# 100% Disabled Veteran ID Card: VHIC, VIC and DoD Cards
> The 100 disabled veteran ID card is a DoD ID that gets you and your family into the commissary and exchange. How it differs from the VHIC, VIC and a license.
Source: https://veteranhomematch.com/learn/disabled-veteran-id-card
*Author:* VeteranHomeMatch Editorial Team
*Reviewed by:* VeteranHomeMatch Editorial Review
*Published:* 2026-11-04
*Updated:* 2026-11-04
---
The **100 disabled veteran ID card** is a Department of Defense uniformed services ID card. You get it in person at a RAPIDS ID card office, and it carries commissary, exchange and MWR privileges that extend to your spouse and eligible children. It is not the same card as the Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) or the Veteran ID Card (VIC) from VA. Those two cards do other jobs, and showing a VHIC at the commissary instead of the DoD card limits your own access.
- **A 100% rating qualifies you for a DoD ID card.** So does a rating of individual unemployability. You need a VA rating determination letter and an honorable DD Form 214 ([32 CFR Part 161](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title32-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title32-vol1-part161.pdf)).
- **Your family is covered.** Your spouse and dependent unmarried children under 21 get commissary, exchange and MWR privileges too. A rating of 0% to 90% doesn't extend privileges to family on its own.
- **The card does not include TRICARE.** DoD gives 100% disabled veterans and their dependents no TRICARE civilian care and no care at military treatment facilities based on that status.
- **The VHIC and VIC do different jobs.** The VHIC checks you in at VA medical centers. The VIC is for retail discounts and can't get you on base, into a commissary or through airport security.
- **You don't use any of these cards for a VA home loan.** Lenders go by VA paperwork such as your Certificate of Eligibility, and Florida, for example, asks for a VA letter for its property tax exemption.
## Which ID card does a 100% disabled veteran need?
A 100% disabled veteran who wants on-base shopping for the whole family needs the DoD ID card. The other three IDs are useful, just narrower.
| | DoD uniformed services ID | Veteran Health ID Card (VHIC) | Veteran ID Card (VIC) | State license with veteran designation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Who issues it | DoD, at a RAPIDS ID card office | VA | VA | Your state DMV |
| Who qualifies (veterans) | Rated 100%, or unemployable from a service-connected condition, with an honorable discharge | Enrolled in VA health care | Honorable or general discharge | Varies by state; most ask for a DD214 |
| Commissary, exchange, MWR | Yes, for you and eligible family | Only if it shows "SERVICE CONNECTED," "PURPLE HEART" or "FORMER POW," and for you only | No | Not on its own |
| Check in at VA medical centers | Not its purpose | Yes | No | Not its purpose |
| Accepted by TSA at the airport | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, if REAL ID-compliant or an Enhanced Driver's License |
| Retail veteran discounts | Can qualify you | Can qualify you | Yes (its main purpose) | Can qualify you |
| How you get it | In person, with documents | Online through AccessVA or at a VA medical center | Online | At the DMV |
Sources for the table: [32 CFR § 161.15](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/32/161.15), [VA's ID card overview](https://www.va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/), [VA's VIC page](https://www.va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/vic/), [VA's VHIC page](https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-health-id-card/), the [DoD expanding access fact sheet](https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Factsheets/expanding-access-fact-sheet.pdf), and [TSA's acceptable ID list](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification).
## Who qualifies for the 100% disabled veteran DoD ID card?
The DoD ID card goes to an honorably discharged veteran whom VA has rated 100 percent disabled, or unable to pursue substantially gainful employment, because of a service-connected injury or disease. That is the test in [32 CFR § 161.15](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/32/161.15), the DoD rule that sets out benefits for this group, which DoD calls "100 percent DAVs."
Three details in that rule matter:
1. **Unemployability counts.** A veteran paid at the 100% rate through individual unemployability (TDIU) meets the same test. DoD's fact sheet names "veterans with 100% unemployability ratings due to a service-connected condition" alongside 100% veterans.
2. **The rule doesn't say "permanent and total."** The documentation table in [32 CFR Part 161](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title32-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title32-vol1-part161.pdf) (Table 21 to subpart D) asks for a VA letter establishing 100 percent disability or unemployability. Permanence matters for other benefits, such as [CHAMPVA](https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/health-and-disability/champva/) coverage for a family that isn't eligible for TRICARE, but it isn't part of this test.
3. **The discharge has to be honorable.** The same table asks for a DD Form 214 that characterizes your discharge as honorable.
