We are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The office is closed from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. each day for lunch.

All our services are free. We are employees of Harnett County, and the county pays us to assist Harnett County Veterans and their families. We are not the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

If this is your first claim with us, or if you recently moved to Harnett County, please bring the following documents:

• DD-214 Member 4 or other discharge papers (for older Veterans), or NGB 22/retirement orders if you served in the National Guard.

• A list of issues you want to claim after reviewing your service medical and dental records.

  • If you still have your original medical, dental, or personnel records, the VA will need you to turn them in.

• Any medical evidence related to your issues or injuries. This may include non-DoD/VA medical records, NEXUS letters, buddy statements, scientific evidence, photos, or anything else that supports your claim.

  • If you have medical records from outside providers, you can ask the VA to request them. You must know where the records are kept. The VA will only try a couple of times, and they will not pay any fees. It is your responsibility to make sure the VA receives your evidence.

• In order to complete the claim application the VA requires a voided check or we can provide you with a SF 1199a (Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form) to take to your bank to file out.

• If you are adding dependents, please bring:

  • Your marriage certificate

  • Your children’s birth certificates

  • Social Security numbers for all dependents

  • If you or your spouse had previous marriages, we need:
    a. Where and when the marriage took place
    b. The name of the former spouse
    c. How the marriage ended (divorce, death, or annulment)
    d. Where and when the marriage ended

Please visit the Harnett County Veterans Services Office to have Section 6 of the MVR-33A application certified for military or veteran license plates. To be certified by our office, you must bring a copy of your DD-214 and your VA Benefit Summary and Service Verification Letter.

For the Gold Star License Plate, a DD Form 1300 (Report of Casualty) is required to show that the service member was killed while on active duty. If you have not done so already, you may complete DD Form 3 to receive the Gold Star Lapel Button. The letter you receive with the Gold Star Lapel Button, which honors your family member’s service, may also be used to certify the application. No other documents will be accepted.

Only a North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) Accredited Service Officer (County or State) is allowed to certify this section, as required by N.C.G.S. § 20-79.4 and DMVA regulations.

** The Harnett County Veterans Office and NCDVA-accredited offices do NOT accept payments for plates. All fees must be paid at your local license plate office. Do NOT send cash, checks, or money orders with your application.

You are able to download the MVR33a at the link provided: https://www.milvets.nc.gov/benefits-services/military-and-veteran-license-plates

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Under North Carolina law (G.S. 105-277.1C), a “disabled veteran” is someone who served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, was discharged honorably or under honorable conditions, and meets one of the following:

a. As of January 1 before the tax year you are applying for, the veteran is receiving benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 2101.

b. As of January 1 before the tax year you are applying for, the veteran has a 100% service-connected disability rating or has Individual Unemployability (IU) that is considered permanent and total, as certified by the VA.

c. The veteran has passed away, and the VA has confirmed that the veteran died because of a service-connected condition, as of January 1 before the tax year you are applying for.

If I meet these requirements, what do I do next?

1. Complete Sections 1 and 2 of the NCDVA-9 form.

2. Bring the form to your local County Veteran Service Office to be certified.

   • You must bring your DD-214 and your VA Benefit Summary and Service Verification Letter showing the date you were rated 100% Permanent and Total (P&T)or when you received Specially Adaptive Housing.

3. Once certified, submit the NCDVA-9 form and the AV-9 Application for Property Tax Relief to your county tax office.

Important Dates

• You must turn in your forms to the county tax office between January 1 and June 1 of the current year.

• We recommend turning in your NCDVA-9 to the County Veteran Service Office well before June 1 so there is enough time for certification.

•  To download the form please visit the following link: https://www.ncdor.gov/taxes-forms/property-tax/property-tax-forms/ncdva-9-certification-disabled-veterans-property-tax-exclusion
•  Harnett County Tax Office Website for the county application website: https://www.harnett.org/tax/?btid=2&bid=661

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The NCWRC offers several licenses for disabled sportsmen. Due to documentation requirements, disabled licenses can only be applied for by mail and in person. This license shall be issued only to an individual resident of North Carolina who is a fifty percent or more disabled veteran as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, remaining valid for the lifetime of the individual so long as the individual remains fifty percent or more disabled. Certification from the Department of Veterans Affairs must be submitted with the application.

