Some states don’t charge income tax on military retired pay. In all states, VA & Social Security disability payments are tax-free.

If you have issues with retired pay and state income tax, including changing your withholding amount, you can always contact DFAS for assistance.

You can contact DFAS at:

States Without Personal Income Tax

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do not have a personal income tax. Two others, New Hampshire and Tennessee, tax only dividend and interest income.

Related: State tax information for active duty members, retirees, and survivors.

States That Don’t Tax Military Retirement Pay

The following states do not tax retired military pay.

States With Special Military Retirement Pay Exemptions

The following states have special provisions for military or public pensions:

1. The first $3,500 of military retirement pay is exempt.
2. Military retirees ages 55 – 64 can exclude up to $20,000 in any one tax year from their retirement pay, those 65 and over can exclude up to $24,000.
3. Up to $2,000 of military retirement excluded for individuals under age 60; $12,500 if 60 or older.
4. Taxpayers over 62 or permanently disabled may be eligible for a $4,000 exclusion of retired pay.
5. Tax-free for retirees 65 and older, or disabled retirees 62 or older.
6. Up to $6,250 plus 25% of retired pay over that amount is tax-free for 2019. That will increase to 50% in 2020, 75% in 2021 and 100% for taxable years beginning after 2021.
7. Up to $31,110 is tax-free, you may be able to exclude more in some situations.
8. The first $5,000 is tax-free, that amount increases to $15,000 at age 55.
9. Special rules see our Nebraska State Benefits Page.
10. Only if you had at least 5 years active duty before August 12,1989
11. The greater of 75% of your retirement pay or $10,000
12. If you had military service before October 1, 1991 you may be able to deduct a portion of your retirement pay. If you didn’t have military or federal service prior to October 1, 1991, your military retirement is taxed normally.
13. If you are under 65, up to $14,000 is tax-free. That amount increases to $27,000 at age 65.

Related: State tax information for active duty members, retirees, and survivors.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs has released an updated list of locations outside Vietnam where tactical herbicides such as Agent Orange were used, tested or stored by the military.

Agent Orange was a weed killer sprayed on the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. The name came from the orange identifying stripe used on the 55-gallon drums in which it was stored.

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Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during service may be eligible for a variety of VA benefits, including an Agent Orange Registry health exam, health care and disability compensation for diseases associated with exposure. Their dependents and survivors also may be eligible for benefits.

Agent Orange exposure can cause several serious illnesses, as well as birth defects in the children of veterans who were exposed to the chemical.

READ: Agent Orange Exposure Overview

The news comes on the heels of the Jan. 1, 2020, VA expansion of Agent Orange benefits to veterans who were exposed to the herbicide during their service. That expansion includes Navy veterans who served in the territorial waters of Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as veterans of all branches who may have been exposed in other locations, including stateside bases.

Previously, only veterans who were exposed to the dangerous weed killer while serving in-country Vietnam were eligible for any VA benefits.

The expansion of Agent Orange exposure locations came as a result of Public Law 116-23, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.

The new law adds an estimated 420,000 to 560,000 veterans to those already eligible for care and benefits for possible exposure.

“This update was necessary to improve accuracy and communication of information,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA depends on DoD to provide information regarding in-service environmental exposure for disability claims based on exposure to herbicides outside of Vietnam.”

You should contact the VA immediately if you or a loved one served in one of the designated Agent Orange exposure locations.

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You may be aware that the Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded the locations military members may have been exposed to the weed killer known as Agent Orange when considering medical and disability claims.

The VA has added service aboard ships within 12 nautical miles of the coast of Vietnam and Cambodia to the list of what can qualify veterans and their children for possible health care and disability benefits due to exposure to the defoliant. Previously, only those who served on the ground or on inland rivers could claim that exposure to the chemical made them ill. Veterans groups have long argued that military members came into contact with the chemical onboard ships while loading aircraft and conducting other operations.

Agent Orange was a weed killer sprayed on the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. The name “Agent Orange” came from the orange identifying stripe used on the 55-gallon drums in which it was stored.

The new law adds an estimated 420,000 to 560,000 veterans to those already eligible for care and benefits for possible exposure.

