Veteran designation option now available on Wyoming driver licenses

Wyoming veterans now have the option of requesting a veteran designation be shown on the front of their Wyoming driver license or identification cards.

The red “V” in the upper right-hand corner of the license or card will allow Wyoming veterans to validate their honorable service with a government-issued identification card.

To qualify for the designation, applicants must submit a verification form and copy of their separation papers (Form DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to the Wyoming Veterans Commission. The verification form is available on the Web at www.dot.state.wy.us/home/driver_license_records/forms.default.html.

The commission will notify WYDOT Driver Services if an applicant qualifies as an honorably discharged veteran. The Veterans Commission will not keep the DD 214 copies on file. They will be destroyed to protect privacy. The commission will notify the applicant if there is a problem with the separation documents submitted.

Veterans will need to indicate on their driver license or ID card application that they wish to have the veteran designation on their card. Veterans who get their status verified before going to a WYDOT Driver Services office to renew their license should get their new license with the red “V” in about three weeks.

It is recommended that applicants contact the Veterans Commission for verification at least a week before going to a WYDOT Driver Services office to get a license.

There is no additional fee required to get the veteran designation, but the normal fee charged for a new or renewal license will apply.

“This allows Wyoming veterans to be recognized for their honorable military service on a Wyoming driver license or identification card,” Veterans Commission Director Larry Barttelbort said. “It provides an option for government-issued documentation. Vets won’t have to carry their DD 214 around in their wallet.”

About 35 other states already offer the veteran designation on their licenses, and it is one of the factors veterans organizations consider when ranking states on their support of veterans and their families.

“We thank the members of the Legislature and Gov. Mead for showing their support for Wyoming veterans by approving this designation,” Barttelbort said.

Applicants who already have the veteran designation on their license from another state will still be required to have their status verified by the Wyoming Veterans Commission to get the designation on a Wyoming license, because some states don’t require veterans to be honorably discharged, as required by the new Wyoming law.