Nebraska veterans encouraged to enroll in registry

First, Nebraska veterans had the chance to get a special driver’s license. Next, they can get a special license plate.

Gov. Dave Heineman says more than 12,000 veterans have enrolled in the Nebraska Veterans’ Registry, created last year by the Unicameral to place the word “veteran” on their driver’s licenses.

In 2016, Military Honor License Plates will be made available.

“There are approximately 140,000 veterans. That number represents a lot of years of sacrifice to our country,” Heineman tells reporters during a conference calls. “Adding a veterans’ designation to the driver’s licenses or Military Honor Plate provides a public symbol of gratitude for their service.”

Nearly 2,700 veterans have received the veteran designation on their driver’s licenses, including the governor himself.

“This designation is one way of saying thank you to the veterans all across Nebraska who have served in the armed forces,” says Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles Director Rhonda Lamb. “The designation has been applied to the documents of veterans in 85 of the 93 counties in Nebraska. The Department of Motor Vehicles is proud to have been a part of this process.”

Nebraska chose to house the Registry within Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs. That move allows the veteran information not only to be used by the DMV, but also for veteran outreach or to apply for veteran benefits.

“So, we might be able to do outreach as we’ve never done before as well as saying thank you by the designation on the driver’s license ID as well as the honor plates coming up,” says Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director John Hilgert

To enroll, veterans can contact the Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs online, in person, or via email.

The website is www.veterans.nebraska.gov . The phone number is 402-471-2458. The email address is ndva@nebraka.gov.