VA Issued Veterans ID Card

At long last the VA will begin to issue a photo Veterans ID Card to every honorably discharged Veteran. You do not need to be enrolled in the VA Health Care system.

We have pushed for this for many years, and in 2015 Congress finally approved it. The VA plans to begin issuing these ID Cards
in November, almost two years after the bill was passed and
signed into law.

This means that you will no longer have to carry a copy of your
DD-214 with you to prove you are a veteran. This will come in
handy in the many places that offer special terms or discounts for military and veterans.

More information from Military dot com
Veterans Photo ID Card


---- Jerald Terwilliger Chairman Emeritus American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Veteran's I.D. Card-VA Answer To Question

Some of you may be aware of the bill H.R. 91 The Veteran's I.D. Card Act of 2015. This bill was passed by the House and the Senate and signed by President Obama becoming Public Law 114-31
on 07/20/2015.

This directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to issue a VA ID card to those veterans who did
not retire from our Armed Forces, nor are they enrolled in the VA Health Care System.

This is a simple ID Card, it does not entitle the bearer to VA benefits. It would be an easy way
for someone to prove that they are indeed a Veteran.

There are many business and enterprises that offer discounts to Active Duty and Veterans. For those
not covered by the retired/VA proof is usually a DD-214 which carry some information that many
do not want made public. So this ID Card is perfect, an official US Government issued method
of identification and verification of being a Veteran.

The bill as written said that within 60 the VA could begin to issue these cards.  More information can
be found in earlier posts, scroll down for that info.

I contacted the VA and questioned when the cards would be issued. Here is the response from the VA.

Recently you requested assistance from VA. Below is our response. If you wish to reopen this issue, you may do so within the next 14 days. Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you. Response By Email (Dept of Veterans Affairs) (09/02/2015 02:45 PM) While VA intends to issue Veteran ID cards to all veterans in the near future,we await more information and instructions on the issuance of these cards. At present, the Department of Veterans Affairs provides a Veterans Identification Card (VIC) for veterans to use at VA medical facilities. The VIC is issued only to veterans who are eligible for VA medical benefits and only for the purpose of identification and check-in for VA medical appointments. The card protects personal privacy by not showing Social Security Numbers or dates of birth on the front of the cards. VA has Service Connected, POW and Purple Heart (PH) indicators on the new VIC. Veterans who have been awarded service-connected status after their VIC has been issued or SC status is not properly documented on their card, will need to present their letter showing their SC rating to the eligibility clerk at the local VA Medical Center where they obtain treatment. After verification, the eligibility clerk will submit a request to National Card Management Directory (NCMD) System for a new card to be issued to the veteran. Once a veteran has his/her picture taken for the new card at the VA medical facility, the card will be mailed to the veteran at the address that has been provided. To ensure that a veteran receives the new VIC card, the veteran should please verify that VA has the correct address on file. If the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver the card, it will be returned to the facility at which the card was requested. The card will then be held in a secure location at the facility for 90 days. If the card is not picked up within the 90-day period, the card will be destroyed. With regard to the use of veteran ID cards for store discounts, please note: If these are valid store discounts for Veterans, a Veteran's DD-214 and a driver's license or non-driver's license should be appropriate. The VIC is the only ID card offered for veterans by VA; if a store will not accept this proof of veteran status, please check with your State's division of Veterans Affairs to see if they offer this service. For all information about Veterans Identification Cards (what it is, how to get one, what to do if lost or stolen, when it can be used, etc.) go tohttp://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/vhic/ for details.

So it looks like the usual VA waiting game. I am guessing another 4 to 5 months. Remember the VFW was against this while the bill was in progress; and the VA seemed not to be in favor of it either.

---- Jerald Terwilliger Chairman Emeritus American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

H.R. 91 Veteran's I.D. Card Act of 2015

The House of Representatives recently passed a bill H.R. 91 The Veteran's I.D. Card Act of 2015.

This bill would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue an Identification Card to any veteran
who asks for it.

There are many business and social establishments that offer discounts or free services to members
of the Armed Forces and/or Veterans.

Veterans who fulfilled the required length of service to retire, and those Veterans who are enrolled
in the VA Health Care system are issued Identification Cards as proof of service.

Any Veteran who did not retire, or is no in the VA Health Care does not have a valid Identification
Card, and must provide a copy of their DD-214 as proof of service.

