Smithfield, NC 27577
• Written request sent to PO Box 1144 Smithfield, NC 27577
• By visiting the Johnston County Tax Office's Website

Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License for Resident Disabled Veterans

Resident Disabled Veterans that meet the requirements below are eligible to obtain Lifetime Hunting and Fishing Licenses from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. These licenses are a one-time payment (with exception of the Bear Management E-Stamp and Federal Duck Stamp which expire annually), but only remain valid so long as the Veteran remains rated as 50% or more disabled with the VA.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License the Veteran must meet all of the following requirements...

• The Veteran must have a disability rating of at least 50% with the VA

• The Veteran must be a resident of North Carolina

• The Veteran must have an Award Letter or other relevant document stating their disability rating with the VA to submit with their application

Applying

Applications must be filled out by the Veteran and the certification form attached to the application must be completed by the Johnston County Veteran Service Office. An award letter or relevant document from the VA proving one's disability rating is required for the Veterans Office to complete the certification.

A check made out to NCWRC or North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission must be mailed in with the application.

The application can either be mailed in by the Veteran or by the Johnston County Veterans Service Office so long as all parts of the application are complete, the certification is completed by the Veterans Office and signed by the Veteran Service Officer, and a check for the appropriate amount is accompanying the application.

You can obtain and application by:

• Visiting the NC Wildlife Resource Commission's Website
• Calling the Johnston County Veterans Services Office at (919) 989-5067
• Visiting the Johnston County Veterans Services Office at 309 E. Market St. Smithfield, NC 27577
• A written request mailed to PO Box 1144 Smithfield, NC 27577

Military/Veterans Vehicle Plates

Military Personnel and Veterans that meet certain requirements may be eligible to obtain a special vehicle registration plate for free or at a reduced cost. These plates are limited to ONE per Military Personnel or Veteran.

Eligibility

• The Military Personnel or Veteran must be a North Carolina resident

• The Military Personnel or Veteran's vehicle must be registered with NCDMV (unless Military Personnel or Veteran is new to, or living in NC with the intention of registering their vehicle with NCDMV)

• The Military Personnel or Veteran must provide documentation showing their eligibility for the registration plate of their choice.

• In order to qualify for the Disabled Veteran Registration Plate, the Veteran must have a 100% service-connected disability rating with the VA (either 100% scheduler or with individual unemployability)

Applying

In order to apply for the Military/Veterans Registration Plate, proper documentation (DD214, VA Award Letter, or other relevant documents) must be provided to verify one's eligibility for their desired plate.

The signature of a 1) Director of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, or 2) A Director Designee is needed on the application. This can be handled through the Johnston County Veterans Services Office.

You can obtain an application by:

• Visiting the NC Division of Transportation's Website
• Calling the Johnston County Veterans Services Office at (919) 989-5067
• Visiting the Johnston County Veterans Services Office at 309 E. Market St. Smithfield, NC 27577
• Written request mailed to PO Box 1144 Smithfield, NC 27577

NCDVA Scholarship for Children of Wartime Veterans

The North Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs offers a four-year scholarship program for approved North Carolina schools for children (natural or adopted before the age of 15) of Veterans that fall into certain class categories (Deceased, disabled, combat, or POW/MIA Veterans).

Eligibility

• Applicant must be a resident of North Carolina

• Child of eligible Veteran must be either a natural child or adopted by the age of 15, who was born in North Carolina and has been a resident of North Carolina since birth.

• Applicant must be under the age of 25 at the time of application

• Veteran parent must have been a legal resident of North Carolina at the time of Veteran's entrance into that period of service in the Armed Forces during which eligibility was established.

• The criteria that qualifies the Veteran's children for the scholarship must have happened during a period of war.

Applying

If the applicant and the Veteran parent meet the qualifications for the scholarship, the application can be started by visiting https://www.milvets.nc.gov/ and following the steps provided.

Deadline for application is February 14th (Class I-A, I-B, and IV have a deadline of June 1st, but to ensure your application will be considered for the current scholarship year it must be in the NCDVA director's office on/before February 14th.

State Veteran Nursing Home Program

State Veterans homes are owned and operated by the states. The states petition VA for grant dollars for a portion of the construction costs followed by a request for recognition as a state home. Once recognized, VA pays a portion of the per diem if the state meets VA standards. States establish eligibility criteria and determine services offered for short and long-term care. Specialized services offered are dependent upon the capability of the home to render them.

There are four NC State Veterans Homes each with their own offered services and eligibility qualifications.

• Fayetteville: (910) 482-4131
• Salisbury: (704) 638-4200
• Black Mountain: (828) 257-6800
• Kinston: (252) 939-8000