VETERANS POST

Expanded Access to Exchange, Commissary

If you have an Exchange or commissary near you that you haven’t been able to use, that might change soon. Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the Department of Defense is expanding the list of those eligible to use all the services: Exchanges, commissary, and morale, welfare and recreation locations on bases.

The new list includes Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, veterans with service-connected disabilities and those who are the primary family caregivers of eligible veterans. While you’ve been able to shop the Exchange online since 2017, now you can go to the brick and mortar locations.

To use the facilities, you’ll need to present your Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC). It will need to specify your eligibility status. (This is not the same as your Veterans Identification card.) Caregivers will need to show their eligibility letter, which was mailed from the Office of Community Care. Note that you’ll be dinged a small amount if you use a credit or debit card.

If you prefer to shop online or if you don’t have a VHIC (but are otherwise eligible), go to www.shopmyexchange.com. You’ll pay no taxes on purchases, get special deals and free shipping if you use your Military Star Card. If you don’t have an Exchange account, click Take the First Step in the upper right corner and check your eligibility. (You need to use your Star Card at least once every 12 months to protect your accumulated points.)

To get all the details, go online to read the factsheet at www. militaryonesource.mil/expanding-access. Click Download File to get the full FAQ.

Read carefully the fine print on eligibility, especially about the VHIC. You don’t want to drive a long way to the commissary and then discover you can’t get on the base or aren’t eligible.