On July 20, 2015, Congress approved the Veterans Identification Card Act. This federal bill offers all honorably discharged service members a Veterans ID card that, in theory, should make it easier for veterans to prove their military service.
This ID card measure was on the books for several years. It had originally passed through the Senate and the House without much opposition but Congress proved a more formidable opponent. When the Obama administration voiced their reservation regarding the actual need for new ID’s Congress sat on the measure for several years. With approval finally being handed down from Congress, the measure headed to the White House to be signed into law.
Veterans ID Card Facilitates Proof of Military Service
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The measure itself called for a creation of official VA cards for all veterans rather than only to those who qualify for certain health care benefits and financial benefits. The veterans ID cards would not replace official defense retiree ID’s or medical ID’s and could not be used to obtain federal benefits. The idea is that they would serve as a much easier proof of military service rather than having to continually carry and present discharge paperwork in order to receive discounts or services with private businesses.
Florida Republican Representative Senator Vern Buchanan, who sponsored the measure, argued that the practice of carrying copies of discharge paperwork around with you is at best cumbersome and at worst unsafe, given the large amount of personal information stated on these documents.
If an ID is requested by a veteran, they would have to pay a small fee which would be determined by the Veterans’ Affairs officials and would help cover the cost of the program.
Even with the new veterans ID cards signed into law, no specific date is set for when the first ID cards will be issued. The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that the Veterans Identification Cards system may be launched sometime in 2017. The cost of each card has not yet been announced.
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