San Antonio Veterans: 7 Texas Benefits Worth Real Money in 2026 (Property Tax, Hazlewood, VA Claims Help)

San Antonio is Military City USA — and if you served, Texas owes you more than a parade. The seven benefits worth real money in 2026, what each one is actually worth, and the exact form or phone number to start.

Some of the most valuable benefits in the country for veterans are Texas state benefits, and a lot of San Antonio veterans never claim them because nobody put the money ones in one place. Here they are.

The honest catch up front: most of these are not automatic. The property tax exemption has to be filed, Hazlewood has to be applied for at your school, and a VA claim does not file itself. The good news is the help to file all of it is free — see benefit #1.

1. Free VA claims help — the one phone number to call first

Texas Veterans Commission (TVC): 1-800-252-8387 (1-800-252-VETS) — tvc.texas.gov

TVC Claims Benefits Advisors and your county Veteran Service Officer will help you file or appeal a VA claim for free, and they are accredited to do it. Never pay a company a cut of your back-pay for something TVC does at no charge. If you are not sure which of the benefits below you qualify for, this is the call — they will check all of them with you.

2. Disabled-veteran property tax exemption — up to your ENTIRE homestead tax bill gone

This is the biggest single dollar item on this list for many San Antonio homeowners:

• 100% disabled (or rated unemployable / TDIU by the VA): the total appraised value of your residence homestead is exempt — you pay no property tax on your home (Texas Tax Code Sec. 11.131).
• Partially disabled: an exemption off the assessed value of any property you own, by rating band:

• A surviving spouse who has not remarried can continue the exemption in defined cases.

How to file in Bexar County: complete the Comptroller’s Form 50-135 (Application for Disabled Veteran’s or Survivor’s Exemption) — plus Form 50-114 for the 100% homestead exemption — attach a current dated VA letter showing your rating, and file with the Bexar County Appraisal District between January 1 and April 30. Missed the deadline? Texas allows late filing up to one year after the delinquency date for this exemption, so file anyway and ask.

It is not automatic: if you have a rating and have never filed, you may have been paying tax you did not owe.

3. The Hazlewood Act — up to 150 college credit hours, tuition exempt

Texas will exempt up to 150 credit hours of tuition and most fees at Texas public colleges and universities for qualified veterans — that is a full bachelor’s degree’s worth of hours at schools like UTSA, Texas A&M–San Antonio, and the Alamo Colleges.

You qualify as a veteran if:

• At the time you entered the U.S. Armed Forces you were a Texas resident, designated Texas as your Home of Record, or entered the service in Texas;
• You served at least 181 days of active duty (excluding training);
• You were honorably discharged (or separated under honorable conditions / general under honorable conditions);
• You have no federal VA education benefits for the term that exceed Hazlewood’s value (federal benefits are used first), and you are not in default on a state-guaranteed student loan.

Family rules that matter: under the Legacy program a qualifying veteran can transfer unused hours to a child (one person uses the hours at a time; spouses cannot use Legacy hours). If the veteran is rated 100%, total and permanent, service-connected disabled — or was killed in action, is missing in action, or died from a service-connected injury or illness — then each eligible spouse and child can qualify for their own 150 hours. Apply through your school’s veterans office; VA education questions: 1-888-442-4551.

4. Veterans Land Board loans — land up to $200,000, home improvement up to $50,000

The Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB, part of the Texas General Land Office) lends only to Texas veterans, military members, and eligible surviving spouses:

• Land loans: up to $200,000 for tracts of 1 acre or more, with as little as 5% down and terms up to 30 years. (Dual-spouse households where both spouses are individually eligible: up to $275,000.)
• Home improvement loans: PAUSED for new applications right now. The VLB normally offers home improvement loans of up to $50,000 for repairs and improvements (contractor-performed work), with terms of 2–20 years — but the VLB placed a temporary hold on NEW applications effective April 30, 2026 while it reviews the program’s rules and future direction. If you already have a VLB home improvement loan, this does not change your loan. If you were counting on applying, call the VLB at 1-800-252-8387 or check texasveterans.com for reopening news before you plan around this money.
• A separate VLB housing program works through participating lenders for home purchase loans, and disabled veterans may qualify for interest-rate reductions on VLB housing loans.

