[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 91 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.91
One Hundred Fourteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the sixth day of January, two thousand and fifteen
An Act
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to issue, upon request, veteran identification cards to
certain veterans.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Identification Card Act
2015''.
SEC. 2. VETERANS IDENTIFICATION CARD.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Effective on the day before the date of the enactment of
this Act, veteran identification cards were issued to veterans who
have either completed the statutory time-in-service requirement for
retirement from the Armed Forces or who have received a medical-
related discharge from the Armed Forces.
(2) Effective on the day before the date of the enactment of
this Act, a veteran who served a minimum obligated time in service,
but who did not meet the criteria described in paragraph (1), did
not receive a means of identifying the veteran's status as a
veteran other than using the Department of Defense form DD-214
discharge papers of the veteran.
(3) Goods, services, and promotional activities are often
offered by public and private institutions to veterans who
demonstrate proof of service in the military, but it is impractical
for a veteran to always carry Department of Defense form DD-214
discharge papers to demonstrate such proof.
(4) A general purpose veteran identification card made
available to veterans would be useful to demonstrate the status of
the veterans without having to carry and use official Department of
Defense form DD-214 discharge papers.
(5) On the day before the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Department of Veterans Affairs had the infrastructure in place
across the United States to produce photographic identification
cards and accept a small payment to cover the cost of these cards.
(b) Provision of Veteran Identification Cards.--Chapter 57 of title
38, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 5705 the
following new section:
``Sec. 5706. Veterans identification card
``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall issue an
identification card described in subsection (b) to each veteran who--
``(1) requests such card;
``(2) presents a copy of Department of Defense form DD-214 or
other official document from the official military personnel file
of the veteran that describes the service of the veteran; and
``(3) pays the fee under subsection (c)(1).
``(b) Identification Card.--An identification card described in
this subsection is a card issued to a veteran that--
``(1) displays a photograph of the veteran;
``(2) displays the name of the veteran;
``(3) explains that such card is not proof of any benefits to
which the veteran is entitled to;
``(4) contains an identification number that is not a social
security number; and
``(5) serves as proof that such veteran--
``(A) served in the Armed Forces; and
``(B) has a Department of Defense form DD-214 or other
official document in the official military personnel file of
the veteran that describes the service of the veteran.
``(c) Costs of Card.--(1) The Secretary shall charge a fee to each
veteran who receives an identification card issued under this section,
including a replacement identification card.
``(2)(A) The fee charged under paragraph (1) shall equal such
amount as the Secretary determines is necessary to issue an
identification card under this section.
``(B) In determining the amount of the fee under subparagraph (A),
the Secretary shall ensure that the total amount of fees collected
under paragraph (1) equals an amount necessary to carry out this
section, including costs related to any additional equipment or
personnel required to carry out this section.
``(C) The Secretary shall review and reassess the determination
under subparagraph (A) during each five-year period in which the
Secretary issues an identification card under this section.
``(3) Amounts collected under this subsection shall be deposited in
an account of the Department available to carry out this section.
Amounts so deposited shall be--
``(A) merged with amounts in such account;
``(B) available in such amounts as may be provided in
appropriation Acts; and
``(C) subject to the same conditions and limitations as amounts
otherwise in such account.
``(d) Effect of Card on Benefits.--(1) An identification card
issued under this section shall not serve as proof of any benefits that
the veteran may be entitled to under this title.
``(2) A veteran who is issued an identification card under this
section shall not be entitled to any benefits under this title by
reason of possessing such card.
``(e) Administrative Measures.--(1) The Secretary shall ensure that
any information collected or used with respect to an identification
card issued under this section is appropriately secured.
``(2) The Secretary may determine any appropriate procedures with
respect to issuing a replacement identification card.
``(3) In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall coordinate
with the National Personnel Records Center.
``(4) The Secretary may conduct such outreach to advertise the
identification card under this section as the Secretary considers
appropriate.
``(f) Construction.--This section shall not be construed to affect
identification cards otherwise provided by the Secretary to veterans
enrolled in the health care system established under section 1705(a) of
this title.''.
(c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
5705 the following new item:
``5706. Veterans identification card.''.
(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall take
effect on the date that is 60 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.