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.
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.
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.
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.