From Military.com:
“Everything You Need to Know
About Vets' and Caregivers' New Base Access”
New commissary and exchange
customers will be granted on-base access in two phases, based on whether they
have a Department of Veterans Affairs health insurance card, according to new
information released by the Pentagon. The VA and Defense Department have
fleshed out some of their plans to let 4.1 million new customers enjoy access
next year to commissaries, military exchanges and recreation facilities located
on secure military installations
.
Here's what the latest plans mean
for eligible veterans and their caregivers:
Am I eligible? Where can I shop
when it comes into effect?
Purple Heart recipients, former
prisoners of war, veterans with any service-connected disability and caregivers
registered with the VA's Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers program
will be able to shop beginning Jan. 1. Reserve members who fit this description
will also have access. These veterans and caregivers will be able to shop at
commissaries and exchanges and use some MWR facilities, such as golf courses,
bowling alleys and movie theaters. Services that rely on appropriations to
operate, including military uniform items and child development programs, will
not be available. The DoD has been working with the VA, Department of Homeland
Security and U.S. Treasury to give these new customers access, integrating them
into the complex security systems of military installations. Retired service
members, Medal of Honor recipients and veterans with a service-related
disability rating of 100 percent will continue to have access to on-base
facilities and can obtain a DoD identification card to get on base.
I'm an eligible veteran. What do
I do to get access?
Veterans with a VA's Veteran
Health Identification Card (VHIC) will be able to shop online and get on base
to shop in-person at commissaries, exchanges and some MWR facilities. Veterans
who don't have a VHIC will be able to shop only online, with access to MWR
online and AmericanForcesTravel.com, until the DoD figures out how to give them
secure access to bases, officials said. "When DoD and VA identify a
credentialing solution for all Veterans eligible under the Purple Heart and
Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018," the guidance states,
"DoD will roll out a new phase of access to accommodate current veterans
who are not eligible to obtain a VHIC but are eligible for these
privileges." Currently, all honorably discharged veterans can shop online
through the Veterans Online Shopping Benefit. They can set up an account for
any of the military exchange websites: Army and Air Force Exchange System,
Coast Guard Exchange, Marine Corps Exchange, Navy Exchange Command, and the
Veterans Canteen Service. Veterans with a VHIC can check in with the base
visitor control center to gain base access beginning Jan. 1. Everyone will have
to pass a basic, on-the-spot background check with initial access, and have an
automated check each subsequent time. Veterans or caregivers with felony
convictions, felony arrest warrants or derogatory information related to
criminal history or terrorism will be prohibited from entering. Depending on
the type of installation, these VHIC-carrying veterans will be able to enroll
in recurring access, which lets them bypass the visitor control center each
time by entering through the gates.
What is a Veteran Health
Identification Card and can I use a Veteran Identification Card?
VHIC cards are issued to veterans
enrolled in VA health care. In order to use the VHIC, it must display the
veteran's eligibility status, like Purple Heart, former POW or
service-connected disability. The VIC is issued to any honorably or generally
discharged veteran and is not an accepted identification to provide access to
the installations. More information about the VHIC card can be found at
Va.gov/healthbenefits/vhic. The guidance states the VA expects it might see an
increase in the number of veterans requesting consideration for
service-connected disability ratings and applying for health care benefits to
obtain a VHIC.
What is the process for a
caregiver?
The process for caregivers
registered in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers to
access the commissaries, exchanges and MWRs is similar to that of VHIC-holding
veterans. However, caregivers will receive a letter issued by the VA Office of
Community Care saying they qualify as a primary family caregiver of an eligible
veteran. To be admitted on base and to purchase items from the commissary or
exchange, they will need to bring the VA letter plus one of the following types
of identification. For a full list, refer to the guidance on page 8.
DoD common access card
REAL ID-compliant driver's
license or other ID issued by a state, territory, possession or the District of
Columbia
U.S. passport or passport card
Foreign passport bearing an
unexpired immigrant or non-immigrant visa or entry stamp
Federal personal identity
verification card
VHIC
Transportation Worker
Identification Card
Within 30 days of receiving their
eligibility letter, caregivers will be able to shop at the exchanges online
like non-VHIC holding veterans, except for the Veterans Canteen Service. Caregivers
who are not a part of the VA's official program do not qualify for shopping
privileges. The DoD might expand access to non-registered caregivers in the
future, the policy says.
Can my spouse shop on my behalf?
No, at least not right now.
Currently, an authorized caregiver will be classified only as someone approved
and designated as the primary family caregiver of an eligible veteran under the
Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. The DoD said in this
new guidance it will consider expanding caregiver privileges to the disabled
veteran's spouse when the VA formalizes approval and designation of general
caregivers under the program. In the meantime, there's nothing to stop a spouse
from getting a base visitor pass and going to the store with the veteran.
However, like all base visitors, they will need to pass a background check.
I already have access to shop in
commissaries and exchanges. How will this affect me?
The guidance states most
locations will "experience little to no impact on current
operations," but there might be a "low to moderate impact" to
installations in high cost-of-living areas. "Commissary, exchange and
morale, welfare and recreation retail facilities are preparing to welcome home
these patrons without disrupting the current service experience for authorized
patrons," it states.
What will it cost me?
The commissary sells its grocery
items at cost and boasts "an average worldwide savings of 23.7 percent
over commercial grocery shopping." While it has no state or local food
tax, it imposes a 5 percent surcharge meant to help with store upkeep and
construction of new stores. As required by the Act, these new customers will
have to pay an additional charge if they use a commercial credit card or debit
card. These credit cards or a Signature debit card will result in an additional
1.9 percent user fee, while other debit card transactions will have a 0.5 percent
user fee. This fee will not be refunded when returning a product. Veterans and
caregivers can avoid these fees by using cash, check or the credit card offered
by the military resale system, the Military Star card. Customers using
electronic benefit transfer cards, like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program benefits, will also avoid the fee. There will be no such charge at
exchanges or for MWR purchases.
^ It seems that every other day
we hear some new way this expanded access is being curtailed. Every person who
is eligible should be allowed to participate from day one and not in a very
slow and confusing way. ^
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