I am pleased to present New Jersey legislation that pertains to veterans. I will continually update this information as
it changes. Legislation that has passed into law will appear at the end of this listing.
Active Duty Military Personnel and Veterans
New Jersey provides special consideration for active duty military personnel. Special privileges are also available for
service-disabled or blind veterans (see below).
License extensions
If you are on active military duty and have been deployed, including New Jersey National Guard and Reserve, you and
your immediate family are entitled to automatic extensions for your driver's license, registration and inspection
requirements.
Your license, registration and inspection documents will remain valid for as long as you are deployed..
When you are demobilized, you will need to renew your expired documents within 90 days of your
demobilization date or return from duty.
Law enforcement officials are aware of this extension. Please carry the Administrative Order along with your
active duty military credentials at all times when operating a vehicle. See Related Links below for extension
instructions to obtain the Deployed Military Administrative Order.
Registration refunds
If you enter or are an active member of the U.S. Armed Forces and have a valid New Jersey registration, you can get
a refund for the remainder of the registration period.
To obtain a refund:
Write a letter to the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) stating the reason you are requesting a refund along with
proof of service.
Complete and return a refund form (RU-9). Refund forms are also available at motor vehicle agencies or by
calling the MVC's Customer Support Line at 609- 292-6500 weekdays (except holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15
p.m..
Return the original registration and the New Jersey license plates along with a copy of military orders and a
copy of the out-of-state registration.
Service-disabled or blind veterans
You may qualify for free registration, if you meet the following classifications:
Are without sight as a result of war service and eligible for compensation from the State under N.J.S.A. 38:18-
1.
Currently have another service-connected disability and have qualified for a free automobile from the US
Veterans Administration and:
o
You have a valid New Jersey driver's license or a generated driver's license number.
o
The vehicle in question is equipped with special attachments or devices that may be necessary for its
safe operation.
o
The vehicle is properly insured by a New Jersey licensed company.
To apply for free registration, call 609 292-6500 extension 5076 for an application.
Mail the certified application with affixed seal or stamp of the U.S. Veterans Administration to:
New Jersey Motor Vehicle CommissionGovernment UnitP.O. Box 016Trenton, New Jersey 08666-0016
Once the free registration status has been established, all subsequent renewals can be completed at a motor vehicle
agency, or through the mail in the envelope provided.
Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient Placards
Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 39:4-207.10) permits exemption from payment of municipal parking meter fees, for up to 24
hours, for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients under certain, specific circumstances. For more information,
click here.
We are required to capture a customer’s full face when taking a picture for a driver license or non-driver ID card;
therefore we need to be able to see from the top of your forehead to the bottom of your chin. If you have a
medical or religious need to wear a head covering in your photo, please advise the MVC staff at the
agency camera station.
Income Tax Exemption for Veterans
New for Tax Year 2017. You are eligible for a $3,000 exemption on your Income Tax return if you are a military
veteran who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active duty in the Armed
Forces of the United States by the last day of the tax year. Your spouse (or civil union partner) is also eligible for an
exemption if he/she is a veteran who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances and you
are filing a joint return. This exemption is in addition to any other exemptions you are entitled to claim and is
available on both the resident and nonresident returns. You cannot claim this exemption for a domestic partner or for
your dependents.
Providing DocumentationYou must provide a copy of Form DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active
Duty, the first time you claim the exemption.This form does not need to be provided each year. The United
States National Archives and Records Administration can assist with obtaining a copy of your DD-214.
You can certify for the exemption by sending a copy of your DD-214 and Veteran Exemption Submission Form to the
Division before you file, which may help process your return faster. To certify:
Use our secure document upload feature to submit your DD-214 and Veteran Exemption Submission Form.
Enter the notice code VET and select PO Box 440; or
Mail a copy of your DD-214 and Veteran Exemption Submission Form to: The New Jersey Division of Taxation,
Veteran Exemption, PO Box 440, Trenton, NJ 08646-0440; or
Fax your DD-214 and Veteran Exemption Submission Form to 609-633-8427.