According to the VA, the following veterans may be eligible for benefits, including those who:

• Came into contact with Agent Orange during their military service
• Served in or near the DMZ between Sept. 1, 1967, and Aug. 31, 1971
• Served in the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. This may include serving on a vessel on the inland waterways or operating within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam or Cambodia.

There were plenty of other ways veterans came into contact with Agent Orange, including on planes that sprayed the chemical or locations that loaded and tested the chemical. In fact, the military used Agent Orange as far back as 1944.

Check out a more detailed list of possible Agent Orange exposure locations

The VA considers a number of illnesses to be presumptive to Agent Orange exposure. This means that all you have to do is have one of the covered conditions and have served in a covered location to be eligible for benefits; you don’t need to prove anything else to receive medical care and benefits.

The diseases that the VA considers presumptive, meaning it is known that Agent Orange can cause them, includes:

• AL amyloidosis
• Chloracne (or other types of acneiform disease like it)
• Diabetes mellitus type 2
• Ischemic heart disease.
• Parkinson’s disease
• Peripheral neuropathy, early onset
• Porphyria cutanea tarda

Several types of cancers are also on the list:

• Chronic B-cell leukemia
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Prostate cancer
• Respiratory cancers (including lung cancer)
• Soft tissue sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)

Agent Orange also caused the birth defect spina bifida in children of exposed veterans.

This list of diseases isn’t all-inclusive. There are several other serious health conditions that may be related to Agent Orange, but you may have to fight to get benefits. The VA tried to add bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, hypertension and Parkinson’s-like symptoms to the list of presumptive conditions, but that was delayed by the White House.

If you or someone you know has one of the conditions listed above or a condition you think may be related to contact with the chemical, you should contact the VA immediately to get assistance.

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Former captains and majors qualified to fly certain aircraft who are willing to rejoin a Marine Corps squadron can pocket up to a $30,000 lump-sum bonus if they agree to a three-year term in the Active Reserve. Those willing to serve two years in the Reserve are eligible for a $20,000 payout.

Top priority will be given to former F/A-18 Hornet and MV-22B Osprey pilots, along with KC-130 Hercules aircraft commanders, according to the message. But the program is also open to former AV-8B Harrier, UH-1Y Venom and CH-53E Super Stallion pilots.

Related: Marines Offer Big Bonuses to Leathernecks Who Can Help Deceive the Enemy

“The retention incentive is distributed as a lump sum of 20,000 dollars for the 24 month service obligation or a lump sum of 30,000 dollars for the 36 month service obligation, less any applicable taxes,” the message states. “Lump sum payment will not be paid out until the member is joined to the [Active Reserve] program.”

The incentives will be paid out on a first-come, first-served basis “until funds are exhausted,” it adds.

Only aviators who previously qualified for — or had not yet applied for — career designation are eligible. Those who applied for but were not offered career designation in the Active Reserve are ineligible, the message states.

Pilots who were already career designated on the Active Reserve will automatically be career designated upon re-accession. Those who hadn’t previously applied for career designation will be able to do so once they rejoin.

Top assignments will involve flying operations at the squadron level across several Reserve units in the continental U.S., including California, Virginia, Texas, Arizona, Maryland or New Orleans. Assignments aren’t limited to those squadrons though, the message adds.

Captains who served more than 10 years of active-duty service who weren’t previously considered for major on an Active Reserve promotion board are eligible to apply. So are majors who weren’t previously considered for O-5 who served more than 12 years on active duty, and those who were considered for lieutenant colonel who served more than 15 years.

Earlier this year, the Marine Corps announced it would be offering big bonuses to active-duty pilots as well.

Top bonuses targeted Marines in the grades and communities with the biggest pilot shortages. Active-duty pilots were eligible to earn up to $280,000 bonuses if they agreed to keep flying for eight more years.

The bonuses targeted captains and majors who fly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8 Harrier, MV-22 Osprey, C-130 Hercules, UH-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra and CH-53 Stallion.

— Gina Harkins can be reached at . Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Read more: The Marines Are Doling Out Up to $280K in Bonuses to Keep Pilots Flying