Dear Friend,
I am always looking for opportunities to support our veterans, strengthen our communities, save our families money, and claw back resources to New Jersey. I want to share the recently announced free lifetime access pass to federal lands for veterans and Gold Star Families.
One of my bedrock responsibilities is to always have the backs of those who’ve had ours. Our veterans have sacrificed so much, and this new free lifetime pass is a small token of appreciation and thank you.
Veterans can now present an acceptable form of identification at more than 2,000 federal recreation areas across the country to obtain a free lifetime access pass. For Gold Star Families to obtain a free lifetime pass, you must please self-certify that you meet the required criteria and download, print, and sign a voucher to present to park staff.
In New Jersey, participating public lands include:
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park at 211 Main St, West Orange, NJ 07052
- Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge at 723 Great Creek Rd, Galloway, NJ 08205
- Gateway National Recreation Area Sandy Hook Unit at 26 Hudson Rd, Highlands, NJ 07732
- Morristown National Historical Park at 30 Washington Pl, Morristown, NJ 07960
I was proud to back the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act, which was signed into law in December 2021, and authorizes these free lifetime access passes to federal recreational lands. Each lifetime pass covers entrance fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle—or a passholder and up to three adults—at national parks and national wildlife refuges. It also covers standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands and at recreational lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Please see this link for more details on the free lifetime access pass and this link for participating federal recreation areas.
As your Representative, I’ve been proud to work across the aisle in Congress on ways to improve veterans’ benefits and care. I worked to pass the bipartisan PACT Act and get it signed into law, helping veterans who were exposed to burn pits and toxic substances. I successfully fought so our veterans could finally receive referrals for health care services at our local North Jersey medical centers. I also cosponsored the bipartisan SECURE Act, which repeals portions of the 2017 Tax Hike Bill to help Gold Star Families save more for retirement.
I am committed to helping communities here in New Jersey’s Fifth District, which is why I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this new opportunity. I will never stop fighting for the brave men and women who have put their lives on the line to defend our freedom, our liberties, and our great country.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me directly at Josh.Gottheimer@mail.house.gov or by phone in my Glen Rock office at (201) 389-1100.
Please know that my door is always open.
Yours,
Josh Gottheimer
MEMBER OF CONGRESS