Accessible Idaho - Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers - Effective July 1, 2006

Question: I am disabled. Do I qualify for a reduced cost license?

Answer: Idaho law outlines the eligibility requirements for reduced cost licenses. Idaho Fish and Game does not make the determination whether a person meets the eligibility requirements outlined in Idaho Code 36-406 (g). Rather, the eligibility determination is made by the federal Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, the railroad retirement board, or by a physician. Idaho Code 36-406 (g) defines a person as eligible for a disabled combination hunting and fishing or a fishing license as a person who is deemed disabled in one (1) or more, but not necessarily all, of the following:

the railroad retirement board pursuant to title 45 of the United States Code, or
certified as eligible for federal supplemental security income (SSI); or
social security disability income (SSDI); or
a nonservice-connected veterans pension; or
a service-connected veterans disability benefit with forty percent (40%) or more disability; or
certified as permanently disabled by a physician on the Department's certification of permanent disability form; or
if the Idaho driver's license has the indication of permanent disability on the back, this will be accepted in lieu of the Department's certification of permanent disability form.

Question: What reduced cost licenses are available for persons with disabilities?

Answer: Idaho Fish and Game offers a Disabled Combination Hunting and Fishing License, Disabled Fishing License, Disabled American Veterans Combination Hunting and Fishing License, and Disabled American Veterans Fishing Licenses to individuals who meet requirements outlined in Idaho law.

Question: What proof do I need??

Answer: To receive the discounted license, you must be deemed disabled by the railroad retirement board or certified as eligible for and receiving federal supplemental security income (SSI); social security disability income (SSDI); a nonservice-connected veterans pension; or a service-connected veterans disability benefit with 40% or more disability, or certified by a physician as permanently disabled.

If you are receiving monthly payments from (Social Security) SSI or SSDI for disability, bring in your most recent Annual Statement of Benefits.
If you are receiving Veteran's Benefits, bring in a current year's letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs showing a disability of 40% or more.
If you are receiving disability payments from the Railroad, bring in a letter from the Railroad Retirement Board. This letter can be dated for up to three years prior to purchase of the license.
If you are permanently disabled, bring in a signed and completed certification of permanent disability form. The form must be signed by a physician, physician's assistant, or nurse practitioner.
Or if your driver's license has the indication of permanent disability on the back, we will accept this in lieu of the Department certification of permanent disability form. You must bring your driver's license to an Idaho Fish and Game Office.

You must also provide proof of Idaho residency. If you are a driver, your current Idaho driver's license is enough. If you are not a driver, to prove residency, you will need to bring your Idaho ID Card. You may also provide two of the following items as proof of residency:

Copy of the past six consecutive months of home utility bills, mortgage statements, or rent receipts
Proof of voter registration
Documents showing payment of resident income taxes.

Question: How much does the discounted license cost?

Answer: The annual disabled combination hunting and fishing license or the annual disabled fishing license costs $5.00.

Question: Where can I get the discounted license?

Answer: Individuals on SSI, SSDI, a nonservice-connected veterans pension; or a service-connected veterans disability benefit with 40% or more disability; or railroad disability may purchase disabled licenses at all Fish and Game regional offices, Fish and Game headquarters and more than 40 license vendors. You may also apply by mail by sending the application, a photocopy of proof of eligibility, proof of residency and payment to any Fish and Game office.

Certification of permanent disability forms must be submitted at Fish and Game offices only. Or if your driver's license has the indication of permanent disability on the back, we will accept this in lieu of the Department certification of permanent disability form. You must bring your driver's license to an Idaho Fish and Game office.

Question: How often do I need to provide proof of eligibility?

Answer: Annual proof of eligibility is required for individuals receiving SSI, SSDI or Veteran's Benefits because benefit status may change. SSI and SSDI status can change based on household income. People on SSI, SSDI, or a service connected Disabled American Veteran have their status reviewed every 3, 5, or 7 years depending on their disability. Proof of Railroad Retirement Board disability must be provided every three years. The Department does not know when a person is no longer eligible for benefits, so it has asked people to provide current proof so that licenses are issued according to Idaho law.

