The change will open exchange shopping to 15 million veterans, according to Chris Ward, an Army & Air Force Exchange Service spokesman.
“This is an easy way to thank them for their service and still give them an exchange shopping benefit,” Evans said in an interview.
Today, the exchange has 11.5 million eligible shoppers.
Only those eligible to shop exchanges, namely service members, military retirees with at least 20 years experience in uniform, and family members, could shop online in the past.
Veterans will be able to log onto a future website for verification data, he said. The benefit does not apply to walk-in shopping at exchange locations, officials say.
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service recorded revenues of $8.5 billion in 2016, including $237 million in online sales.
The state’s largest single site employer, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is also home to a large military exchange.
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