Education Benefits              Operation Recognition: High School Diplomas for Veterans              The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA) and the Department of Education jointly launched a program October 5, 2000 to honor World War II era veterans who left school to join the military and never received a high school diploma. Known as Operation Recognition, the program will award a state-endorsed high school diploma to any New Jersey veteran who left a New Jersey high school to enter military service during World War II. Because of the overwhelming success of this program, The Adjutant General and the Commissioner of Education are expanding the program to include veterans from the Korean and Vietnam wars. Programs similar to Operation Recognition have been established in other states including New York, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Wisconsin and West Virginia.                   New Jersey veterans who are: ~ Current New Jersey resident. ~ Left a New Jersey high school directly to join the military between:         September 16, 1940 - December 31, 1946 June 23, 1950 - January 31, 1955 December 31, 1960 - May 7, 1975.          ~ Discharged honorably or under honorable conditions. ~ All branches of service including Merchant Marine and Coast Guard are eligible. ~ Veterans who have since earned a GED are still eligible. ~ Diplomas may also be issued posthumously. Surviving family members of eligible veterans are encouraged to apply.                Details - Paperwork needed. ~ A copy of your DD-214 or discharge papers, do NOT send originals! ~ Name and address of the high school attended. ~ The year you would have graduated. ~ Your name, address and daytime phone.              Contact - Send your request to Operation Recognition, New Jersey Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, PO Box 340, Trenton, NJ 08625-0340. For more information call 609-530-6854.                POW and MIA Tuition Benefits            Free undergraduate college tuition is available to any child born or adopted before, during or after the period of time his or her parent was officially declared a prisoner of war (POW) or person missing in action (MIA) after Jan. 1, 1960. The POW-MIA must have been a New Jersey resident at the time he or she entered the service or whose official residence is in New Jersey. The child must attend either a public or private institution in New Jersey. A copy of DD- 1300 must be furnished with the application.                 War Orphans Tuition Assistance             Children of those service personnel who died while in the military or due to service-connected disabilities, or who are officially listed as missing in action by the U.S. Dept. of Defense may claim $500 per year for four years of college or equivalent training. To qualify, the child must be a resident of New Jersey for at least one year immediately preceding the filing of the application and be between the ages of 16 and 21 at the time of application. The veteran must have been a state resident.                 Vietnam Veterans Tuition Credit Program         The Vietnam Veterans Tuition Credit Program provides additional education benefits to veterans eligible for federally funded education programs and who served on active duty from December 31, 1960 to May 7, 1975 and who were legal residents of New Jersey at the time of induction into the Armed Forces or at the time of discharge from active service or for a period not less than one year prior to making application. The amount of the award is $400 annually or $200 per semester for full-time attendance and $100 per semester for part time. For further information contact your school official in charge of veteran's affairs or by calling New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs at 609-530-6854. Deadlines for applying are October 1 and March 1.                  Professional Licenses           License to Vend - Honorably discharged veterans may obtain a no-fee license to vend any goods, wares or merchandise, or solicit trade within the state (NJSA 45:24-9). Licenses are procured from the county clerks office (NJSA 45:24-10) and regulated by municipalities. Contact your county clerk for an application.            Vendors must also register with the N.J. Division of Taxation, and collect and remit sales tax on required items.          Contact the Division of Taxation for more information. Food vendors must also comply with state and local health licensing requirements.                No Fee Automobile Registration            The veteran must be 100 percent disabled and:       ~ also be eligible for the automobile financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).          In addition, the veteran must have sustained the following injuries incurred or aggravated during active military service:          (1) loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet (2) loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands (3) permanent impairment of vision of both eyes to a prescribed degree. Veterans with best-corrected vision no better than 20/200 or less or field defect of 20 degrees or less are considered eligible.                To apply - Application for plates and registrations are processed by Motor Vehicle Services. Applications are available at local Motor Vehicle Agencies. For more information, call 888-486-3339.               