The Veterans Expedited TSA Screening Safe Travel Act enables veterans with certain serious disabilities to forgo the standard security checkpoints for faster screenings that are free at hundreds of participating U.S. airports. A Navy veteran is shown at Chicago Midway Airport. (Davis Anderson/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — Certain disabled veterans now qualify for free, expedited screenings that let them avoid the long waits at regular airport security checks, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced.
The Veterans Expedited TSA Screening (VETS) Safe Travel Act enables veterans with serious disabilities to use the TSA security checkpoints for faster screenings that are free at hundreds of participating U.S. airports.
Qualifying service-connected disabilities include limb loss, permanent blindness, paralysis, and the required use of a VA-issued wheelchair or prosthetic device, according to the VA.
TSA PreCheck is a federal government program that sends millions of travelers deemed low security risks to an express security lane, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck can keep laptops in carry-on luggage and skip other types of standard airport screenings.
“TSA PreCheck allows travelers to experience smarter, faster airport security in dedicated lanes when they travel,” the TSA said. The service is available at more than 650 airports.
Veterans must be enrolled in VA health care, have a severe disability that limits their mobility, and receive an approval of their application to enroll in TSA PreCheck, according to the VA and TSA.
TSA also requires travelers to provide their fingerprints and have a photo taken to join the program.
Veterans who are partial or full amputees and cannot provide 10-finger fingerprints will be accommodated during the in-person enrollment process, according to the TSA.
Paralyzed Veterans of America, separately, is urging airlines and their contractors to get proper training for assisting travelers using wheelchairs.
“For too long, passengers with complex mobility disabilities have been forced to accept that flying means risking their safety and independence,” said Robert Thomas, an Army veteran and PVA president.
Disabled veterans can get more information on enrolling in the pre-check program at TSA.
Although travelers in the pre-check program typically are required to pay $85 for a five-year membership, qualifying disabled veterans will be accepted at no cost, the VA said.
Veterans will need to go online to VA.gov to obtain a letter from the VA that waives the application fee.
Applicants will be barred from joining the program if they have certain prior criminal offenses or convictions, give false information on their applications or are in violation of certain federal security regulations, according to the TSA.
More than 20 million Americans have qualified for TSA PreCheck since it was instituted in 2011, according to the TSA. The pre-check program is open to citizens, U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents to apply.
