DALLAS – The Army & Air Force Exchange Service will welcome home disabled Veterans, Purple Heart recipients and certain caregivers—4.1 million Americans— with in-store shopping privileges beginning Jan. 1.
Privileges will expand to all Veterans with service-connected disabilities, Veterans who are Purple Heart recipients, Veterans who are former prisoners of war and primary family caregivers for Veterans who are enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.
This new privilege was specified in the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018, included in the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019. The Department of Defense officially announced the expansion Nov. 13.
“It is an honor to welcome our Nation’s heroes back to their Exchange,” said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, a Vietnam-era Army Veteran. “They fought for us. They sacrificed for us. They deserve this.”
The new patron group will also have access to commissaries and morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) retail facilities located on U.S. military installations. The Department of Defense advised it is still working through details of the expansion with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security. More information regarding installation access and the authentication process will be available soon.
Before the expansion, only Veterans with 100% service-connected disabilities could shop in person. (Active-duty service members, their dependents and military retirees also have in-store and online privileges.)
All honorably discharged Veterans can shop the military exchanges online now, through a benefit that was secured in 2017. Since then, Veterans have saved nearly $6 million in sales tax. Veterans can determine their eligibility to shop online at ShopMyExchange.com/vets.
Veterans who need additional information about the in-store patronage expansion can visit the Veterans section on the Exchange’s Community Hub.
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Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 62nd-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.3 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Julie Mitchell, 214-312-3327 or [email protected].
Follow the Exchange:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopmyexchange
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shopmyexchange
Instagram: @shopmyexchange