Veterans Alliance is privately owned and operated to serve veterans. We are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Alliance — Veterans Alliance
← All Illinois benefits
recreationstate

Camp Free in State Parks — 100% Disabled Veterans and Former POWs

Illinois waives camping fees at Class A, AA, A-P, B/E and B/E-P sites for a resident veteran receiving 100% service-connected disability compensation or military disability retirement pay, or with permanent loss of use of a leg, legs, arm, arms or a combination — and for any resident former prisoner of war, with no disability test. Class B/S, B/S-P, C and D sites carry no fees at all, and shelter reservation fees are exempt. A $10 utility fee still applies where there are utilities.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Illinois waives camping fees at Class A, AA, A-P, B/E and B/E-P sites for a resident veteran receiving 100% service-connected disability compensation or military disability retirement pay, or with permanent loss of use of a leg, legs, arm, arms or a combination — and for any resident former prisoner of war, with no disability test. Class B/S, B/S-P, C and D sites carry no fees at all, and shelter reservation fees are exempt. A $10 utility fee still applies where there are utilities.

What it's worth: Camping fees waived at Class A, AA, A-P, B/E and B/E-P sites — $10 utility fee still applies

  • The routes are: 100% service-connected disability compensation; military disability RETIREMENT pay; permanent loss of use of a leg, legs, arm, arms or a combination; or being a former prisoner of war.
  • The former prisoner of war route has NO disability test at all.
  • Military disability retirement pay is an alternative to a VA rating, which is often missed.
  • Fees are waived at Class A, AA, A-P, B/E and B/E-P sites. A $10 utility fee still applies where utilities are provided.
  • Class B/S, B/S-P, C and D sites carry no fees in any event.
  • Shelter reservation fees are exempt.
  • A certification card from a veterans department field office is what establishes it.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • You are on one of the routes to the waiver.
  • You receive 100% service-connected compensation.
  • You are a former prisoner of war.
  • You are an Illinois resident.

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

  1. 1Get the certification card from an Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs field office first — the parks want the card, not your VA letter.
  2. 2If you draw military disability RETIREMENT pay rather than VA compensation, that qualifies. Say so.
  3. 3Former prisoners of war: apply regardless of any rating. There is no disability test on that route.
  4. 4Expect the $10 utility fee at sites with utilities. The waiver is of the camping fee, not of everything.
  5. 5Ask about shelter reservations — those fees are exempt too.
Form
Certification card from an IDVA field office
File with
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, with an IDVA certification card
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.

Sources

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