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Half the Ferry Fare on a Service-Connected Disability — No Physician Needed

The state ferry system issues a Disability Discount Pass worth 50% of the standard adult passenger fare. A veteran with a service-connected disability qualifies on VA paperwork alone. It covers the passenger and nothing else — not the vehicle, not the cabin, not the meals.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

The state ferry system issues a Disability Discount Pass worth 50% of the standard adult passenger fare. A veteran with a service-connected disability qualifies on VA paperwork alone. It covers the passenger and nothing else — not the vehicle, not the cabin, not the meals.

What it's worth: 50% off the standard adult passenger fare on state ferries, for two years at a time

  • The application states the pass "entitles the holder to a 50% discount of the standard adult passenger fare" on the system's ferries.
  • It is open to persons with permanent disabilities as defined in the form, or to a U.S. veteran who has a service-connected disability.
  • The veteran route needs no physician certification: the applicant completes Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 and supplies a VA health identification card and a letter from the VA stating the person has a service-connected disability, signed by the Veterans Affairs officer.
  • A physician must complete Section 5 only where the applicant wants an attendant included. If an attendant is recommended by a physician, the attendant travels at the discounted fare too when accompanying the pass holder.
  • The reduced fare does not include vehicle, cabins or meals while onboard.
  • The pass is good for travel between ports inside the state on all the system's ferries. Sailings to and from the two terminals outside the state are not eligible for discounted travel under this programme.
  • Passes are valid for two years and expire automatically unless a renewal application is submitted in time and approved.
  • A copy of a valid government-issued photo identification must accompany the application, including for applicants applying as a veteran with a service-connected disability.
  • The form asks for a minimum of 14 business days for processing, and says the regular fare must be paid for passage until the pass is approved.

Who is entitled to it

  • This record is about the person who served.
  • You have a service-connected disability recognised by the VA.
  • Your home is in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: At least 14 business days before you sail
  1. 1Use the veteran route, not the medical one. Section 3 asks only for the VA health identification card and a VA letter stating the disability is service connected — no doctor, no diagnosis list, no functional test.
  2. 2Add the photo identification. The form says in capitals that it is required for every applicant including those applying as a veteran, and an incomplete application is not processed.
  3. 3Bring a physician in only if you need an attendant. That is the single reason Section 5 exists, and skipping it where you do need help travelling means the attendant pays full fare.
  4. 4Book on the assumption you are paying full fare until the pass arrives. The form says so explicitly, and 14 business days is a minimum rather than a promise.
  5. 5Budget the vehicle and the cabin at full price. The half fare is the passenger seat only — for a family sailing with a car, the discount covers a smaller slice of the trip than it first appears.
  6. 6Diary the two-year expiry. The pass lapses by itself and the renewal has to be filed and approved before it does.
Form
Disability Discount Pass Application (AMHS 06.01.010A)
File with
Alaska Marine Highway System, Disability Pass Desk, Juneau
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter
Periodic
Re-confirmed from time to time.
CorrectionThis is not a veteran benefit dressed up as a disability benefit. It is a disability programme with a veteran door cut into it, and the veteran door is the easier one: the medical route demands a physician certificate against a defined list of permanent impairments, while the veteran route asks only that the VA has called the disability service connected.
Worth knowingThe form does not state a minimum rating. It asks for a VA letter saying the person has a service-connected disability. A low combined rating may therefore still open the pass, and the rating test in this record is our floor, not the ferry system's.
Worth knowingThe out-of-state legs of the route are carved out. A pass holder sailing the long southern run pays full fare for the portion that crosses a border, which is exactly the sailing where a half fare would be worth most.

Sources

Why only one source type: The ferry system's own fares page rejected every automated request this session, so the application form — published on the state veterans office media host and read in full — is the only source read for this record.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.