What Is the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act?

The Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018 opened military commissaries, exchanges, and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) facilities to veterans who previously had no shot at these on-base benefits without a 20-year career. Passed as Section 621 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232), it created 10 U.S.C. § 1065, which puts wounded, captured, and service-connected disabled veterans, plus approved VA caregivers, on the same footing as military retirees for shopping and recreation privileges.¹ In-person access at installations began January 1, 2020.²

Who Qualifies

The statute covers five groups:

Purple Heart recipients.
Former prisoners of war.
Medal of Honor recipients.
Any veteran with a VA-documented service-connected disability rating, including a 0% rating.
Individuals designated as the primary family caregiver under the VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.

Each group receives privileges on the same basis as a retired service member.¹ The practical shift here is for veterans rated between 0% and 90%. Veterans with a 100% service-connected rating or 100% unemployability rating typically had base access already under pre-existing DoD policy, and they carry a Uniformed Services Identification Card rather than relying on a VA health card.³

What You Can Use On Base

Commissaries

Defense Commissary Agency stores sell groceries at cost. Purchases on installations are also exempt from state and local sales tax, which can push savings past 25% compared to a civilian grocery run. A 5% surcharge applies to every commissary transaction and funds store construction and equipment.⁴

Military Exchanges

Exchange stores stock clothing, electronics, furniture, and general merchandise at competitive prices with no state sales tax. Each service branch runs its own exchange, and eligible veterans can shop at any of them.¹

MWR and Military Lodging

MWR facilities include bowling alleys, golf courses, movie theaters, and fitness centers. DoD recreational lodging is also covered, though room availability follows priority systems that generally favor active-duty members.¹

The Two Fees at the Commissary

People confuse these, so it’s worth separating them.

Every commissary customer pays the 5% surcharge Congress mandated.⁴ Only veterans and caregivers who gained access under the 2018 Act pay the second charge, a credit or debit card user fee that offsets Treasury processing costs for the expanded patron base. At launch, the fee was 1.9% on credit card purchases and 0.5% on PIN-based debit transactions, with annual review.⁵ Paying with cash avoids the card fee. The 5% surcharge still applies.

Shopping Online Without a Base Visit

All honorably discharged veterans can shop online at ShopMyExchange.com as a lifelong benefit, whether or not they meet the 2018 Act’s criteria.⁶ For groceries, DeCA’s Click2Go service lets you order online and pick up curbside, though you still need a qualifying credential to enter the installation.⁷ Veterans who can’t get on base at all still keep the online exchange and can book discounted lodging through American Forces Travel.⁸

Family Members Don’t Get Their Own Privileges

This catches people. Under the 2018 Act, eligibility is tied to specific VA programs and does not extend to spouses, children, or survivors.⁹ Dependent privileges still exist under older DoD rules for veterans with a 100% service-connected or 100% unemployability rating, Medal of Honor recipients, and uniformed services retirees. A veteran who gained access through the 2018 Act at, say, a 30% rating cannot send a spouse or child in alone.

The ID You Need at the Gate

Veterans Health Identification Card

Your main credential is the Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) issued by the VA, and it must display one of three designations on the front: “PURPLE HEART,” “FORMER POW,” or “SERVICE CONNECTED.”⁸ If your card doesn’t show one, contact your local VA enrollment office for an updated card.

If You Can’t Get a VHIC

Some veterans with a 0% rating have incomes that keep them out of VA health care enrollment, which blocks a standard VHIC. For that group, DoD accepts VA Health Eligibility Center Form H623A showing Priority Group 8E placement, paired with a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or U.S. passport.⁹ Non-veteran caregivers use a VA-issued caregiver patronage letter with an acceptable credential.

Secondary ID

You also need a secondary credential that meets federal REAL ID standards. Since May 7, 2025, REAL ID enforcement applies to federal facilities, including military installations. A REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or a valid U.S. passport works.⁸ Check the expiration dates before you drive out. Gate security won’t accept expired credentials.

Your First Visit to an Installation

The first trip to any base means a stop at the visitor center, not the commissary. Give yourself extra time. Enrollment there covers three steps: verifying your identity from your credentials, running an on-the-spot criminal and terrorism database check, and electronically confirming your benefit eligibility.¹⁰ Once you clear, your information goes into the Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS), and future visits are a gate scan.

Enrollment usually lasts one to three years, or one year from your last visit to that installation, whichever comes first. If your VHIC or REAL ID expires during that window, you re-enroll with the new credential. Losing VA eligibility ends your access automatically.¹⁰ Each installation enrolls you separately, so splitting time between two bases means two first visits.

Criminal History That Blocks Access

The background check at enrollment can end the visit. DoD-wide installation access rules apply to everyone entering a base, not only veterans under this Act.¹¹ Common disqualifiers:

Any outstanding warrant. You may also be detained by installation security.
Hits on terrorism watch databases.
A felony conviction or a pattern of misdemeanor convictions, which can bar you for up to seven years.
Convictions for serious felonies such as homicide or sexual assault, which bar access for life.
A previous formal barment from a military installation.

If you’re not sure whether a past conviction will disqualify you, call the visitor center before making the drive.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1065 – Use of Commissary Stores and MWR Facilities: Certain Veterans, Caregivers for Veterans, and Foreign Service Officers
2
VA News. Commissary, Military Service Exchange, and MWR Access Extended to More Veterans Beginning January
3
Department of Veterans Affairs. Implementation of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veteran Equal Access Act of 2018 – FAQs
4
Defense Commissary Agency. Frequently Asked Questions
5
eCFR. 32 CFR Part 225 – Commissary Credit and Debit Card User Fee
6
The Exchange. Authorized Patrons
7
Defense Commissary Agency. Commissary Shopping Eligibility
8
VA News. Veterans Need VHIC for In-Person Commissary, Military Exchange, MWR Access
9
Military OneSource. Defense Department Expands Access to Military Commissaries, Exchanges and Recreation Retail Facilities
10
VA News. DOD Installation Access Simplified: Three Updates for Veterans and Caregivers
11
U.S. Army. DoD Installation Access Guidelines