California Distinguished Veteran Pass

California State Parks issues the Distinguished Veteran Pass at no cost. An applicant has to be an honorably discharged veteran and a California resident, and has to meet one of three tests: an overall combined service-connected disability rating of 50% or greater incurred during wartime or during operations against a foreign power; status as a former prisoner of war held by forces hostile to the United States; or receipt of the Medal of Honor. The pass covers free vehicle day use, family camping, and boat use at over 100 units the department operates. Acceptance is not universal across every park. Check the pass acceptance list or the park map before driving out, because a unit run by a concessionaire or another agency can decline it. The pass is valid for five years and then has to be renewed. Apply online, by mail, or in person at a pass sales location. Every applicant submits a valid California driver license or identification card, which cannot be an interim ID, and a DD Form 214, member copy 2 through 4, showing discharge status. A disabled war veteran also submits proof of service during a recognized wartime period with dates, and a VA letter issued within the past year showing the 50% or greater rating. A former prisoner of war or a Medal of Honor recipient submits a VA letter or military records verifying that status. The wartime condition is the trap. A peacetime 50% rating does not qualify for this pass. The department publishes the qualifying service periods on its application requirements page, running from May 9, 1916 through the present and covering the two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and later windows that begin in 1975 and 1981. Read that list against the DD Form 214 before applying. A person with a permanent disability who does not meet the wartime test can use the Disabled Discount Pass instead. That pass gives a 50% discount on vehicle day use, family camping, and boat use fees at units the department operates. It is a discount, not a waiver.