If you do not certify before you file for the exemption, you will need to submit a copy of your DD-214 when you file
using:
A Paper Return. Enclose a copy of your DD-214 with your return;
NJ Fill’nFile. Upload your DD-214, along with all of your other documentation, into the repository;
Other Electronic Filing Methods. If you file your return using NJ WebFile, third-party software (such as
TurboTax), or you have a tax professional who electronically submits your return, you can send a copy of your
DD-214 and Veteran Exemption Submission Formusing one of the three certification methods listed above.
Service Members Civil Relief ACT
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provides financial and legal protections for active-duty service members,
including National Guard and reserve members, and their families. Because details of the SCRA are
complicated, service members and their families are encouraged to contact the nearest legal assistance office
if they need help meeting their financial obligations.
•
Reduced interest rates — Creditors must reduce the interest rate on debts to 6% for liabilities incurred
before you entered active duty. If the debt is a mortgage, the reduced rate extends for one year after active-
military service. The reduced interest rate applies to credit card debts, car loans, business obligations, some
student loans and other debts, as well as fees, service charges and renewal fees. Creditors can challenge this
provision if they believe your ability to pay a rate higher than 6% is not materially affected by your military
service.
•
Postponement of foreclosures — No sale, foreclosure or seizure of property for nonpayment of a
preservice mortgage debt is valid if made during or within nine months after your service on active duty,
unless carrying out a valid court order. This can provide tremendous protections from foreclosure in the many
states permitting foreclosures to proceed without involving the courts. If you miss a mortgage payment, you
should contact your legal assistance office immediately.
•
Deferred income taxes — The Internal Revenue Service and state and local taxing authorities must defer
your income taxes due before or during your military service if your ability to pay the income tax is materially
affected by military service. No interest or penalty can be added because of this type of deferral.
•
Eviction prevention — You and your family cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent without a court
order regardless of the language of your rental agreement or local laws. This protection applies to residences
where the monthly rent is below a certain amount. Contact your nearest legal assistance office for the most
up-to-date figures. If your ability or your family’s ability to pay rent is materially affected by your military
service, you may apply to the court, and the court must either grant a 90-day delay in eviction proceedings
or adjust obligations under the lease in a way agreeable to all parties.
•
Protection against default judgments — If, while on active duty, a civil action, a civil proceeding or an
administrative proceeding is filed against you, the judge must appoint a lawyer to represent you in your
absence. The court must grant a delay, or stay, of at least 90 days if it determines there may be a defense to
the action and the defense cannot be presented without your attendance.
•
Postponed civil court matters — If you cannot participate in a civil court action or administrative
proceeding because of your military service, you can request a 90-day delay, or stay, in the proceeding. You
are automatically entitled to this delay if you follow all of the requirements. The judge, magistrate or hearing
officer can grant an additional 90-day stay. Proceedings may include actions for divorce, child paternity and
support cases, and foreclosure proceedings. This protection does not apply to any criminal court or criminal
administrative proceedings.
•
Protection for small-business owners — If you own a small business, your nonbusiness assets and
military pay are protected from creditors while you are on active duty. This applies to business debts or
obligations.
•
Termination of residential lease agreements — You may terminate your residential lease, along with
other types of leases including agricultural, professional and business, by delivering a written notice of
termination. This applies if you entered into a lease and then started military service, or entered into a lease
during military service and then received permanent change of station orders. It also applies when you have
orders to deploy with a military unit or as an individual in support of a military operation for not less than 90
days. You must provide a written notice of termination and a copy of your military orders, hand-delivered or
by return-receipt mail, to the property owner.
•
Termination of automobile leases — You may terminate an automobile lease under certain specific
circumstances. Here are some examples of circumstances: You signed the lease agreement before being
called to active duty, signed a lease agreement and then received permanent change-of-station orders
outside the continental United States, or signed a lease agreement and then received orders to deploy.
•
Termination of phone service — You may request termination of cell phone service or phone exchange
service if you entered a contract before receiving military orders to relocate for not less than 90 days to a
location that does not support the contract.