### What the DoD ID card covers, and what it doesn't
Under Table 14 to subpart C of the rule, a 100% disabled veteran and spouse each get commissary, exchange and MWR privileges. Unmarried children under 21 qualify if they depend on you for over half their support. Some children 21 and over, wards, pre-adoptive children and dependent parents can qualify under narrower conditions.
The same table shows "No" for both civilian health care (TRICARE) and direct care at military treatment facilities, for you and for every dependent. The section states that neither 100 percent disabled veterans "nor their eligible dependents receive" those health benefits from DoD based on this status. The card is a shopping and access card. Your family's health coverage is a separate question, and our guide to [benefits for spouses of 100% disabled veterans](/learn/100-disabled-veteran-spouse-benefits) covers CHAMPVA.
DoD's fact sheet says 100% disabled veterans keep their broader DoD privileges, but if they show a VHIC instead of the DoD ID card, access "will be limited" to what veterans eligible only under the 2020 law get. Carry the DoD card on base.
## How to get the 100% disabled veteran ID card
You apply in person at a DoD ID card office, called a RAPIDS site. VA's [ID card overview](https://www.va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/) says to fill out DD Form 1172-2 and turn it in at a RAPIDS office.
1. **Get your VA rating determination letter.** It has to show a 100% rating or individual unemployability. VA.gov's letters page also lists a downloadable "Benefits and service summary" letter and a "Commissary eligibility" letter, but the regulation names the rating determination letter.
2. **Find your DD Form 214.** It has to show an honorable discharge.
3. **Fill out DD Form 1172-2,** DoD's application form for the ID card.
4. **Book an appointment.** DoD's [ID Card Office Online](https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/) has a site locator and appointment scheduling.
5. **Bring your family's documents.** Your spouse and children have to establish their relationship to you if it hasn't been established before. Part 161's documentation tables list a marriage certificate for a spouse and a birth certificate for a child.
## What changed in 2020 for veterans rated 0% to 90%
Since January 1, 2020, every veteran with a VA-documented service-connected rating can shop at the commissary and exchange and use MWR retail facilities, even at 0%. Section 621 of the FY2019 defense authorization act (Pub. L. 115-232), which DoD's fact sheet calls the Purple Heart and Disabled Veteran Equal Access Act of 2018, added [10 U.S.C. § 1065](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/1065) and set January 1, 2020 as its effective date. The law also covers Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and approved primary family caregivers.
A rating of 0% to 90% doesn't qualify a veteran for the DoD ID card on its own. According to the [DoD fact sheet](https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Factsheets/expanding-access-fact-sheet.pdf), they use a VHIC that displays "SERVICE CONNECTED," "PURPLE HEART" or "FORMER POW" on the front below the photo. A VHIC without that line won't get you in, and the fact sheet says to request a new card if yours lacks it. For a veteran rated 0% whose income is too high for VA health care enrollment, DoD temporarily accepts VA Health Eligibility Center Form H623A paired with an acceptable ID such as a REAL ID-compliant license or a U.S. passport (per the fact sheet, current as of October 2023). The first visit starts at the installation's visitor control center, with a background check, and the fact sheet says felony convictions or warrants bar entry.
Two limits separate this group from 100% veterans:
- **No family privileges.** DoD says only the eligible veteran or caregiver gets access. Family members can't shop on that eligibility, and it doesn't pass to a surviving spouse.
- **A card-use fee.** The statute requires DoD to charge veterans eligible "solely" under § 1065 a user fee to offset the cost of credit and debit card purchases at commissaries.
If your rating rises to 100% and your DD Form 214 shows an honorable discharge, you move from the VHIC route to the DoD ID card and your family becomes eligible. The 2020 law doesn't require an honorable discharge, but the DoD ID card rule does.
## The VHIC and the VIC, explained
**The Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)** is for veterans enrolled in VA health care. You use it to check in at VA medical centers. VA's [VHIC page](https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-health-id-card/) says you can request it online through AccessVA or in person at a VA medical center, and that in the U.S. it should arrive by mail within 7 to 14 days. The card shows your branch emblem and any special awards. If your service connection, POW or Purple Heart status is missing from it, an enrollment coordinator can update your record before you request a new one.
**The Veteran ID Card (VIC)** is a digital photo ID for veteran discounts at stores and restaurants. You can get one with an honorable or general discharge, and you apply online with your Social Security number, a copy of your discharge papers, a government photo ID and a current photo. VA's [VIC page](https://www.va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/vic/) lists what it can't do: prove eligibility for federal benefits, get you on a military base or into a commissary or exchange, serve as ID at the airport, check you into a VA hospital, or prove military retirement. VA also says you don't need a VIC if you already have a VHIC, a DoD ID, or a state license or ID with a veteran designation.
