FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 8, 2011

CONTACT:
Carmella Sabaugh: 586-469-5348
Fred Humig: 586-207-1812
Travis Doster: 800-829-7623

County Clerk to offer veterans photo ID cards Thursday

Macomb County Clerk / Register of Deeds Carmella Sabaugh will start issuing veterans photo identification cards on Thursday, November 10, 2011, just in time for Veteran’s Day.

Veterans may get a card by visiting the county clerk’s office and bringing:

• Military Discharge Papers (such as DD214)
• Photo identification (such as Michigan driver's license, or Michigan ID card)
• $10.00 fee (cash, check, credit card)

“The veterans photo ID card is one small way businesses and the county can say thank you to Macomb County’s veterans, while helping the local economy, without any additional cost to the county,” said Sabaugh.

“What a great service for Macomb County veterans. The ID cards will certainly make it easier for veterans to get access to additional benefits and services, including a free lunch at Texas Roadhouse on Veterans Day,” says Travis Doster from Texas Roadhouse, Inc.

The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township contains many stores that are offering veterans discounts on Friday and several that offer discounts throughout the year.

Many businesses offer veterans a discount as a way to express gratitude for their service to our county. However, the veteran must be able to show proof. Veterans often do not carry proof of their service. The Michigan Department of Veterans Affairs offers health care ID cards to veterans, but those are only available to veterans who are eligible for certain VA health care benefits. Veterans are given military discharge certificates, or “DD214” forms. They are large paper forms that do not easily fit in a wallet, are quickly wrinkled or torn from being carried, and can easily be lost.

Clerk staff will take the veteran’s photograph and obtain their electronic signature. The veterans photo ID card is only available to Macomb County residents.

Veterans who do not have their discharge papers may get them from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/.

The cards are “driver’s license-quality.” Sabaugh and her staff are using the software and hardware they use to issue concealed pistol permits. This is an innovative way to use existing staff and equipment to offer a new service that is voluntary for the public, but which also generates revenue. A different color card and design than the concealed pistol license permit cards is used for the veterans ID cards.

Not all merchants offer discounts to veterans, but an unofficial list of some that do is available at http://themilitarywallet.com/veterans-day-free-meals-and-discounts/.

Veterans are not required to get a county veterans photo ID card. The county veterans ID card is not official federal government verification that a person is a veteran.

The new service is the result of a request by veteran Fred Humig who brought the concept to the Clerk’s office after reading about similar programs being offered in Emmet County and Charlevoix County, and elsewhere throughout the country. Fred Humig served from Jan 1966 - Jan 1968. He spent 11 months at Fort Hood Texas in the U.S. Army, then arrived in South Korea, in January 1967. Humig was a Military Policeman, reaching the Rank of Sargent E-5.

Sabaugh expects high demand initially and encourages veterans to use her FastPass service to make an appointment so they won’t have to wait in line. See http://fastpass.macombgov.org. Select “Military Records” as the appointment type.

For information regarding the veterans photo ID card, please call 586-469-5205.

Here is a sample of the Veterans ID Card:

Macomb County Circuit Court Chief Judge Mark Switalski also today announced the creation of a new Macomb County Veterans Treatment Court, a specialized treatment court docket focusing on substance abuse and mental health treatment. For information contact Chief Judge Mark Switalski at 586-469-5135.

PHOTO EDITOR ALERT: Veteran Fred Humig, who suggested the idea to Sabaugh, will be presented with the county’s first Macomb County’s veterans photo ID card on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 at 2 pm in the county clerk’s office, 40 North Main, Mount Clemens, MI 48043. Sabaugh’s office will start issuing cards to the public on Thursday, Nov. 10.

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