(A) Upon application by a person five years of age or older, who is a resident of South Carolina, the department shall issue a special identification card provided that the:

(1) application is made on a form approved and furnished by the department;

(2) applicant presents to the person issuing the identification card a birth certificate or other evidence acceptable to the department of his name and date of birth;

(3) applicant, who wishes to obtain a special identification card that indicates the applicant is autistic, complies with subsections (A)(1) and (2) and provides documentation that he is autistic from a physician licensed in this State, as defined in Chapter 47 of Title 40. The special identification requested must be indicated by a symbol designated by the department on the person’s special identification card; and

(4) applicant, who wishes to obtain a special identification card that indicates the applicant has voluntarily disclosed a permanent medical condition, complies with subsection (A)(1) and (2), and provides documentation of the medical condition from a physician licensed in this State, as defined in Chapter 47 of Title 40. The record of an identification card holder may not contain more than three permanent medical conditions unless subitem (A)(3) applies. The information contained on a special identification card and in the special identification card holder’s department records pertaining to his autism, as provided for in item (3), or his permanent medical condition, as provided for in this item, may not be sold, is exempt from disclosure pursuant to Chapter 4 of Title 30, the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, and may be released upon request only to:

(a) law enforcement, emergency medical services, and hospital personnel;

(b) the medical advisory board pursuant to § 56-1-221;

(c) permitted entities pursuant to the Driver Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C.A. 2721; and

(d) the person to whom the records of the permanent medical condition applies.

(B) An applicant for a new, renewed, or replacement South Carolina identification card may apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a veteran designation on the front of his identification card by providing a:

(1) United States Department of Defense discharge certificate, also known as a DD Form 214, that shows a characterization of service, or discharge status of "honorable" or "general under honorable conditions" and establishes the person’s qualifying military service in the United States armed forces;

(2) National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service, also known as an NGB Form 22, that shows a characterization of service, or discharge status of "honorable" or "general under honorable conditions" and establishes the person’s qualifying military service of at least twenty years in the National Guard; or

(3) Veterans Identification Card (VIC) or a letter from a Military Reserve component notifying the recipient of the person’s eligibility for retirement pay at age sixty (twenty-year letter). A Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) may not be accepted.

(C)(1) The fee for the issuance of the special identification card is fifteen dollars for a person between the ages of five and sixteen years.

(2) One identification card must be issued free to a person aged seventeen years or older per issuance cycle. A ten-dollar fee must be charged to replace a special identification card before its expiration date.

(D) The identification card expires eight years from the date of issuance. A person is not permitted to have more than one valid motor vehicle driver’s license or identification card at any time.

(E) Special identification cards issued to persons under the age of twenty-one must be marked, stamped, or printed to readily indicate that the person to whom the card is issued is under the age of twenty-one.

(F) The fees collected pursuant to this section must be credited to the Department of Transportation State Non-Federal Aid Highway Fund.