DOD to Phase Out Use of Social Security Numbers on ID Cards

Starting in June, the Department of Defense will remove Social Security numbers from DOD identification cards. Once a military card expires, a new card will be issued with a ten-digit "Electronic Data Interchange Person Identifier" to replace the service member's Social Security number, according to a Department of Defense report.

Current cardholders should not try to replace their cards until at least within 30 days of the expiration date.

The process will exclude retiree cardholders, who can schedule an appointment at a Realtime Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) ID card facility to have their Social Security number removed, if they so choose.

Card carriers who qualify for DOD benefits will also have an eleven-digit benefits number printed on their new card. The process is designed to reduce a military family member's dependence on a Social Security number, according to the report.

The benefits number will only be printed on cards whose holder qualifies for benefits and will not be included in either the bar code or the card’s circuit chip.

The change in ID cards will occur in three separate phases over the course of four years:

1. Social Security numbers will be removed from the ID cards of military family members, but the service members' Social Security numbers will still appear on the card.
2. Social Security numbers will be removed from all DOD ID cards.
3. Social Security numbers which are embedded in the barcodes of DOD ID cards will be removed beginning next year. 

Cardholder can order new ID cards from any RAPIDS ID card center. Visit the RAPIDS Site Locator for more information.

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