Individuals who have completed and submitted the Department certification of disability form to a Fish and Game office will not need to submit proof of disability every year. This information will be held on file. If your driver's license has the indication of permanent disability on the back, we will accept this in lieu of the Department certification of permanent disability form and this information will be held on file. You must bring your driver's license to a Fish and Game office.

Question: Do I need a physician's signature to receive a discounted license?

Answer: If you are receiving SSI, or SSDI, or a nonservice-connected veterans pension, or a service-connected veterans disability benefit with 40% or more disability; or railroad disability you do not need to provide a physician's statement to receive a Disabled Combination Hunting and Fishing License, Disabled Fishing License, Disabled American Veterans Combination Hunting and Fishing License, or a Disabled American Veterans Fishing License. Individuals receiving SSI, or SSDI, or a nonservice-connected veterans pension; or a service-connected veterans disability benefit with 40% or more disability; must provide a current years documentation showing they are receiving those benefits for the current year or a current year's letter from the Veterans Affairs office showing their disability rating is still 40% or greater.

Individuals receiving railroad disability must provide a letter dated within the last three years showing the individual is receiving railroad disability.

If you are permanently disabled, you must submit a certification of permanent disability form at a Fish and Game office. You will need a physician's, or a physician's assistant, or a nurse practitioners signature. If your driver's license has the indication of permanent disability on the back, we will accept this in lieu of the Department certification of permanent disability form. You must bring your driver's license to a Fish and Game office.

Applications for Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit or a Handicapped Archery Permit must be signed by a physician, physician's assistant or nurse practitioner and presented at a Fish and Game office.

Question: My Idaho driver's license is stamped "permanently disabled." Is that proof enough for a discounted license?

Answer: Yes. Idaho Fish and Game accepts this as proof in lieu of a completed certification of permanent disability form.

Question: What do I need to qualify for a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit?

Answer: You will need to fill out a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit application. Your physician (or physician's assistant or nurse practitioner) must sign the form certifying that you meet the definition of a physically handicapped person contained in Idaho law. The Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit is available for an individual:

Who has lost or lost the use of one or both lower extremities or both hands, or who has a significant limitation in the use of his/her lower extremities, or has a diagnosed disease or disorder which substantially impairs or interferes with his/her mobility, or who is so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the aid of an assistance device.
Who suffers from lung disease to the extent that his/her forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one second when measured by spirometry is less than one liter or arterial oxygen tension (po2) is less than 60mm/Hg on room air at rest.
Who is impaired by cardiovascular disease to the extent that his functional limitations are classified in severity as class III or class IV according to standards accepted by the American Heart Association.

By signing the application, the physician is certifying that you meet these legal requirements and that you are capable of holding and firing a firearm or archery equipment without assistance of another person.

The Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit application is available on the Fish and Game web site or by contacting any Fish and Game office. The permit is issued only at Fish and Game offices. It costs $1.75 and is valid for five years. You will receive a tag to hang in your vehicle. The permit will allow you to shoot from a parked motorized vehicle, an activity that is normally illegal. The permit does not allow you to shoot from or across public highways. The permit may not be used or transferred to another individual.

Question: What does the Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit allow me to do?

Answer: The Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit is intended to make hunting more convenient for hunters with disabilities. The Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit will allow you to shoot from a parked motor vehicle. Normally, this is illegal.

The permit does not allow you to shoot from a moving vehicle. It does not allow you to shoot from or across public highways.

The United States Forest Service makes some additional opportunities available for hunters with disabilities. A Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit is needed to participate in these programs. (For more information on these programs, contact the Forest Service Ranger District in the area you wish to hunt.)

Question: The Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit does not allow me to shoot from or across a public highway. What is a "public highway"?

Answer: "Public highway" means the traveled portion of, and the shoulders on each side of, any road maintained by any governmental entity for public travel, and includes all bridges, culverts, overpasses, fills and other structures within the limits of the right-of-way of any such road.

Question: What does that mean?

Answer: The above definition means that any road, be it Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, city, county, or state, that can be legally driven on, is probably a public highway. As you can see from the drawings, a public highway is legally defined as much more than simply the portion that vehicles drive on. A public highway includes berms, sidewalks, shoulders, right of ways, culverts, ditches and other areas not usually intended for motorized traffic.

