Congressman Wied Honors Veterans Day with STARS Act

WASHINGTON - In honor of Veterans Day, Congressman Tony Wied (R-WI) announced the introduction of the Supporting Troops' Access to Recognition Services (STARS) Act, legislation that will ensure continued in-person DEERS/RAPIDS services for those who have served our country.

This bill builds on a series of letters Congressman Wied spearheaded earlier this year, urging the Department of War to address the closure of in-person DEERS/RAPIDS sites and protect access to military ID services for veterans and their families. The STARS Act reflects his continued commitment to removing bureaucratic barriers and delivering practical solutions for those who served.

"Our active-duty service members and veterans risked everything for our country, and the very least we can do is make it easy for them to access their hard-earned benefits," said Congressman Wied. "As we celebrate Veterans Day, I'm proud to introduce the STARS Act to ensure service members, veterans, and their families can access their benefits without unnecessary travel or delays."

The STARS Act requires the Department of War to provide in-person DEERS/RAPIDS services at least two days per week within 30 miles of a metropolitan area. Metropolitan areas are metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, with a population of 300,000 people or more.

Background: Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and Real-time Automated Personnel Identification System (DEERS/RAPIDS) IDs are vital for veterans and their beneficiaries to access the benefits they have rightfully earned. Recent years have seen the closure of many in-person processing locations across the country. While some are able to renew their IDs online, many veterans and beneficiaries who are unfamiliar with the internet, do not have access to the internet, or who have disabilities, rely on in-person processing to keep their IDs up to date. In Wisconsin's 8th District, we have seen the recent closure of the Green Bay Facility. For that reason, the closest facility is located in Appleton, Wisconsin and is staffed by a member of the Wisconsin National Guard. However, that guardsman is on temporary orders and is set to be reassigned. Without a sufficient replacement, in-person DEERS/RAPIDS processing will end in Northeast Wisconsin. This will greatly impact not only constituents in Wisconsin's 8th district, but also adjacent districts in Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan who utilize the Appleton DEERS/RAPIDS site.

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) is an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Read the full bill text HERE.