Veteran Health Identification Card: Uses, Access, and How to Apply

The Veteran Health Identification Card is a free photo ID that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issues to veterans enrolled in VA health care. You use it to check in at VA medical appointments, and depending on what’s printed on the front, it can also get you onto military installations to shop at commissaries and exchanges, through TSA checkpoints as accepted ID, and into veteran discounts at many retailers.¹

Who Qualifies

Enrollment in VA health care is the gate. No enrollment, no card.¹ Once you’re enrolled, the VA places you in one of eight priority groups based on factors like your disability rating, income, and service history. Most groups guarantee enrollment, but certain subgroups within Priority Group 8 are not eligible for VA health care benefits at all, which also means no VHIC.²

Your priority group can shift over time. A higher service-connected disability rating or a change in income may improve your access and lower what you pay.

What’s On the Card and What It Does

The card shows your photo, your latest branch of service emblem, and any special awards you’ve received. “VA” is printed in braille for veterans with low vision.¹ If you qualify, one or more service designations appear on the front beneath your photo: PURPLE HEART, FORMER POW, or SERVICE CONNECTED.³ Those labels decide whether you can use the card at military installations.

At VA medical centers, you scan the card at check-in kiosks to pull up your appointment and records.

Commissary, Exchange, and MWR Access

Under 10 U.S.C. § 1065, veterans who are Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, Medal of Honor recipients, or have any service-connected disability rating can shop at military commissaries and use Morale, Welfare, and Recreation retail facilities on the same basis as retired service members. Approved primary family caregivers of eligible veterans qualify as well.⁴

To get through the gates for in-person shopping, the front of your VHIC has to display PURPLE HEART, FORMER POW, or SERVICE CONNECTED. Without one of those designations, you won’t get on-base access, though you can still shop at military exchanges online.³ Medal of Honor recipients and veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating may qualify for separate DoD-issued credentials under existing DoD policy.

User Fees at the Commissary

Veterans who gain commissary access solely through § 1065 pay a small transaction-based user fee when paying with a credit or debit card, which offsets the Defense Commissary Agency’s card-processing costs. Separate rates apply to credit and PIN-based debit transactions, and the Defense Department reviews them annually. Purchases with the MILITARY STAR card or electronic benefit transfer cards (like SNAP or WIC) are exempt.⁵

Guest and Visitor Rules

Bringing someone along is more restrictive than many veterans expect. If your access comes through a VHIC rather than a DoD-issued credential, you cannot sponsor or vouch for accompanying visitors.⁶ On installations that do allow visitors, each person must independently clear the visitor control center with a REAL ID-compliant license, passport, or other acceptable credential. Visitors who make it on base must stay with the sponsoring veteran at all times and are not allowed to make purchases.

Using It at TSA and With Retailers

The VHIC is on TSA’s list of acceptable identification at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel.⁷ That list can change, so check before you fly.

Many stores, restaurants, and businesses also accept the VHIC as proof of veteran status for discounts. The VA’s own guidance says that if you have a VHIC, you don’t need a separate photo ID card to prove you’re a veteran for retail purposes.⁸ An expired card may not be honored by community retailers, even though expiration has no effect on your VA healthcare eligibility.

How It Differs From the Veteran ID Card

The Veteran ID Card (VIC) is a separate digital photo ID for veterans who want to prove their status for retail discounts but aren’t necessarily enrolled in VA health care. VIC eligibility requires an honorable or general discharge; veterans with other-than-honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharges don’t qualify for it.⁸ If you already have a VHIC, there’s no reason to also apply for a VIC.

How to Apply

You have two paths, in person or online, and neither costs anything.

ID and Photo You’ll Need

Either way, you’ll provide a current, unexpired photo ID. Acceptable forms include a state driver’s license, a U.S. passport, or any federal, state, or local government-issued photo ID that shows your name, address, and date of birth.¹

You’ll also need a recent photo that meets the VA’s rules:

Taken within the last six months.
Background in white, light blue, or another light color.
Full front view of your face, centered and cropped from the shoulders up, like a passport photo.
Neutral expression with your mouth closed.
No eyeglasses or non-medical electronic devices. Hats and head coverings are only allowed for religious or medical reasons, with documentation.
For online applications, the file must be a JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, or TIFF.

In Person

Visit any VA medical center and ask for the enrollment coordinator or member services office. Bring your unexpired photo ID. Staff will verify your identity, confirm your enrollment, and take your photo on site. The card itself isn’t printed there. All cards are produced at a central facility and mailed to your registered home address.¹

Online Through AccessVA

Sign in to the AccessVA portal with an ID.me or Login.gov account, or a Department of Defense Common Access Card or Personal Identity Verification card. Upload a digital photo that meets the requirements above along with a copy of your unexpired photo ID. If the address on your uploaded ID doesn’t match the address in your VA.gov profile, update your profile first or the request may not process correctly.¹

After the VA verifies your submission, the card enters a printing queue. If you live in the U.S., expect delivery by mail within 7 to 14 days.¹

Renewal

The VHIC has an expiration date. An expired card won’t affect your eligibility for VA care or your ability to be treated, but community retailers offering veteran discounts may refuse to honor it.⁹

Renew online through AccessVA when you can. Online requests are typically processed by your local VA team within 24 to 48 hours on business days, and the renewed card ships from the central printing facility with a normal turnaround of 5 to 10 days. Going in person doesn’t get you a card any faster, since every card is mailed from the same location. If you renew in person, bring valid unexpired ID. Travel pay is not authorized for visits made solely to renew a VHIC.⁹

Lost or Stolen Cards

If your card is lost or stolen, call the VA health benefits line at 1-877-222-8387 to have the old card deactivated.¹ You can request a replacement in person at your nearest VA medical center or online through AccessVA. There’s no fee. Staff may ask for a new photo if the one on file is outdated, and the replacement follows the same central printing and mailing timeline as a new card.

When you receive a new VHIC, destroy the old one by cutting it up or shredding it. The same goes for any older-style Veterans Identification Card from before the VHIC program rolled out.¹

1
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Get A Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
2
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Health Care Priority Groups
3
VA News. Veterans Need VHIC for In-Person Commissary, Military Exchange, MWR Access
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1065 – Use of Commissary Stores and MWR Retail Facilities
5
eCFR. 32 CFR Part 225 – Commissary Credit and Debit Card User Fee
6
Military OneSource. Expanding Access to Commissary, Exchange and MWR Facilities
7
Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
8
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Types of Veteran ID Cards
9
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) Renewals