Veteran Discount Card Program Launches Monday

(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – The Register of Deeds Veteran Discount Card program will be available Monday morning, July 8. The program resulted from a public-private partnership between Sedgwick County and www.veteranbargains.com which has a list of local businesses that offer veterans and active-duty military personnel an opportunity to save money on purchases. The discount card is a way for the County and the businesses to show gratitude to those who have served in the armed forces. 

The discount card is not a formal military ID, and cannot be used as a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC), a Department of Defense (DoD) Identification Card, or a state-issued driver’s license/ID with a “Veterans” designation. Further, the discount card may not be used to prove eligibility for any federal benefits, to access military bases or installations, to access military commissaries or exchanges, to present as a form of identification at any airport, to check into a VA hospital, or to show as proof of retirement from the Armed Forces.

The program aims to help veterans save money and boost the number of DD-214 forms recorded with the Sedgwick County Register of Deeds. A DD-214 is a document issued by the U.S. Department of Defense upon a military service member's retirement, separation, or discharge from active duty. Last year, only a handful of veterans took advantage of the records service.

“By offering the discount incentive, I hope more veterans will make use of the DD-214 recording service through our office too,” said Register of Deeds Tonya Buckingham.

The Sedgwick County Register of Deeds offers a quick and easy way for veterans to receive discount incentives. Eligible veterans can bring the required information to the Deeds office and leave that day with both their DD-214 recorded and their new discount card.  Veterans may apply for the discount card through the Veterans Affairs website as well; the process through the VA may take up to 60 days.

Recording DD-214s is not a new service for the Sedgwick County Register of Deeds. The Deeds office has kept DD-214s on file for decades, with some records going back to the 1940s. By recording their information with Sedgwick County, veterans do not need to worry about losing their documentation, or experiencing any delay in services because of an inability to locate their DD-214.

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