Veterans ID Cards Are All New But Are They Necessary?

New Veteran ID Cards ? Helpful or Unnecessary?

Congress recently approved plans to create veteran ID cards for eligible service members. This ID card will allow veterans to prove their military service without having to reveal any other valuable document such as the DD214 ( Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), which is a treasure trove for identity fraudsters as it contains sensitive information including the name of the veteran service member and even their social security number.

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The bill for the Veterans Card was approved by both the House and Senate, and now heads to the White House where president Obama is expected to sign it. Sponsored by Rep. Buchanan, the veteran ID card will be made available to all veterans and not just those who qualify for certain healthcare and financial benefits.

Supporters of the bill regard this as a simple way to honor the dedication and sacrifice of veterans.
Currently, veterans enjoy a ton of benefits with the DD214 document such as discounts at Home Depot and movie theaters, and the veteran ID card will provide the same perks only without opening up to ID fraud. But this new veterans ID has not hit the soft spot for everyone, where the Veterans of Foreign Wars claim that it will only add burden to Veteran Affairs, which is the agency in-charge of issuing the cards.

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The veteran ID card will only prove handy for claiming discounts on goods and services and not to prove veteran status for job hunting, which are the two situations in which military identification is required. In addition, the new veterans ID card is not as significant as it sounds, and won?t serve as proof for veteran benefits such as care at a Veterans Affairs medical facility. Furthermore, it won?t replace any official government ID such as a Social Security Card, and seems like just one more piece of plastic to add to your wallet, and one that could be easily misplaced or stolen.

And the veteran ID card isn?t even free, and veterans opting for the Veteran ID cards would have to pay a fee, which will be determined by the Veterans Affairs. The issue the ID card was designed to resolve was the need to carry around a copy of their DD 214 document to prove their military service for veterans? discounts, but this ID card won?t be any harder to have stolen or misplace.