CDFW Offers Recovering Service Members Reduced Fee Licenses

Senate Bill 1287 was signed Sept. 20, 2012 by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., authorizing the CDFW to issue reduced-fee sport fishing and hunting licenses to service members who are recovering from service-related injury or illness.

“This new law gives our injured and recovering service members the opportunity to enjoy California’s natural resources at a reduced cost,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “This is a small thank you for the sacrifices our service members make.”

Recovering service member licenses are issued to service members who may have a temporary injury or illness. A recovering service member is defined as a member of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserve, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy and is in an outpatient status while recovering from a serious injury or illness related to the member’s military service. Applicants must submit an application and a letter from their commanding officer or from a military medical doctor verifying eligibility as a recovering service member.

The recovering service member licenses are available now only at CDFW license sales offices statewide. These licenses will not be available at license agents.

Recovering service members can be residents or nonresidents. Hunting licenses still require all the normal pre-requisites including proof of hunter education and all normal fishing and hunting regulations apply.

For complete license information see http://dfg.ca.gov/licensing/.