To legally shoot, your vehicle must be completely off the road, including the shoulder, berm, right of way, etc. That may mean that, on occasion, you will have to pass up the opportunity to shoot at an animal because you cannot get off the public highway.

Roads installed and maintained by private entities and individuals are not public roads. Many of these roads are open to the public, but your tax dollars do not maintain them. While not considered safe, holders of a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting permit may shoot from their vehicle on these private roads.

Question: Does the Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit allow me to take my vehicle off road?

Answer: The permit does not mean you can legally take your vehicle off road. The landowners and land management agencies, like the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands, determine where motor vehicles may be used. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have already established designated routes in several areas of Idaho. Regardless of whether you have a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit, you must obey road and trail closures and travel restrictions. Before you go hunting, check with the landowner or land management agency to determine where you can take your vehicle.

Question: What do I need to do to shoot legally?

Answer: Your vehicle must be stopped and completely off the public highway (meaning all four wheels must be off the public highway.) As you can see from the drawing, a public highway is legally defined as much more than simply the portion that vehicles drive on. A public highway includes berms, sidewalks, shoulders, right of ways, culverts, ditches and other areas not usually intended for motorized traffic. In some cases, landownership, terrain, or obstacles may make it impossible to legally shoot from your parked vehicle.

Regardless of where your vehicle is parked, it is not legal to shoot across a public highway.

Question: My driver's license is stamped "permanently disabled." Is that proof enough for a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit?

Answer: Yes. Idaho Fish and Game accepts this as proof. A signed statement by your physician is not needed.

Question: I have a handicapped parking sticker. Is that proof enough for a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit?

Answer: It is not. The qualifications for a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit are found in Idaho law. If you have a handicapped parking sticker, ask your physician if your condition meets the qualifications outlined in Idaho law. A physician,, physician's assistant or nurse practitioner must certify that your condition meets those requirements in order for you to qualify for a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit.

Question: Where can I get a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit?

Answer: Because of the paperwork required, the Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit is available only at Fish and Game offices. You may apply by mail by sending the application, a photocopy of proof of eligibility, proof of residency and payment to any Fish and Game office.

Question: I have a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit. What opportunities are available for me on United States Forest Service land?

Answer: The United States Forest Service makes some special opportunities available for hunters with disabilities. The opportunities and requirements vary across the state. For more information on the hunting opportunities available for hunters with disabilities on US Forest Service land, contact the ranger district in the area you wish to hunt.

Question: I would like to hunt with a crossbow. What permits do I need?

Answer: During an any-weapon hunting season you can hunt with a crossbow without any other permit besides your hunting license and proper tag. If you have a permanent disability and have lost the use of one or both arms or hands, and you wish to hunt during the archery season with a crossbow, you will need to complete an application for Handicapped Persons Archery Hunting Permit. The application must be signed by a doctor, physician's assistant or nurse practitioner certifying that you have a permanent disability and do not have use of one or both of your arms or hands. The permit costs $1.75 and is good for five years. To hunt with a crossbow during an archery season, you must also have a valid archery permit as well as a hunting license and a proper tag. The Handicapped Persons Archery Hunting Permit is available only at Fish and Game offices.

Question: Where can I get an application for a Handicapped Persons Archery Hunting Permit or a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit?

Answer: Application forms for the Handicapped Persons Archery Hunting Permit and the Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit are available at Fish and Game offices or here. You may also contact the nearest Fish and Game office and we will send you the correct form.

Question: I'm disabled, but not an Idaho resident. I want to hunt in Idaho. What is available to me?

Answer: Reduced cost licenses are available only for Idaho residents. Nonresidents, however, may purchase a Handicapped Persons Archery Hunting Permit or a Handicapped Persons Vehicle Hunting Permit. The cost is $1.75 each. Nonresidents must apply on an Idaho Fish and Game form and have their signatures notarized. If your physician, physician's assistant or nurse practitioner is not licensed to practice in Idaho, a copy of the physician's medical license must accompany the application.