After several months of work bringing the legislation to reality, Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) saw his Veterans Identification Card Act, allowing all veterans in America to receive an official identification card from the VA, signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday.
“Every veteran – past, present, and future – will now be able to prove their military service without the added risk of identity theft,” Buchanan said. “It’s the least we can do for the brave men and women in uniform who put it all on the line for us.”
Buchanan has mentioned several times over the last year that under current conditions, millions of veterans have been unable to document their service to our country without carrying around their actual official military service records. These records, referred to as DD-214 forms, include many items of critical personal information, such as social security numbers, addresses, and service history – all of which increase the risk that the veterans, many of whom are elderly, will be targets of identity theft.
The Veterans Identification Card Act was approved by unanimous votes in both the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate this month. The legislation has been endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans for Common Sense, AMVETS and the Association of the United States Navy.