•
Prevention of repossession of property — Property cannot be repossessed for nonpayment or a contract
terminated for any payment gaps prior to or during your military service without a court order.
•
Life insurance coverage protection — Life insurance companies cannot terminate coverage or require
payment of additional premiums if you are in military service. Increases in premiums based on age in
individual term insurance is not covered by SCRA. An insurer also may not limit or restrict coverage for any
activity required by military service.
•
Suspension of professional liability insurance — Professionals in health care, legal services or another
profession, as determined by the Secretary of Defense, called to active duty may suspend their professional
liability insurance policy by written request to the insurance carrier. Premiums for suspended insurance do not
have to be paid, and any premiums paid by an individual while on active duty must be refunded. To reinstate
suspended insurance, the individual must send a request to the insurance carrier within 30 days of release
from active duty.
•
Voting rights in your home state — Like your tax residency, your residency for state, federal or local
voting purposes is unaffected by your absence from the state due to military service. Similar protections exist
for spouses.
Bill S1388
Session 2022 - 2023
CHAPTER 91
AN ACT concerning military members and supplementing Title 38A of the New Jersey Statutes.
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
C.38A:3-46b Pro bono legal representation, active-duty members, United States Armed Forces, Reserve
component.
1. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall provide information to active-duty members of the
United States Armed Forces and a Reserve component thereof, including the National Guard, and veterans of the
military about available programs and organizations that provide pro bono legal representation to active-duty
members and veterans in various areas of civil law including, but not limited to, family law, estate planning,
employment law, immigration law, debtor-creditor law and military administrative law. The Department shall
make this information, which shall include a list of participating pro bono legal service providers, including law
firms or attorneys, available on its website.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Approved July 3, 2023.
--New Jersey Veterans Bills Signed in 2024-2025
The NJ Legislature website shows no Military or Veterans Affairs bills signed into law in 2024. So far in 2025, four bills
have been signed by the Governor. They are:
P.L.2025, c.33. Approved 3/7/2025 Requires public institution of higher education to readmit student whose
enrollment was interrupted due to military service.
P.L.2025, c.105. Approved 7/22/2025 Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service
member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation.
P.L.2025, c.139. Approved 9/11/2025 Establishes Department of Veterans Affairs.
P.l.2025, c.172 Approved 12/19/20225 Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA;
appropriates funds.
On June 14, 2023, the president signed into law S. 777, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of
2023, which authorizes a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for veterans receiving Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
disability compensation, clothing allowance, and survivors receiving dependency indemnity compensation (DIC)
payments. To view Public Law 118-6, click here.
VA adjusts veterans’ monthly disability compensation amounts based on the yearly change in the cost of living as
determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Later this year, SSA will announce the exact percentage of
increase. We will inform you of the percentage when it is announced. The COLA adjustment will be effective December
2023, and will be reflected in January 2024 compensation payments.
NEW JERSEY LAWS
S2876 1R - State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 interchange now known as "Ensign John R.
Elliott Memorial Interchange"
S1445 TR - The Institution of Higher Education is required to readmit the student with the same academic status the
student had before withdrawing for military service
NJS38A:3-6
Requires Adjutant General of DMVA to create program for Veterans to receive evaluation and treatment for- PTSD, total
or traumatic brain injury
* Designated May of each year as Military Spouse Appreciation Month in NJ
Pending
S1558
Extends veteran's gross income tax exemption to spouses of deceased veterans
SCR24
Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount of annual Veterans Property Tax
Deduction from $250 to $1,250
2025 Approved
P.L.20 25, c.33.
Approved 3/7/2025
Req uires public institut ion of hig1her education to readmit student whose enrollment was
interTupte d! due to military service.
P.L.2025, c.105.
Approved 7/22/2025
Concerns grade options at pulblic instit utions of higher· ed ucation for service member and
dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation ..
P.L.2025, c.139.
Approved 9/11/2025
Establ ishes Department of Veterans Affairs.
P.I.2025, c.172
Approved 12/19/2025
Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and Ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds
New Jersey Military and Veterans Legislation
Fred Vineyard
Legislative Director
fav1126005@aol.com