No Fee Automobile Registration for Medal of Honor Recipients     Medal of Honor recipients are eligible for a no-fee registration and will receive special license plates noting their award. Contact - For information call 1-888-486-3339.                           Disability Compensation           The VA compensation program provides you monthly benefits if you are disabled because of an injury or disease incurred in or aggravated during your military service and for certain conditions which may develop after your release from active duty. Benefits are authorized based upon the severity of your claimed disability(ies). If your service-connected disabilities are evaluated as 30 percent or more, you are entitled to additional allowances for your dependents. Contact State Veterans Service Offices listed in appendix B for more information on federal VA compensation and pensions.                    Reimbursement of Burial Expenses in a Service-Connected Death              VA will pay a burial allowance up to $2,000 if the veteran's death is service-connected. In some instances, VA also will pay the cost of transporting the remains of a service-disabled veteran to the national cemetery nearest the home of the deceased that has available grave sites. In such cases, the person who bore the veteran's burial expenses may claim reimbursement from the VA.             Death while eligible for pension or compensation - VA will pay a $300 burial and funeral expense allowance for veterans who, at time of death, were entitled to receive pension or compensation or would have been entitled to compensation except for receiving military retirement pay. Eligibility also may be established when death occurs in a VA facility, a nursing home under VA contract or a state veterans nursing home. Additional costs of transportation of the remains may be paid.           VA will pay a $300 plot allowance when a veteran is not buried in a cemetery that is under U.S. government jurisdiction under one of the following circumstances:       ~ the veteran was discharged from active duty because of disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. ~ the veteran was in receipt of compensation or pension or would have been except for receiving military retired pay. ~ the veteran died in a VA facility.            The $300 plot allowance may be paid to the state if a veteran is buried without charge for the cost of a plot or interment in a state-owned cemetery reserved solely for veteran burials. Burial expenses paid by the deceased's employer or a state agency will not be reimbursed.                  Time Limits -         There is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims of service-connected deaths. In other deaths, claims must be filed within two years after permanent burial or cremation.              Contact - For information on monetary benefits, call 1-800-827-1000.         Department of Defense Benefits Military Funeral Honors      The core elements of the funeral honors ceremony, which will be conducted on request, include a minimum two-person detail, flag folding, flag presentation and playing of taps, which may be from a recording. The veteran's parent service representative will present the flag. Military Funeral Honors are provided by the Department of Defense at no cost to the family. The military service request at least 48 hours advance notice in order to organize the funeral honors detail.              Eligibility ~ Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve. ~ Former military members who served on active duty and departed under condition other than dishonorable. ~ Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under conditions other than dishonorable. ~ Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.                Points of Contact for Military Funeral Honors in New Jersey            Funeral Directors - Department of Defense tollfree hotline is only for funeral directors. 1-877-MILHONR (1-877-645-4667.)          Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard - Ft. Dix office covers entire state. 609-562-4453 or 562-3147.              Headquarters Marine Corps - 866-826-3628           Marine Corps including Reserves - USMC reserve units divide the state by counties. Dover (Picatinny Arsenal) 973-724-4700/4701 covers Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Warren, Morris, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties. Red Bank 732-530-4500 Ext. 548 or after hours 732-239-7526 cell phone, covers Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.      Trenton 609-882-5133 Ext. 1 or after-hours 609-743-2506 covers Hunterdon, Mercer, Burlington, and Atlantic Counties.      Wilmington, DE 302-998-6695 covers Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties.       Willowgrove, PA 215-443-6740 24-hour duty covers Camden and Gloucester Counties.            Navy including Reserves and Merchant Marines - All funeral honor requests must be through Groton, Connecticut. The phone number there is 860-694-3475. They will in turn contact either Naval Weapons Station Earle, or Lakehurst Naval Engineering Station, depending on geographic location of interment site (North or South of Interstate 195.)             Air Force, Air Force Reserves, and Air National Guard - The McGuire Air Force Base office covers the entire state. 609-754-4117.              U.S. Coast Guard contact 757-298-6390. Comments or concerns may be directed to Military Funeral Honors, 9504 IH-35 North, Suite 320, San Antonio, TX 78233-6635.