(a) Every veteran with a disability who is a resident of Illinois shall be exempt from all camping and admission fees in parks under the control of the Department of Natural Resources. For the purpose of this subsection (a), a resident veteran with a disability is one who has a permanent disability from service connected causes with 100% disability or one who has permanently lost the use of a leg or both legs or an arm or both arms or any combination thereof or any person who has a disability so severe as to be unable to move without the aid of crutches or a wheelchair. The Department shall issue free use permits to those eligible veterans. To establish eligibility, the veteran shall present an award letter or some other identifying disability document, together with proper identification, to any office of the Department. Subject to the approval of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs shall establish the form or permit identifier to be issued.
     (b) Every veteran who is a resident of Illinois and a former prisoner of war shall be exempt from all camping and admission fees in parks under the control of the Department of Natural Resources. For the purposes of this subsection (b), a former prisoner of war is a veteran who was taken and held prisoner by a hostile foreign force while participating in an armed conflict as a member of the United States armed forces. Any identification card or other form of identification issued by the Veterans’ Administration or other governmental agency which indicates the card-holder’s former prisoner of war status shall be sufficient to accord such card-holder the fee-exempt admission or camping privileges under this subsection.