Robert C. Beach, a retired Department of Defense civilian, told the House Veterans and Military Development Committee during the second hearing on Senate Concurrent Resolution 7 that a change tied to the Real ID transition effectively removed routine DoD ID cards for retired DOD civilians and forced them to request annual passes at individual installations.

"We have been dumped from the DOD family after having served our country with dedication and pride," Beach said in his testimony to the committee, describing a long civilian flight-test career and the practical effects of the new procedures.

The testimony focused on how retired military personnel retain a common access or next-generation ID that often carries indefinite privileges, while retired DOD civilians, Beach said, must present a Real ID–compliant driver’s license to a base pass office and have that credential scanned and revalidated, typically on an annual basis. That revalidation, he told the committee, is valid only at the issuing installation and does not restore the broad privileges—commissary, exchange, space-available travel—available to retired uniformed personnel.

Beach described his personal service history to illustrate the point: more than 29 years as a DOD civilian, assignments at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and thousands of flight hours supporting test missions. He said the change left retired civilians having to "divert to the base pass and ID office, wander in, take a number, and request permission of that DOD facility commander to enter." He added he had written to senior DoD leadership seeking reconsideration and received no response.

Committee members asked technical and policy questions about the change. Representative Gambari summarized the difference in card labeling: "His ID says that he's in the military," and noted retired uniformed IDs often show "indefinite" expiration, while civilian retiree cards historically showed a multi-year expiration that allowed broad access. Representatives and the witness discussed whether the policy change was driven by security concerns or fears of privilege abuse; Beach said scanning and system checks should make routine abuse difficult.

The committee did not vote on SCR 7 at the hearing. Members heard testimony and asked staff and the witness clarifying questions about how the annual pass process works, which facilities accept scanned Real IDs, and whether any DoD-wide policy guidance exists to restore civilian retiree card privileges.

SCR 7 was described in testimony as an attempt to prompt reconsideration of the change and to recognize the service of retired DOD civilians. The hearing record shows no committee action or vote on SCR 7 at this session.

The committee recessed after concluding questions of the witness and closed the second hearing on SCR 7.