Illinois Veteran Designation on a Driver License

The designation. 625 ILCS 5/6-110(e-5) has the Secretary of State put the word "veteran" on an original or renewal driver's licence at the applicant's request, for a veteran "discharged or separated under honorable conditions"; 15 ILCS 335/5 does the same for an identification card. Section 6-106(e) defines a veteran as someone who served in the armed forces, reserve and National Guard units included, and lists the proof: a DD-214, a DD-256 for those who got no DD-214 after basic training, a DD-2 (Retired), a federal Veteran Identification Card, a VA summary of benefits letter, or another Defense discharge document. The Secretary sends each name to the Department of Veterans' Affairs, which may ask the holder to confirm the status within 30 days or lose the designation. The cost. The statutes set no fee for the designation itself. The Department of Veterans' Affairs: "If the 'Veteran' designation is added during the renewal of your Driver's License or State ID card, there is no additional cost. If a veteran chooses to add the designation before their scheduled renewal date, they may obtain an updated Driver's License for $5 and an updated State ID card for $10. Veterans over the age of 65 can obtain an updated State ID card at no cost." Those are the corrected-card fees of 625 ILCS 5/6-118 and 15 ILCS 335/12 (which makes any ID card free at 65), applied by 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1030.150. A narrower rule. That rule defines a veteran as someone who "served on active duty" and was honorably discharged, where 6-106(e) counts any member of a reserve component or the Guard; a reservist or Guard member refused for lack of active duty can cite the statute. Gold Star families. A person eligible for Gold Star plates under 625 ILCS 5/3-664 can have a Gold Star Family designation on a licence or ID card (6-106(f), 6-110(e-7) and (i), 15 ILCS 335/5(b-1)); the Secretary "may waive any fee", and any fee charged goes to the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund. Service away from Illinois. Under 6-115(d) the Secretary may defer the expiration of the licence of a licensee on active duty in the armed forces outside Illinois, and of a spouse and dependent children living with the licensee, for the time served away and 120 days after. Commercial licences. Under 6-508 the Secretary "shall waive the skills tests" for an applicant with military commercial motor vehicle experience, subject to 49 CFR 383.77. There is no disability rating anywhere in this entry. Chicago transit. The Chicago Transit Authority's Military Service Pass gives free rides to active-duty personnel and to Chicago-area disabled veterans "who have a qualifying service-connected disability", shown by a VA letter of eligibility for a service-connected disability payment; personnel in uniform with a military ID ride free without the pass. The CTA's page names no rating percentage. Metra and Pace set their own fares; ask them.