Bill would create ID card for all veterans - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Bill would create ID card for all veterans

Two veterans serving in the House of Representatives have introduced legislation to have the government provide identification cards to all veterans, not just military retirees.

In an era where Congress is watching pennies, the legislation would require the Veterans Affairs Department to provide the photo identification to any eligible veteran who asks, but allows for a fee to be charged.

The fee would be determined later. To keep it as low as possible or maybe even make the cards free, the legislation allows for advertising on the card.

The Veterans ID Card Act, HR 2985, was introduced Wednesday by Reps. Todd Akin, R-Mo., and Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, both Army veterans, as a way for people to prove their status if they are not military retirees, who have Defense Department-issued identification, and do not receive VA medical benefits.

“Millions of Americans have served honorably in our nation’s armed forces, including over two million who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11,” said Akin, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and projection forces panel, who served eight years in the Army Reserve as a combat engineer beginning in 1972. Reyes, also a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is a Vietnam veteran.

“I know that numerous businesses today are eager to hire returning veterans or recognize their special service and would like to be able to confirm that an individual is, in fact, a veteran,” said Akin. Such ID cards also would be handy for veterans to use in qualifying for discounts and promotions, he said.

Veterans do have proof of their military service, the DD 214 Report of Separation, which must be produced to use veterans’ benefits, but Akin said it would be a lot easier to carry an ID card than the piece of paper.

The military form also contains an individual’s Social Security number, something most people don’t want to pass around.