Texas Drivers Licence . . .

I received a letter from Texas Department of Transportation saying it was time to renew my drivers license and a lot of other stuff about proving citizenship, identification, what documents are needed and DD-214 if you want veteran acknowledgement on the card.  So I set off to the TEX DoT office with a DD-214, the letter and my usual documentation (license, voter registration and Military ID card) to get a renewed license.  Usually one can renew by mail but it said not this time, I had go down to the office.

I popped into the door only to greet a line with perhaps 20 some odd people, teenagers getting their first license, new folks to Texas and so on.  Fortunately, the office does not issue license plates or it would have been literally over run with people.

In my movement forward I spied a form that they apparently wanted to be filled out.  It was "request of new/renewal/ID card".  It had a series of questions about health, where you live, your current license number, etc.  One question was, "Are you a disabled veteran over 60%, if so the license was free."  So I dutifully checked that block.

When I got up to the first person behind the counter, she looked at my current license and then the form.  She said where is your VA letter.  I said, "No one said I had to have a VA letter."

She said, "Go home and get the letter, it is worth $25 to you." 

Well home is 15 miles away so I offered to pay and get it over with.   She said no, go get the letter.

So I left and went and got the letter.  I made a copy of it on my printer and returned to the office.  They sent me well ahead of the line, I had to wait about 10 minutes or so and was called up.

Then they ran in a trainee to do my job with an experienced woman standing over her shoulder.  That took a little bit longer but both the letter and the DD-214 came into play.  They actually scanned my application, the DD-214 and the VA letter into my record.  Next came the picture and then a signature block and finally, new to me, finger prints via a slick optical device.  That was new to me.  My license was a little different in that (a) I was a veteran and (b) was a disabled veteran.

I had to do the traditional eye test.  I did that without glasses for the first time in my life.  I passed the test and now no longer have to be concerned about wearing glasses while driving.

Then a received a print out document with my picture on it to verify the address and dates.  I did so and they returned the DD-214 and the VA letter to me and said,"You will receive a new license in 8 to 10 days, keep this print out as your interim license."

And there were no fees.  I like that.  Nice people there.