Are California Veterans Eligible for Free or Reduced-Fee Fishing and Hunting Licenses in 2024?

In California, veterans who have served our country honorably may be eligible for free or reduced-fee fishing and hunting licenses in 2024. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) offers several options for disabled veterans and recovering service members to enjoy outdoor recreation at a discounted rate.

Disabled Veteran Sport Fishing and Hunting Licenses

Reduced-fee licenses are available for any honorably discharged veteran of the US Armed Forces with a service-connected disability rating of 50% or greater. The current fee for these licenses is $9.98.

To prequalify for a disabled veteran license, veterans must submit a letter from the Veteran’s Administration documenting their honorable discharge and service-connected disability rating of 50% or higher. Once eligibility is verified, the veteran’s customer record will be updated, allowing them to purchase the low-cost license from any authorized CDFW license agent.

Recovering Service Member Sport Fishing and Hunting Licenses

Reduced-fee hunting licenses are also available for recovering service members who are undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy and are in an outpatient status while recovering from a serious injury or illness related to their military service. The current fee for these licenses is $9.98.

To qualify, recovering service members must submit a letter from their commanding officer or a military medical doctor verifying their eligibility. The letter should include the expected recovery date, which will be entered into the veteran’s customer profile, allowing them to renew their license until that date without submitting another letter.

Free Sport Fishing Licenses

In addition to reduced-fee licenses, California offers free sport fishing licenses to certain anglers who meet specific criteria:

– Any person with central vision acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best possible correcting glasses, or central vision acuity better than 20/200 if the widest diameter of the remaining visual field is no greater than 20 degrees. Certification of blindness by an optometrist or ophthalmologist is required.

– Any resident of the state who is so severely physically disabled as to be permanently unable to move from place to place without the aid of a wheelchair, walker, forearm crutches, or a comparable mobility-related device. Verification by a licensed physician or a copy of the previous year’s free fishing license is required.

How to Apply for Reduced-Fee or Free Licenses

To apply for a reduced-fee or free license, veterans must send a photocopy of their identification (driver’s license and GO ID number) and documentation of eligibility by mail, fax, or secure document upload to the CDFW.

For disabled veterans, a letter from the Veteran’s Administration is required. For recovering service members, a letter from their commanding officer or a military doctor is needed. Contact information and, for hunting licenses, proof of hunter education may also be required.

Once eligibility is verified, veterans will receive notification from the CDFW, allowing them to purchase the low-cost license from any authorized agent.

Other Benefits for California Veterans

In addition to discounted fishing and hunting licenses, California offers other benefits to veterans, including:

– Free or reduced-fee California State Park passes for disabled veterans classified as 50% or more disabled who served during wartime, as well as prisoners of war and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.

– Assistance from county veteran services offices in applying for reduced-price hunting and fishing licenses or state park passes.