Connecticut State Park Pass and Hunting and Fishing Privileges
A free lifetime state park pass for a veteran with a service-connected disability, free inland fishing and small game hunting licenses for a person with a qualifying disability, and resident pricing for nonresident service members stationed in Connecticut.
Also called: state parks, park pass, lifetime pass, hunting, fishing, DEEP, resident price, disabled veteran, group fishing license.
Connecticut runs these through the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection rather than through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is where the applications go.
The state park lifetime pass is free to a veteran with a service-connected disability. It is non-transferable, and it covers day use rather than everything in a park: camping, special events and commercial use are excluded. A veteran who plans to camp should read the exclusion before booking rather than after.
Free inland fishing and small game hunting licenses are available to a person with a qualifying disability. That is a disability-based program rather than a veteran-specific one, so the qualifying criteria are the department's rather than VA's, and a veteran with a service-connected disability should confirm which of the two routes the department wants them to use.
A nonresident service member stationed in Connecticut may buy hunting and fishing licenses at resident prices, carrying proof of active duty. That is a meaningful saving over a season and it applies while stationed here rather than requiring residency.
There is also a group fishing license for non-profit organisations running programmes for veterans with disabilities, priced at $125 per event, available for up to one hundred events a year with up to one hundred veterans per event. That is an organisational benefit rather than an individual one, and it is the route a veterans service organisation should use rather than buying licenses one by one.
A rating filter does not hide this entry, because the park pass turns on having a service-connected disability rather than on reaching a percentage, and the sportsman licenses turn on the department's disability criteria.
Confirm the current application form and the proof of disability the department accepts before applying. These programmes are administered under agency practice rather than spelled out in the general statutes, and the evidence requirements move more often than statutes do.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Connecticut State Park Pass and Hunting and Fishing Privileges
Gate
Rule
A service-connected disability, not a percentage
The free lifetime park pass is available to a veteran with a service-connected disability. The statute and the department set no combined-rating floor, so a 10 percent veteran qualifies and the rating filter never hides this benefit.
Stationed in Connecticut is enough for resident pricing
A nonresident service member stationed in Connecticut may purchase hunting and fishing licenses at resident prices while carrying proof of active duty. Residency is not required.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.