The DD-214 is cumbersome to carry and also contains certain information that the Veteran may
not want to provide.

A valid Identification Card issued by the U.S. Government would eliminate the need to carry a
copy of a DD-214 and would serve as proof of military service.

The VA already has across the country a means in place to provide and ID Card. It would be a simple and expedient manner to manufacture and distribute such a card.

This would be at not cost to the government. The Secretary would determine the cost to provide
such an ID card; and that cost would be paid by the Veterans requesting this card.

The bill was sent to the Senate for consideration. After adding an amendment, the bill was passed.
Now the bill must go back to the House since the two bills are not identical.

The office of the bill's author Representative Vern Buchanan stated that the bill should be passed
in the House quickly and sent to President Obama for final approval.




---- Jerald Terwilliger Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Veterans I.D. Card Act-H.R. 2985

Representative Todd Akin (R-MO-2) on Sept. 21, 2011 introduced H.R. 2985 Veterans I.D. Card Act.

This bill would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue upon request, veterans identification cards to certain veterans, reads in part

Currently veterans identification cards are issued to veterans who have completed the time in service requirements for retirement from the armed services, or have  received a medical-related discharge from the armed services.

A veteran who has served a minimum obligated time in service, but does not meet the criteria described above does not receive a means of identifying the veterans status as a veteran other than using the official DD-214 discharge papers to demonstrate such proof.

Goods, services and promotional activities are often provided by public and private institutions to veterans who provided proof of service in the military but it is impractical for a veteran to always carry official DD-214 discharge papers to demonstrate such proof.

`Sec. 5706. Veterans identification card

`(a) In General- The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall issue an identification card described in subsection (b) to any covered veteran who--

`(1) requests such card;

`(2) was discharged from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions;

`(3) presents a copy of the DD-214 form or other official document from the official military personnel file of the veteran that describes the service of the veteran; and

`(4) pays the fee under subsection (c)(1).

`(b) Identification Card- An identification card described in this subsection is a card that--

`(1) displays a photograph of the covered veteran;

`(2) displays the name of the covered veteran;

`(3) explains that such card is not proof of any benefits to which the veteran is entitled to;

`(4) contains an identification number that is not a social security number; and

`(5) serves as proof that such veteran--

`(A) honorably served in the Armed Forces; and

`(B) has a DD-214 form or other official document in the official military personnel file of the veteran that describes the service of the veteran.

`(c) Costs of Card- (1) The Secretary shall charge a fee to each veteran who receives an identification card issued under this section, including a replacement identification card.

`(2)(A) The fee charged under paragraph (1) shall equal an amount that the Secretary determines is necessary to issue an identification card under this section.

`(B) In determining the amount of the fee under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure that the total amount of fees collected under paragraph (1) equals an amount necessary to carry out this section, including costs related to any additional equipment or personnel required to carry out this section.

`(C) The Secretary shall review and reassess the determination under subparagraph (A) during each five-year period in which the Secretary issues an identification card under this section.

`(3) Amounts collected under this subsection shall be deposited in an account of the Department available to carry out this section. Amounts so deposited shall be merged with amounts in such account and shall be subject to the same conditions and limitations as amounts otherwise in such account.

`(d) Effect of Card on Benefits- (1) An identification card issued under this section shall not serve as proof of any benefits that the veteran may be entitled to under this title.

`(2) A covered veteran who is issued an identification card under this section shall not be entitled to any benefits under this title by reason of possessing such card.

`(e) Administrative Measures- (1) The Secretary shall ensure that any information collected or used with respect to an identification card issued under this section is appropriately secured.

`(2) The Secretary may determine any appropriate procedures with respect to issuing a replacement identification card.

`(3) In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall coordinate with the National Personnel Records Center.

`(4) The Secretary may conduct such outreach to advertise the identification card under this section as the Secretary considers appropriate.

`(f) Covered Veteran Defined- In this section, the term `covered veteran' means a veteran who--

`(1) is not entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of title 10; and

`(2) is not enrolled in the system of patient enrollment under section 1705 of this title
 
That is how the bill is written.
While several states have begun issuing veterans ID cards, not all are doing so at this time. A Federal ID Card would be a blessing to those veterans who do not have not retired or enrolled with the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
 
Please contact your Representative asking them to cosponsor H.R. 2985 and vote for passage when it reaches the full House Floor.
                                                                                                                                                  
 

 

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996