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VA Photo ID Cards for All Veterans Coming in November
Updated at 5:25 p.m. Eastern
All honorably discharged veterans of every era will be able to get a photo identification card from the Department of Veterans Affairs starting in November due to a law passed in 2015.
The law, known as the Veterans Identification Card Act 2015, orders the VA to issue a hard-copy photo ID to any honorably discharged veteran who applies. The card must contain the veteran's name, photo and a non-Social Security identification number, the law states.
A VA official on Wednesday confirmed the cards are on track to be available nationwide starting in November. Veterans may apply for the card online, but a timeline for how long it will take to receive a card after application has not been finalized, the official said.
No details were released on when that application process will open, what information veterans will need when applying or the web address they will use.
Although the law states that the VA may charge a fee for the card, the official said no fee is planned.
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The change comes as the military exchange stores prepare to open online shopping to all honorably discharged veterans starting Nov. 11. Veterans who wish to use that new benefit must be verified through VetVerify.org.
Congress passed the ID law as a way to help veterans prove their service without showing a copy of their DD-214.
"Goods, services and promotional activities are often offered by public and private institutions to veterans who demonstrate proof of service in the military, but it is impractical for a veteran to always carry Department of Defense form DD-214 discharge papers to demonstrate such proof," the law states.
Some veterans already carry such proof of service.
Those who receive health care from the VA or have a disability rating can get a photo ID VA health card, also known as a Veteran Health Identification Card. Military retirees also hold an ID card issued by the Defense Department.
Veterans are also able to get a proof of service letter through the VA'sebenefits website. And some states will include a veteran designation on driver's licenses if requested.
Editor's Note: The fourth and fifth graphs have been updated with additional information from the VA.
-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
Related Topics | Headlines Department of Veteran Affairs Veteran BenefitsVeteran Discounts Amy Bushatz |
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Veterans with 'Bad Paper' Won't Get New VA ID Cards
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WASHINGTON -- Starting next month, veterans can register for identification cards that prove their military history -- but not everyone who has served will get one.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will provide free, hard-copy identification cards that include their names, photos and an identification number. The rollout is the result of legislation Congress passed in 2015 to make it easier for veterans to receive things such as discounts at stores and restaurants.
Some veterans groups applauded the legislation at the time, saying it would be easier and safer than having veterans carry around their DD214s -- certificates of release or discharge that contain sensitive information.
It's unsure when the cards will be available in November, or how long it will take to process applications for them. The design is also still being finalized.
Related content:
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- VA Photo ID Cards for All Veterans Coming in November
- Retirees, VA Disability Recipients to Get Biggest Pay Raise Since 2012
But one thing is certain: Cards won't be available to veterans with other-than-honorable discharges.
"Only those veterans with honorable service will be eligible for the ID card," VA spokesman Curt Cashour said Wednesday.
That has prompted anger by some veterans, who see it as setback despite recent progress the government has made in how it treats vets with other-than-honorable discharges, known as "bad paper."
In July, the VA began providing urgent mental health care to veterans with other-than-honorable discharges -- aid that previously wasn't available. The following month, the Defense Department issued a sweeping policy change to afford more leeway to veterans seeking upgrades to their other-than-honorable discharges.
"This is a step backward," said Tyson Manker, a former infantry Marinewho received an other-than-honorable discharge after he returned from a 2003 deployment.
Kristofer Goldsmith, an assistant director for policy and government affairs at Vietnam Veterans of America and founder of High Ground Veterans Advocacy, said he appealed to VA Secretary David Shulkin to allow all veterans to receive the cards.
The bill passed in 2015 does not mention limiting the cards to veterans with honorable discharges. Cashour did not explain the eligibility restriction.
"They're being denied their very identity as a veteran," said Goldsmith, an Iraq War veteran who was discharged for misconduct after a suicide attempt. "They face this at multiple points in their life. A lot of folks just think the point of discharge is the punishment, but these administrative discharges are lifetime sentences."
Experts have cited various reasons service members could've unfairly received bad paper.
From World War II to 2011, when the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy was repealed, veterans were other-than-honorably discharged for being gay. Others have struggled with service-related post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma or other disorders that affected their behavior and led to their bad paper.
The Government Accountability Office released a report in May stating more than 57,000 service members suffering from PTSD, TBI or adjustment; and anxiety, bipolar and substance abuse disorders were separated from the military for misconduct from 2011 through 2015.
Manker was 21 and dealing with mental health issues when he was accused of smoking marijuana off base, he said. His discharge initially prevented him from receiving VA services, but he recently won his fight to secure benefits.
Being rejected the new identification cards means another fight to prove his status as a veteran, he said.
"Once again, here we are, and 'bad paper' veterans are getting pushed aside and forgotten about like they're not veterans," Manker said. "It's shameful. This just turns the knife in a little bit deeper."
Related Topics | Department of Veteran Affairs Veteran Discounts Headlines |
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