Mailing of New Veteran ID Cards Delayed
Mar 21, 2018 11:45:21 #
Mailing of New Veteran ID Cards Delayed
New veterans identification card. (Image: Department of Veterans Affairs)
Military.com 16 Mar 2018 By Amy Bushatz
Veterans waiting for their new ID card to arrive by mail won't see it until at least April, officials announced in an email this week.
The free ID cards, available to honorably discharged veterans of all eras through the Department of Veterans Affairs website, were to be mailed in early March, VA officials told Military.com in January.
An email update sent March 13, however, announced that "printing and mailing for approved ID cards will begin in April."
The printing delay was caused by the review process, which must "ensure that a valid form of identification and image was provided," Curt Cashour, a VA spokesman, said in an email.
Related: Should You Get the New Veteran ID Card? https://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/2018-03/veterans-id-card-1200.jpg?itok=EP3BGJvh
When I separated in 1957 I had eight copies of my DD214 made. Why eight? Youthful exuberance maybe, but the significant thing is that I have only two copies left; the others have simply vanished and now is when I am using them regularly. This ID is on record and reproducible -- I ordered mine
"VA is currently working with a print vendor to validate printed ID card samples, and we expect to complete this process soon so approved cards can be printed and mailed as soon as possible," he wrote.
Cards can also be downloaded and printed from Vets.gov. Almost 65,000 veterans had applied for the card as of March 13, Cashour said -- about 50,000 new applications since late January.
The shipping delay is the latest in a series of errors since the cards' original rollout in late November.
The online application appeared to face major technical problems immediately after opening, and the VA in early December suspended new applications, instead posting a message asking veterans to submit an email address to receive updates. Applications opened again in late January.
The card program, which was ordered by Congress in 2015, is meant to give veterans a way to show proof of service to businesses and others without carrying their DD-214 discharge paperwork. It is not meant to replace other forms of military or veteran ID and does not serve as proof of qualification for any federal program. Veterans are not required to get the ID.
Veterans continue to encounter errors while applying for the card, according to feedback sent by veterans to Military.com. Some vets reported problems with the system accepting their service records, while others who reached out to VA officials for support were met with confusion.
"I even called President Trump's hotline for veterans and they forwarded my concern to a Dr. David J. Shulkin, the Secretary of the VA," one veteran wrote this week in an email to Military.com. "I heard back from a person in the VA and he told me that they have nothing to do with the new identification cards. They only deal with the identification cards for veterans that are getting medical coverage through the VA."
-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
New veterans identification card. (Image: Department of Veterans Affairs)
Military.com 16 Mar 2018 By Amy Bushatz
Veterans waiting for their new ID card to arrive by mail won't see it until at least April, officials announced in an email this week.
The free ID cards, available to honorably discharged veterans of all eras through the Department of Veterans Affairs website, were to be mailed in early March, VA officials told Military.com in January.
An email update sent March 13, however, announced that "printing and mailing for approved ID cards will begin in April."
The printing delay was caused by the review process, which must "ensure that a valid form of identification and image was provided," Curt Cashour, a VA spokesman, said in an email.
Related: Should You Get the New Veteran ID Card? https://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/2018-03/veterans-id-card-1200.jpg?itok=EP3BGJvh
When I separated in 1957 I had eight copies of my DD214 made. Why eight? Youthful exuberance maybe, but the significant thing is that I have only two copies left; the others have simply vanished and now is when I am using them regularly. This ID is on record and reproducible -- I ordered mine
"VA is currently working with a print vendor to validate printed ID card samples, and we expect to complete this process soon so approved cards can be printed and mailed as soon as possible," he wrote.
Cards can also be downloaded and printed from Vets.gov. Almost 65,000 veterans had applied for the card as of March 13, Cashour said -- about 50,000 new applications since late January.
The shipping delay is the latest in a series of errors since the cards' original rollout in late November.
The online application appeared to face major technical problems immediately after opening, and the VA in early December suspended new applications, instead posting a message asking veterans to submit an email address to receive updates. Applications opened again in late January.
The card program, which was ordered by Congress in 2015, is meant to give veterans a way to show proof of service to businesses and others without carrying their DD-214 discharge paperwork. It is not meant to replace other forms of military or veteran ID and does not serve as proof of qualification for any federal program. Veterans are not required to get the ID.
Veterans continue to encounter errors while applying for the card, according to feedback sent by veterans to Military.com. Some vets reported problems with the system accepting their service records, while others who reached out to VA officials for support were met with confusion.
"I even called President Trump's hotline for veterans and they forwarded my concern to a Dr. David J. Shulkin, the Secretary of the VA," one veteran wrote this week in an email to Military.com. "I heard back from a person in the VA and he told me that they have nothing to do with the new identification cards. They only deal with the identification cards for veterans that are getting medical coverage through the VA."
-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
Mar 21, 2018 12:14:01 #
pafret wrote:
Mailing of New Veteran ID Cards Delayed br img ht... (show quote)
Another 1 ? I've got at least 6 already !!! Waste more money, give 'em more plastic !!!
Mar 21, 2018 13:35:23 #
zillaorange wrote:
Another 1 ? I've got at least 6 already !!! Waste more money, give 'em more plastic !!!
You can't have six of these, they are new. If you were in the VA Healthcare system you already have a Veterans ID Card.
Mar 22, 2018 08:00:22 #
pafret wrote:
You can't have six of these, they are new. If you were in the VA Healthcare system you already have a Veterans ID Card.
Previous versions there pafret ! Guess you missed my meaning ? VETS DESERVE BETTER HEALTH CARE & LESS BEAUROCRATIC HORSE S___
Mar 22, 2018 09:17:06 #
zillaorange wrote:
Previous versions there pafret ! Guess you missed my meaning ? VETS DESERVE BETTER HEALTH CARE & LESS BEAUROCRATIC HORSE S___
There is no arguing with your statement that Vets deserve better care and Trump has been remiss in his promise to allow veterans to use private medical facilities, instead of the VA system. In my one use of the VA system to get hearing aids, more time was spent getting me into the system records than treating me. Then they refused to accept my private doctors test records of hearing loss and ordered the same tests to be redone. I paid a deductible for the private doctor and got charged the same deductible by the VA, except it was ten dollars more expensive, for exactly the same service.
The distance and difficulty in getting there, bad parking for patients and long waiting times, made me very happy that except for this one item I did not have to use the VA for medical attention.
Mar 22, 2018 17:59:02 #
pafret wrote:
There is no arguing with your statement that Vets ... (show quote)
Actually we have THREE branches of government. Trump signs laws drafted by the Congress. As usual the blame falls 100% on the totally useless Congress we v**ed for. Until we drain the swamp, NOTHING will ever get done. We elected a good President, we NEED to totally replace Congress. They are the worthless ones.
Semper Fi
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