My uncle just asked me if I had a military spouse ID. I told him my wife doesn’t have a military ID. She said she wished she had one. So…
She has a VA card, and her DD 214. She was in the Army for five years, and was a CWO2 (I think). Is there any way for her to get a military ID card?
Contact the VA: https://www.va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/vic/
Thanks. I’ll give her the information. Is there a way to get a physical card? Like, next time we drive by Ft. Lewis, can she get one in person?
Pass and badge office. Or similar sounding place. A lot of eligibility changes. No longer open ended. Each installation may be different as well. As a civilian DoD retiree, I have a different card for the local Army, combined Navy/Air Force, and Marine bases.
I served on active duty for over ten years and was in the inactive reserves for a few years after that. However, I no longer have a military ID card issued by the Department of Defense as I did not serve long enough to get retirement benefits. I’m not aware of any way to get one unless you are currently serving on active duty, are currently a drilling reservist (not inactive), or a military retiree. So far as I’m aware, veterans who don’t fall into one of the above categories do not rate a military ID card.
You can a get a veteran identification card issued by the VA to prove that you are a veteran to merchants that give discounts to veterans using the link provided by @DCnDC, but that is by no means the same thing as a military ID card. I got one of the veteran identification cards…it doesn’t look particularly official, and the few times I’ve tried to use it I just get a blank look from the merchant.
Also, per the link, the VA apparently no longer issues physical cards. As of September 2022, all new Veteran ID Cards are digital. It looks like I got a physical card shortly before they discontinued them.
In any event, the veteran ID card is useless for giving you access to military bases, commissaries or exchanges. I actually have yet to find a use for it. My town gives some modest property tax benefits to veterans, and they wouldn’t take the card either. Instead they wanted a notarized copy of my DD-214.
Almost certainly not. If she’s not on this list, she’s not eligible:
What is the real question here? What are the OP & veteran spouse trying to accomplish with these cards if they exist? Or is this just curiosity raised by the uncle’s probably uninformed (or out-of-date) question?
If the question is really about something to prove veteran status to e.g. Home Depot to get their discount, you might check with your state driver’s license bureau. Here in FL if you show them your DD214 they will issue you a drivers license with a special logo and the word “Veteran” on it. Which seems to be universally recognized by the places that offer specials to vets.
No guarantee that WA or any other state has this, but it’s probably easy to check.
NJ is the same. I submitted a copy of my DD214 and NJ issued a DL with “Veteran” on it.
By the way, big stores like Home Depot and Lowes have online methods to apply for veteran status. They send you to “My ID” and after jumping through a few hoops you are officially identified as a veteran.
This is important because Home Depot has a 10% discount on most things for veterans–that comes in quite handy on big home improvement projects.
Most larger businesses use that My ID thing.
I haven’t had any opportunity to actually use the DL with Veteran status for anything in the wild.
And if you’re talking about a CAC, it’s doubtful she can get one unless she’s a federal employee or a contractor for the DoD.
My own bet is the uncle has confused being a veteran with being a retiree. Military retirees have DoD ID cards. Which are quite distinct from active military DoD ID cards. Non-retired veterans have … nothing.
Aha! My dad retired after 20 years (plus two years in the Army before the Navy). I just assumed you kept your military ID, and could have it replaced if it was lost or something.
Yes, it’s just curiosity. And having something she could carry with her to prove she’s a veteran. When she’s used her VA card, she sounds a little aplogetic that that’s all she has.
I should find out about that.
I’ve never seen hers.
When you retire or otherwise leave the military you are supposed to turn in your ID card. If you don’t it still wouldn’t help. They have expiration dates. Even if it’s an officer ID card with no expiration dates, ID cards have changed over the years and it’s clear if you have an old one.
If you retire from the military you get a retired ID card. That gives you access to military bases. If your father retired from the Navy he received a retired ID card. If you don’t put in enough years to retire then you don’t get an ID. I have a retired ID card and my wife got a dependent ID card when we got married last year.
From the federal government the only card I know of to prove veterans status for non-retirees is the VA card. As mentioned some states will note veterans status on drivers licenses.
That’s correct; the ID allows you to get on base. I believe it also allows you to shop at the commissary and (I think) access to the base gym.
A CAC is the next step up, as it also allows you access to certain computer networks.
id dot me - A private company that requires more info than most if not all gov’t agencies; a hacker’s wet dream; not worth 10% off to me
Some states use it to, for things like unemployment benefits & some federal agencies, too.
My understanding as well. I’m retired military, so both my wife and I have military (retired) IDs, which also act as proof of Tricare medical insurance.
Same goes for California and it’s recognized all over. I still have my old ID card from 1993 when I got out. I just kept it.
I’m curious about this as I’m getting close to retirement. I thought once us civillians were done, we were done. What is this card and what does it untitle us to?
I had a military ID as a dependent until I turned 21. My dad was retired Air Force.
I never went on base alone. Only with my parents to shop at the Commissary and Bx.
That’s the one. I agree that they ask for quite a bit of info. That said, I have had to use it for multiple government things, such as IRS stuff and other stuff. It seems like the government uses them as a service for many verification things, not just whether you served in the military.
If you have an account at Social Security or the IRS, it’s now authenticated by ID.me.
I share the concern about private entities, but once the Feds trust these folks enough to have given them those particular keys to our collective kingdoms, ISTM we’re kinda stuck trusting them. If I trust them enough with the ability to file taxes in my name or fiddle with my SS in my name, I guess I trust them enough to give me 10% off at Lowes.