The VA announced that the application process for the national Veterans Identification Card (VIC) is now available for Veterans. Only those Veterans with honorable service will be able to apply for the ID card, which will provide proof of military service, and may be accepted by retailers in lieu of the standard DD-214 form to obtain promotional discounts and other services where offered to Veterans.

The VIC provides a more portable and secure alternative for those who served the minimum obligated time in service, but did not meet the retirement or medical discharge threshold for healthcare enrollment. Veterans who served in the armed forces, including the reserve components, and who have a discharge of honorable or general (under honorable conditions) can request a VIC.

To request a VIC, Veterans must first sign in to vets.gov, select your "Sign In" option or create an ID.me account. Once the Veteran verifies his or her identity, he or she may request to "Apply for the Veteran ID Card."

Veterans who apply for a card should receive it within 60 days and can check delivery status of their cards at www.vets.gov.

The site has been receiving significant traffic and at times may not work. Please be patient.

Veterans interested in enrolling in VA healthcare should call our office at (914) 995-2145.

Veterans who have misplaced or lost their discharge papers, and did not previously file them with the Westchester County Clerk, may call our agency for replacement assistance at (914) 813-5145/5146.

We firmly encourage all veterans to file a copy of their military discharge papers with the Westchester County Clerk’s office. This important document will be saved in perpetuity and should the veteran ever misplace or damage the document, an image can be provided, free of charge, by the Clerk.

Military Law section 250 has provided for the County Clerk to serve as a safe and local depository for your military records, which are kept sealed for privacy protection purposes. Please note that only the veteran, an immediate family member, a representative of the estate of a deceased veteran, or a public official acting within the scope of his or her employment may obtain a copy of any filed DD-214.

To file, bring your original DD-214 to the Legal Division of the Office of the Westchester County Clerk. It will be copied and returned to you immediately. The office is located at 110 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Room 330 in White Plains and can be reached by entering through the Richard J. Daronco Courthouse entrance. The office is open Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Questions? Call the Clerk’s office (914) 995-3070.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through its Veteran Entrepreneur Portal (VEP) established specific programs to help Veterans start a business and become qualified as a Veteran-Owned, or a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business, which will enable qualified business owners to be eligible for federal set-asides.

For more information, including assistance with starting a business, becoming qualified, and other business opportunities, visit the Veteran Entrepreneur Portal (VEP).

Additional resources

Serving the Veterans of New York State: Veterans Business Program
The New York SBDC Veterans Services and Assistance Program provides targeted training, counseling and mentoring to help veterans start and grow a small business. SBDC Business Advisors help veteran small business owners improve profitability, expand market share, explore export opportunities and provide valuable assistance in terms of establishing businesses.

Contact the SBDC at (800) 732-7232.

The Veterans Service Agency Map was created to pinpoint Veteran events; places and businesses which participate in the Favor program; museums and places of special interest to Vets;and many of the other locations referred to in this site.

The map will be used to create links within the site's content or you can come to this page to access the map and enter your address or another location to see where it is in relation to something you've read on the site.

Click on the "View larger map" link below the image of the map to open it in a new window and to activate the full effect of its interactive properties.

Note: For the best viewing and performance of the map, we recommend using the most up-to-date versions of Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer browsers. Users may experience performance issues or see a blank page when using Internet Explorer 7 and 8.