An honorably discharged veteran, including a Guard member, can have the designation printed on a Tennessee driver license or photo ID at renewal. It replaces carrying the DD214 to claim a discount.
Section 55-50-354 lets an honorably discharged veteran, including an honorably discharged member of the National Guard, have a veteran designation placed prominently on a Tennessee driver license or photo identification card. The wording or symbol is designed by the Department of Veterans Services.
The applicant checks a box on the application at the time of renewal or reissuance and pays the required license or photo identification card fee. There is no separate charge for the designation itself, but there is no free reissue either: a veteran who wants it before the license is due for renewal pays the duplicate fee, which the Department of Veterans Services lists as eight dollars for a first duplicate and twelve dollars for a second.
Proof is one of a specified set of documents: DD Form 214, a DD Form 2 (Retired) identification card, AGO Form 53-55, NAVPERS 553, NAVPERS-660, DD Form 256, or NGB Form 22 showing an honorable discharge. The NGB Form 22 route matters, because that is the Guard separation document and a Guard member who never served a federal active duty tour will not hold a DD214.
What it is for is practical rather than legal. It does not confer any benefit by itself. It is proof of veteran status carried in a wallet, which is what a retailer, a restaurant or a park office actually asks for, and it spares a veteran from carrying a DD214 around. Tennessee separately provides free recording of a discharge with the county register, which is the more durable way to make sure the document can be replaced.
The designation is a state document and is not a federal veteran health identification card, and it does not establish eligibility for any VA benefit.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Tennessee Veteran Designation on a Driver License
Gate
Rule
Honorably discharged, including from the National Guard
Section 55-50-354 names an honorably discharged veteran and an honorably discharged member of the national guard.
Requested at renewal or reissuance
The applicant checks a box on the application and pays the required license or photo identification card fee. Obtaining it mid-cycle means paying the duplicate fee.
NGB Form 22 is accepted
Acceptable proof includes DD Form 214, DD Form 2 (Retired), AGO Form 53-55, NAVPERS 553, NAVPERS-660, DD Form 256 and NGB Form 22, so a Guard member without a DD214 has a route.
Out of date, a broken link, or something else wrong? Say what you found, and an editor checks it against the official source.
Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.