I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2985 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to issue, upon request, veteran identification cards to certain veterans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 

Mr. AKIN (for himself and Mr. REYES) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue, upon request, veteran 

identification cards to certain veterans. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran’s I.D. Card 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. VETERANS IDENTIFICATION CARD. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Currently, veteran identification cards are 

9 issued to veterans who have either completed the 

10 statutory time-in-service requirement for retirement 


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1 from the Armed Forces or who have received a med2 ical-related discharge from the Armed Forces. 

3 (2) A veteran who has served a minimum obli4 gated time in service, but who does not meet the cri5 teria described in paragraph (1), does not receive a 

6 means of identifying the veteran’s status as a vet7 eran other than using the official DD–214 discharge 

8 papers of the veteran. 

9 (3) Goods, services, and promotional activities 

10 are often offered by public and private institutions 

11 to veterans who demonstrate proof of service in the 

12 military but it is impractical for a veteran to always 

13 carry official DD–214 discharge papers to dem14 onstrate such proof. 

15 (4) A general purpose veteran identification 

16 card made available to a veteran who does not meet 

17 the criteria described in paragraph (1) would be use18 ful to such veteran in order to demonstrate the sta19 tus of the veteran without having to carry and use 

20 official DD–214 discharge papers. 

21 (5) The Department of Veterans Affairs has 

22 the infrastructure in place across the United States 

23 to produce photographic identification cards and ac24 cept a small payment to cover the cost of these 

25 cards. 


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1 (b) PROVISION OF VETERAN IDENTIFICATION

2 CARDS.—Chapter 57 of title 38, United States Code, is 

3 amended by adding after section 5705 the following new 

4 section: 

5 ‘‘§ 5706. Veterans identification card 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af7 fairs shall issue an identification card described in sub8 section (b) to any covered veteran who— 

9 ‘‘(1) requests such card; 

10 ‘‘(2) was discharged from the Armed Forces 

11 under honorable conditions; 

12 ‘‘(3) presents a copy of the DD–214 form or 

13 other official document from the official military 

14 personnel file of the veteran that describes the serv15 ice of the veteran; and 

16 ‘‘(4) pays the fee under subsection (c)(1). 

17 ‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION CARD.—An identification card 

18 described in this subsection is a card that— 

19 ‘‘(1) displays a photograph of the covered vet20 eran; 

21 ‘‘(2) displays the name of the covered veteran; 

22 ‘‘(3) explains that such card is not proof of any 

23 benefits to which the veteran is entitled to; 

24 ‘‘(4) contains an identification number that is 

25 not a social security number; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) serves as proof that such veteran— 

2 ‘‘(A) honorably served in the Armed 

3 Forces; and 

4 ‘‘(B) has a DD–214 form or other official 

5 document in the official military personnel file 

6 of the veteran that describes the service of the 

7 veteran. 

8 ‘‘(c) COSTS OF CARD.—(1) The Secretary shall 

9 charge a fee to each veteran who receives an identification 

10 card issued under this section, including a replacement 

11 identification card. 

12 ‘‘(2)(A) The fee charged under paragraph (1) shall 

13 equal an amount that the Secretary determines is nec14 essary to issue an identification card under this section. 

15 ‘‘(B) In determining the amount of the fee under sub16 paragraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure that the total 

17 amount of fees collected under paragraph (1) equals an 

18 amount necessary to carry out this section, including costs 

19 related to any additional equipment or personnel required 

20 to carry out this section. 

21 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall review and reassess the de22 termination under subparagraph (A) during each five-year 

23 period in which the Secretary issues an identification card 

24 under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(3) Amounts collected under this subsection shall be 

2 deposited in an account of the Department available to 

3 carry out this section. Amounts so deposited shall be 

4 merged with amounts in such account and shall be subject 

5 to the same conditions and limitations as amounts other6 wise in such account. 

7 ‘‘(d) EFFECT OF CARD ON BENEFITS.—(1) An iden8 tification card issued under this section shall not serve as 

9 proof of any benefits that the veteran may be entitled to 

10 under this title. 

11 ‘‘(2) A covered veteran who is issued an identification 

12 card under this section shall not be entitled to any benefits 

13 under this title by reason of possessing such card. 

14 ‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES.—(1) The Sec15 retary shall ensure that any information collected or used 

16 with respect to an identification card issued under this 

17 section is appropriately secured. 

18 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may determine any appropriate 

19 procedures with respect to issuing a replacement identi20 fication card. 

21 ‘‘(3) In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall 

22 coordinate with the National Personnel Records Center. 

23 ‘‘(4) The Secretary may conduct such outreach to ad24 vertise the identification card under this section as the 

25 Secretary considers appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(f) COVERED VETERAN DEFINED.—In this section, 

2 the term ‘covered veteran’ means a veteran who— 

3 ‘‘(1) is not entitled to retired pay under chapter 

4 1223 of title 10; and 

5 ‘‘(2) is not enrolled in the system of patient en6 rollment under section 1705 of this title.’’. 

7 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

8 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

9 after the item relating to section 5705 the following new 

10 item: 

‘‘5706. Veterans identification card.’’. 

11 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

12 this Act shall take effect on the date that is 60 days after 

13 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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