Veterans committee backs resolution urging federal return of civilian DOD retiree ID cards

Senator Kaler Good, sponsor of Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, told the Veterans and Military Development Committee that the resolution asks Congress and the Department of Defense to reinstate civilian retiree identification cards so retired civilian DOD employees can access military installations without repeated permission from installation commanders.

The measure matters to thousands of former civilian DOD employees who used to present a civilian retiree ID once for base access and now, after a DoD change in February 2023 tied to Real ID requirements, must request permission from a commander and show a Real ID and retirement paperwork each time they visit. "Civilian employees of the DOD form a vital indispensable component of our national defense," Kaler said, arguing that reinstatement would restore previously routine access to base museums, campgrounds and other recreational facilities.

Kaler told the committee the DoD stopped issuing civilian…