Veterans pg 2 1-3-13
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- Category: Past Issues
HARTFORD --- State Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr. (D-Brooklyn) announced that beginning Jan. 2, former members of the US Armed Forces living all across Connecticut that they may now apply to have their veteran status displayed on their drivers’ license or state-issued ID.
The symbol of an American Flag will be used to denote prior service in the Armed Forces, and will provide veterans with a much more convenient way to prove their eligibility for veteran’s discounts and other services than has existed to date.
“For those veterans that have given so much to our country, there is now a way to easily prove their veteran status - allowing for quicker access to earned benefits and services,” said Williams. “Including the recognition of a veteran’s service on a drivers’ license allows us to honor their service and also relieve the inconvenience of having veterans carry around their official military discharge papers.”
At least 30 days prior to visiting a DMV or AAA office, veterans must submit to the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs a completed application and proof of honorable discharge, such as a DD-214. The Department of Veterans Affairs will verify the veteran’s military status and electronically notify DMV of the request prior to the driver’s license or ID card being issued. The process to apply for the flag symbol is different from, and takes longer than, the process to apply for a veteran’s license plate.
The flag symbol application may be downloaded online at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website by visiting www.ct.gov/ctva and clicking on “Application for Veteran’s Flag”. The flag symbol will be added to veteran’s license or ID card at no additional cost at renewal time or when it is first issued.
Veterans can request a flag symbol by mailing an application and additional documentation to the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs at: CT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, ATTN: VETERAN’S FLAG ON DRIVER LICENSE OR ID CARD, 287 WEST ST., ROCKY HILL, CT 06067.