To be certified by our office, you must bring a copy of your DD-214 and your VA Benefit Summary and Service Verification Letter.

To download the NC Lifetime Hunting & Fishing License for Resident Disabled Veteran application please visit the following link: https://www.ncwildlife.gov/outdoors/accessible-opportunities/disabled-licenses

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Answer:

There are many types of identification cards you can use to show you're a Veteran. The following are the type of Veterans' ID Cards:

• Department of Defense Identification Card
  • DoD link will explain how to attain your DoD ID Card: DoD Identification Card
• Veteran Health Identification Card
  • VA.gov link will explain how to attain your VA Health ID Card: Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
• Veteran ID Card
  • VA,gov link will explain how to attain your Veteran ID Card: VA Veteran ID Card
• Veteran's designation on a state-issued driver's license or ID
  • NCDMV Link will tell you what you would need to receive this designation on your driver's license or ID: NCDMV "Veteran" Driver License Designation

We are here to assist you in attaining your ID card, you could have to call and make an appointment and have the required documents if needed. The two easiest way to get a Veteran Identification is either going to enroll into the VA Healthcare system or through the NCDMV. 

The 2025 edition of the Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers guide is available online at VA.gov and as a free printed copy at local VA Medical Centers, Regional Offices, and Vet Centers. The guide provides comprehensive information on VA programs including health care, disability and life insurance, education and training, and housing assistance. It also includes resources for caregivers, mental health services, and benefits for dependents and survivors. 

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Answer:

The process of preparing a discharge upgrade or correction application can be a lot of work and can take a long time. Although many Veterans are successful on their own, you may want to consider finding someone to advocate for you in this process. Try a Veterans Service Organization (VSO), search online for a lawyer who may provide services for low or no cost, or ask other Veterans for recommendations. 

All branches of the military consider you to have a strong case for a discharge upgrade if you can show your discharge was connected to any of these categories:

• Mental health conditions, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) 
• Sexual assault or harassment during military service (at VA, we refer to this as military sexual trauma or MST) 
• Sexual orientation (including under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy)

VA looks at the “character of discharge” to determine whether a person meets the basic eligibility requirements for receipt of VA benefits under title 38 of the United States Code. Any discharge under honorable conditions satisfies the character of discharge requirement for basic eligibility for VA benefits. Certain types of discharges, along with the circumstances surrounding those discharges, bar an individual from basic eligibility for VA benefits. Other types of discharges require VA to make a character of discharge determination in order to assess basic eligibility for VA benefits. Link below is to the VA Fact Sheet on Character of Discharge.

Claims for VA Benefits and Character of Discharge Fact Sheet

Attachment 

Dept. of VA Website

After the passing of a loved one who has served this country, many survivors do not know what to do or where to begin to obtain VA assistance. VA has prepared a Survivors and Burial Benefits kit to help guide Veterans, service members and their families after the loss of a loved one.

The VA Survivors and Burial Benefits Kit gives a description of each burial benefit, instructions on how to apply, and where to go to get assistance.

The Planning Your Legacy: VA Survivors and Burial Benefits Kit covers:

• Pre-need eligibility for National Cemetery burial or memorialization
• Memorial or burial flags
• Government headstones or markers
• Medallions
• Presidential Memorial Certificates (PMC)
• Burial benefits and burial automatic payments
• Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
• Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (DEA)
• Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship
• Survivors pension
• Special monthly pension benefits
• The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMP-VA)
• Home loan guaranty
• Veterans Month of Death benefits
• VA life insurance

Other features include tips on how to fill out applications with examples of completed forms. These tips examples give applicants a better understanding of how to properly fill out applications.

VA encourages Veterans and service members to discuss their military service with their dependents, as well as planning their legacy. Families and survivors should know where to locate service medical records, discharge documents, VA disability ratings, and other information. These details will be beneficial to survivors as they prepare to apply for VA benefits. Families and survivors should keep this kit in storage so that it will be available when needed. The kit is available for download here.