**The state designation** is a veteran mark on your driver's license or state ID. VA says all 50 states and Puerto Rico offer one, and most ask for a DD214. VA says it may qualify you for veteran discounts.
## Which card works at the airport?
The DoD ID card and the VHIC both work at the airport. [TSA's list](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification) of acceptable IDs includes a "U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents" and the "Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)." The VIC does not. A state license works if it's REAL ID-compliant or an Enhanced Driver's License; TSA stopped accepting non-REAL ID licenses on May 7, 2025.
## Your ID card and a VA home loan
You won't use any of these cards to qualify for a VA home loan or the funding fee exemption. Those run on VA paperwork, and so does Florida's property tax exemption.
- **The funding fee.** VA's [funding fee page](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/) says you don't pay the fee if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability. On a first-use purchase with under 5% down the fee is 2.15%, so the exemption is worth $6,450 on a $300,000 loan. Your [Certificate of Eligibility](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/how-to-request-coe/) is what confirms to your lender that you qualify for the VA home loan benefit. Our [funding fee exemption guide](/learn/va-funding-fee-disability-exemption) explains how that's checked and what happens when a rating arrives after closing.
- **Property taxes.** States set the rules and the proof. Florida's homestead exemption under [§ 196.081](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/196.081) asks for a letter from VA certifying that the veteran is totally and permanently disabled, not an ID card. Our guide to [property tax exemptions for disabled veterans](/learn/va-property-tax-exemptions-disabled-veterans) compares the states.
- **The rest of the 100% package.** The [100% disabled veteran benefits list](/learn/100-disabled-veteran-benefits) and the [100 percent disabled veteran home loan guide](/learn/va-loan-100-disabled-veteran) cover compensation, grants and how lenders count your income.
Keep a current copy of your award letter with your loan documents. A lender or assessor with a question about your rating will want that letter, not your ID card.
## Bottom line
If you're rated 100%, or paid at 100% through unemployability, get the DoD ID card: it's the only one of the four that extends commissary, exchange and MWR privileges to your spouse and children. Bring your VA rating determination letter, an honorable DD Form 214 and a completed DD Form 1172-2 to a RAPIDS office. Keep the VHIC for VA appointments, and skip the VIC unless you want it for discounts. If a home is next, [start with a 2-minute eligibility check](/start/loan-purpose).
## Frequently asked
### Do 100% disabled veterans get a military ID card?
Yes. Under 32 CFR Part 161 (sections 161.15 and 161.23), an honorably discharged veteran rated by VA as 100 percent disabled, or as unable to hold substantially gainful employment because of a service-connected condition, is eligible for a DoD uniformed services ID card with commissary, exchange and MWR privileges. You apply in person at a RAPIDS ID card office with your VA rating determination letter and a DD Form 214 showing an honorable discharge.
### Does the 100% disabled veteran ID card give you TRICARE?
No. 32 CFR 161.15 says neither 100 percent disabled veterans nor their eligible dependents receive civilian health care (TRICARE) or direct care at military treatment facilities from DoD based on that status. The card covers commissary, exchange and MWR privileges. Your own health care comes through VA. VA's CHAMPVA program covers the spouse or dependent child of a veteran rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, as long as they aren't eligible for TRICARE.
### Can my spouse get an ID card if I'm 100% disabled?
Yes. 32 CFR 161.15 lists commissary, exchange and MWR privileges for the spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran, and for unmarried children under 21 who depend on you for over half their support. That's the main difference from the 2020 expansion: family members of veterans rated 0% to 90% get no privileges under that law, according to DoD. If the relationship hasn't been established before, each family member has to document it at the ID card office, for example with a marriage or birth certificate.
### Do I need to be permanent and total to get the DoD ID card?
The regulation doesn't use the words 'permanent and total.' 32 CFR Part 161 asks for a VA rating determination letter that establishes you as 100 percent disabled or unable to pursue substantially gainful employment, plus an honorable DD Form 214. Permanence matters for other benefits: VA's CHAMPVA program covers the spouse or dependent child of a veteran rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, as long as they aren't eligible for TRICARE, and some states, such as Florida, write it into their property tax exemptions.
### Can I use a Veteran ID Card (VIC) to get on base or into the commissary?
No. VA says the Veteran ID Card can't be used to access military bases, commissaries or exchanges, to check in at a VA hospital, to prove eligibility for federal benefits, or as ID at the airport. It's a digital photo ID for retail discounts. A 100% disabled veteran should use the DoD ID card for base privileges.