New ID cards necessary by 2026 for ALL military retirees, dependents

All U.S. military retirees, veterans, spouses and dependents will want to make note of a wide-sweeping change that will impact them in the next few months.  The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that those individuals will want to replace their older, laminated paper ID cards with new, more secure Next Generation Uniformed Services Identification (USID) cards before the end of this year, according to Kerr County Veterans Service Officer Jenna Sanchez.

“This transition is happening because the older cards will no longer be accepted for access to benefits, privileges or military bases, starting Jan. 1, 2026,” Sanchez said.  The new military cards will prove the individual’s identity and confirm his/her connection to the Dept. of Defense, giving access to certain military services and programs.

To get the new, updated identification card, individuals are required to have two original documents in their record.  They are asked to bring those documents with them to the ID card renewal site.  If the documents are not in the person’s record, they cannot use their current CAC as a required identity document.  To see a list of acceptable documents as well as detailed information related to the USID cards and the Common Access Cards (CAC-for active duty military personnel) visit www.cac.mil/.

To schedule an appointment with the nearest site to replace an ID card, visit https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/locator.  The nearest site to Kerr County is in San Antonio.