From Military.com:
“Veterans
and Gold Star Families Will Soon Have Free Admission to All National Parks”
National Parks,
wildlife refuges and other federal lands will all be free for veterans and Gold
Star family members to use starting Veterans Day, Interior Department officials
announced today. The change extends to veterans and Gold Star families the
existing free admission policy already in play for active-duty troops and their
families, as well as Guard and Reserve members. It waives both entrance and day
use recreation fees for lands managed by the Department of the Interior
nationwide.
While not all
of the system's 2,000 public recreation areas charge entrance fees, many of the
more popular destinations do, such as Yellowstone National Park and Grand
Canyon National Park. The fees vary by location. Instead of paying individual
entry fees, visitors can purchase an annual "America the Beautiful"
pass for $80. Seniors over age 65 can purchase a lifetime pass for $80.
Disabled
veterans qualify for the Access Pass, which gives free admission and a 50%
discount on some costs such as camping or boat launch fees. Other passholders
pay out of pocket for those costs.
The new program
expands free park access to millions of honorably discharged veterans. To gain
access, veterans can present a DoD ID card; a Veteran Health Identification
Card; a Veteran ID card; or a state-issued card displaying veteran status,
according to the release. While the free pass for active-duty troops can be
used by their dependents, the new free-access rule for veterans does not extend
to their immediate family members. That means that at parks where entrance fees
are paid per vehicle, veterans and their families will be able to enter free
using the veteran pass. At parks where admission is paid per person, however,
only the veteran will be able to enter free.
Free entrance
for Gold Star family members is limited to those designated as "Gold
Star" by law. To meet the definition, families must be the "next of
kin of a member of the United States Armed Forces who lost his or her life in a
'qualifying situation,' such as a war, an international terrorist attack, or a
military operation outside of the United States while serving with the United
States Armed Forces," according to the release. But Gold Star family
members will not be required to produce proof of qualification -- at least for
now. "For the time being, we will
be using an honor system," Ben Goldey, a spokesman for Interior told
Military.com in an email. "An individual who identifies themselves as a
Gold Star family member at an entrance facility will be thanked for their
service and sacrifice and admitted free of charge."
^ Veterans,
Gold Star Families and the Active-Duty Military deserve these kinds of benefits.
I’m glad to see they are being extended to them. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.