VLB interest rates are set by the Board and change — check the current rate at texasveterans.com before you plan around any number a third-party site quotes you.

5. Housing help if you are struggling — HUD-VASH and 2-1-1

If you are a veteran facing eviction or homelessness, do not wait: HUD-VASH pairs a VA housing voucher with VA case management for eligible veterans, and it is one of the programs our own Apply-for-Me applicants have matched for here in San Antonio. Start with TVC (benefit #1) or dial 2-1-1 (or 877-541-7905) and say the word “veteran” — the operator can route you to veteran-specific housing, utility, and food help in Bexar County the same day.

6. No Texas state income tax — the quiet one

Texas has no state income tax on wages. It is not a program you apply for — it is money that simply never leaves your paycheck, and for military retirees and veterans weighing a move, it stacks on top of everything above. (Your federal VA disability compensation is also federally tax-free.)

7. Free meals and community on Veterans Day itself — Wed Nov 11, plus the parade Sat Nov 7

San Antonio’s U.S. Military Veterans Parade, presented by USAA, steps off Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 12 noon from Milam Park and travels down historic Houston Street in downtown San Antonio. On Veterans Day itself, Wednesday, November 11, national restaurants with San Antonio locations traditionally offer veterans a free meal — our sister site San Antonio Free Meals publishes the verified 2026 list in early November (each offer re-checked with the restaurant, because offers change). Year-round, that same directory lists 131 verified places to get free food in San Antonio, veteran or not.

FAQ

Is the disabled-veteran property tax exemption automatic once I have a VA rating?
No. You must file Form 50-135 (and Form 50-114 for the 100% homestead exemption) with the Bexar County Appraisal District, with a copy of your VA rating letter, between January 1 and April 30. Late filing is allowed up to one year after the delinquency date — but do not count on a refund for years you never filed.

I am rated 40%. Is the property tax exemption worth filing for?
Yes — a 30–49% rating is a $7,500 exemption off your assessed value every year, and it can sit alongside a general homestead exemption. It is not the full exemption, but it is real money for one form.

Can my spouse use my Hazlewood hours?
Not under the Legacy program — Legacy transfers go to a child, and only one person can use the hours at a time. The exception: if the veteran is 100%, total and permanent, service-connected disabled (or was killed in action, is missing in action, or died of a service-connected injury or illness), each eligible spouse and child can qualify for their own 150 hours.

Are VLB land loans really up to $200,000 now?
Yes. The VLB raised the standard cap from $150,000 to $200,000 (and the dual-spouse cap from $225,000 to $275,000) earlier in 2026 — confirmed in the VLB’s October 2026 land-sale announcement. Older articles quoting $150,000 predate the change. Rates are set by the VLB and change, so confirm the current rate at texasveterans.com.

When is the San Antonio Veterans Day parade in 2026?
Saturday, November 7, 2026, stepping off at 12 noon from Milam Park and traveling down Houston Street downtown (U.S. Military Veterans Parade Association, presented by USAA). Veterans Day itself is Wednesday, November 11.

I need help with rent or utilities right now, not in November. Where do I start?
Dial 2-1-1 and say you are a veteran, call TVC at 1-800-252-8387, and run our free eligibility checker — veterans in San Antonio regularly match housing, utility, and food programs beyond the VA system, including HUD-VASH.

Helpful links & phone numbers

• Texas Veterans Commission (tvc.texas.gov) — free, accredited VA claims help and benefits checks. Call 1-800-252-8387 (1-800-252-VETS).
• VA.gov — the official U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs site: claims status, health care, and federal benefits.
• VA Education Call Center — Hazlewood and GI Bill questions: 1-888-442-4551.
• Texas Veterans Land Board (texasveterans.com) — current land loan rates and limits (up to $200,000).
• Bexar County Appraisal District (bcad.org) — disabled-veteran exemption Forms 50-135 and 50-114; file January 1 – April 30 with your VA rating letter.
• Texas Governor’s page on veteran tax exemptions — the state rules behind the property tax exemptions above.
• Bexar County Veterans Service Office — free local claims help for Bexar County veterans; reach your county officer through the Texas Veterans Commission at 1-800-252-8387.
• 2-1-1 Texas — same-day local help with housing, utilities, and food: dial 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905, and say the word “veteran.”

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