Veterans Day, state by state: housing money, tax breaks and tuition that transfers

California's ledger

California used Veterans Day to publish the scale of its veteran spending. California has invested more than $10.5 billion across state government to support servicemembers, veterans, and their families since 2019. Proposition 1, approved by voters in 2024, provides $6.4 billion in behavioral health bond funding for veteran housing and treatment, and the state has financed over 6,500 housing units, including 3,418 designated for veterans, through the Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program. California is building a new 240-bed skilled nursing and memory care facility at the Veterans Homes of California-Yountville. m:…5079

The services behind the spending are measured in claims and appointments. The statewide benefits assistance network helped file more than 317,000 claims in fiscal year 2025-26, and the Veterans Health Initiative has supported the capacity to provide 100,000 free mental health appointments over three years. The state created a new income tax break for military retirees and surviving spouses, allowing them to exclude up to $20,000 of income annually, and veterans receiving military retirement pay and families receiving payments from the federal Survivor Benefit Plan receive a $20,000 tax break from state income taxes. The state is expanding Credit for Prior Learning to benefit 250,000 people, including 30,000 veterans. m:…5079 m:…5078

California also counted the jobs side of the ledger. The Division of Apprenticeship Standards awarded more than $51 million through two rounds of Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship grants, and a $35 million statewide initiative is expanding Credit for Prior Learning to allow military training and experience to count toward degrees. As of September 30, 2026, California had 4,320 active veteran apprentices, and since 2019, 14,794 veterans have participated in DAS-registered apprenticeships. More than 31,000 veterans have been served through the Credit for Prior Learning initiative, and since the beginning of 2026, the California Office of the Small Business Advocate's Technical Assistance Program has supported 1,688 veteran-owned small businesses. Property-tax relief for qualifying disabled veterans and surviving spouses is expanded from 2027 through 2031, and local business-license fees are cut for honorably discharged California veterans operating service businesses as sole proprietors. m:…5078

Wisconsin's budget

Wisconsin's Veterans Day message was a budget, not a speech. The 2025-27 Biennial Budget allocates $35 million for capital building projects at Wisconsin Veterans Homes, and the 2025-27 Biennial Budget includes $5 million to support the operations of Wisconsin Veterans homes. The budget provides $2.5 million for a new grant program to fund housing and support services for veterans, and it includes $5 million to support a grant for war memorials in populous counties. Governor Evers invested $10 million toward addressing gaps in veteran services based on Blue Ribbon Commission recommendations, and Evers proclaimed Nov. 5-11, 2026, as Veterans Recognition Week in Wisconsin. m:…2741

The budget also covers the people who deliver the services. The 2025-27 Biennial Budget provides a five percent increase for county and Tribal veterans service officers, and Wisconsin ranks among the top three states in the U.S. for connecting veterans with jobs. Evers advocates for expanding the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property tax credit, and for fixing failures in the 2025-27 state budget regarding the Veteran Housing and Recovery Program. The message is that the money is allocated and the delivery system is staffed, and the remaining argument is about the gaps. m:…2741

North Carolina and New York

North Carolina marked the day with ceremony and coordination. Governor Josh Stein inducted six individuals into The Order of the Long Leaf Pine at North Carolina Central University on November 11, 2026, and North Carolina is home to more than 600,000 veterans. The AskMeNC initiative, launched by the Governor and the NC Department of Health and Human Services, reached its one-year anniversary in November 2026, and the initiative utilizes the NCServes coordination system to connect veterans with community-based providers. Last year, Governor Stein signed four bills supporting military families, including provisions for professional license transfers and tuition assistance, and in May 2026, Governor Stein signed an executive order requiring cabinet agencies to designate a Military Affairs Coordinator. m:…4579

New York's Veterans Day story is about tuition, and about who it can now reach. Beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, eligible veterans can transfer their unused Veterans Tuition Award to a child under age 26, a spouse, or a financial dependent. The Veterans Tuition Award provides tuition assistance for undergraduate, graduate, and vocational training programs for veterans with at least four years of active-duty service. In the 2024-25 academic year, more than $1.5 million was awarded to 375 veterans through the Veterans Tuition Award, the MERIT Scholarship awarded nearly $6.5 million to 341 students in 2024-25, and the Regents Awards for Children of Deceased and Veterans provided $80,000 to 189 students in 2024-25. The application deadline for FAFSA and TAP for the 2027-28 academic year is June 30, 2028. m:…1654

The states tell the same story in different dialects: ceremony is cheap, and the states that spent the day counting were the ones with something to count. California counts housing units and apprentices, Wisconsin counts budget lines, North Carolina counts coordinators and bills, and New York counts students. The numbers are all self-reported by the governors' offices, and they should be read that way, but they are specific enough to be checked, and the checks that matter are the ones that happen next year: whether the housing units get built, whether the apprentices finish, and whether the tuition transfers get used. m:…5079 m:…5078 m:…2741 m:…4579 m:…1654