House Bill 5292 signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder last fall will allow a disabled veteran to obtain any resident hunting or fishing license for which a lottery is not required, free of charge. The veteran will be required to provide proof of eligibility and carry this proof when using any license obtained under this legislation. Under provisions of the law, the new licenses become available at the beginning of the next license year, which is March 1, 2013. The licenses cannot be obtained before that date.

The law defines “disabled veteran” as a resident who either has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to be permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service and entitled to veterans’ benefits at the 100-percent rate, for a disability other than blindness; or is rated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as individually unemployable.