Arizona Disabled Veteran and Purple Heart Hunting and Fishing Licenses

The Arizona Game and Fish Department issues a combination hunting and fishing license at no fee to a veteran with a 100 percent service-connected disability. The documentation requirement tells you the real standard. Game and Fish asks for a VA benefits letter stating 100 percent disabled, permanent and total. That is a stricter test than a bare 100 percent combined rating: a veteran rated 100 percent on a temporary or staged basis, or paid at the 100 percent rate through individual unemployability without a permanent and total designation, should confirm what their letter actually says before assuming they qualify. Apply by bringing or mailing the VA letter to a Game and Fish office. The Phoenix office is at 5000 West Carefree Highway. A Purple Heart recipient who has been an Arizona resident for at least one full year may buy the combination license at a 50 percent discount from the standard price. That provision took effect September 24, 2022 and requires proof of the Purple Heart Medal together with proof of a year of Arizona domicile immediately before applying. A veteran rated below 100 percent who does not hold a Purple Heart pays a reduced fee rather than the full one, so it is still worth identifying yourself as a disabled veteran at purchase. Arizona also issues a complimentary lifetime pioneer license to a resident aged 70 or older with 25 or more consecutive years of Arizona residency. That has nothing to do with service, but it reaches a lot of older veterans who have been in the state a long time and is worth checking against the disabled veteran license to see which is easier to establish.