{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.schatz.senate.gov/with-schatz-legislation-signed-into-law-commissaries-and-exchanges-in-hawaii-set-to-open-to-more-veterans-purple-heart-recipients", "With Schatz Legislation Signed Into Law, Commissaries And Exchanges In Hawaii Set To Open To More Veterans, Purple Heart Recipients", "2019-11-20", "2019", "2019-11", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "With Schatz Legislation Signed Into Law, Commissaries And Exchanges In Hawaii Set To Open To More Veterans, Purple Heart Recipients \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Schatz-Led Legislation To Expand Commissary Access To Military Heroes Was Signed Into Law Last Summer; DoD Readying Plans to Open Its Doors To Thousands More Hawaii Veterans in 2020 \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, November 20, 2019\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  As\r\na result of legislation authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), lead\r\nDemocrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and\r\nVeterans Affairs, which was signed into law last year, the Department of Defense\r\n(DoD) announced its plans to expand access to military commissaries, exchanges,\r\nand recreation facilities to more veterans and caregivers. Thousands of\r\nveterans in Hawaii may be eligible for these new benefits.  These\r\nveterans served, got hurt, and we owe it to them to give them these benefits, said\r\nSenator Schatz. This new law means that more veterans in Hawaii will\r\nfinally have access to commissaries and exchanges across the state. The added\r\nbonus to our law is that it will strengthen the commissary system in the long\r\nrun, which is good for both active duty personnel and American taxpayers.  Veterans and\r\ncaregivers eligible to access commissaries and exchanges beginning on\r\nJanuary 1, 2020 include:  \r\nPurple Heart recipients \r\nFormer prisoners of war \r\nAll veterans with service-connected disabilities \r\nIndividuals approved and designated as the\r\nprimary family caregivers of eligible veterans under the Department of Veterans\r\nAffairs (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers  According to the\r\nDoD, during the first phase of the rollout of these privileges, veterans who\r\nhave a VA-documented service-connected disability or are Purple Heart\r\nrecipients or former prisoners of war who have been issued a Veteran Health\r\nIdentification Card (VHIC) from the VA can present their VHIC to gain entry to\r\nDoD and Coast Guard installations and some commissary stores; and at point of\r\nsale at commissaries, exchanges, and other facilities to complete their\r\ntransactions. While the VA develops a process to identify and allow those\r\nwithout a VHIC to access commissaries and exchanges in person, they will still\r\nbe able to take advantage of these new benefits by accessing military\r\ncommissaries and exchanges online.  For more\r\ninformation on how eligible veterans and caregivers can access the new\r\nbenefits, and on the DoD's implementation of Schatz's law, click\r\nhere. A full list of military commissaries in Hawaii can be found\r\nhere. A full list of military exchanges in Hawaii can be found here.  \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.schatz.senate.gov/with-schatz-legislation-signed-into-law-commissaries-and-exchanges-in-hawaii-set-to-open-to-more-veterans-purple-heart-recipients"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8497550152242184, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}