Veteran Health Identification Card

The VHIC protects the privacy of veterans' sensitive information, as it no longer displays the Social Security number or date of birth on the front of the card.

The VHIC will only display the veteran's name, picture, and special eligibility indicators—Service Connected, Purple Heart and former POW, if applicable, on the front of the card.

[1] Starting on Jan. 1, 2020, the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act allows Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and veterans with service-connected disabilities entry onto military installations to use the AAFES Exchange; commissary and Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities.

Since there are a number of other exceptions to the minimum duty requirements, VA encourages all veterans to apply so that they may determine their enrollment eligibility.

[4] In September 2011, the Veterans ID Card Act, HR 2985, was introduced by US Congressmen Todd Akin, and Silvestre Reyes.