5. a. Application for issuance of a Gold Star Family identification card shall be made in a manner prescribed by the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate. In order to be deemed complete, an application shall be accompanied by proof satisfactory to the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, that the applicant is a family member of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States. Proof satisfactory may include any or all of the following:

(1) a certification of an organization formed for the support of parents or other family members of members of the armed forces who lost their lives while on active duty for the United States that the applicant is, whether of the whole or half blood or by adoption, as applicable, a spouse, domestic partner, partner in a civil union, parent, legal guardian or other legal custodian, or child of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States;

(2) the service member’s federal DD Form 1300, Report of Casualty, or its succeeding form, which identifies the member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States; and

(3) documentation indicating the applicant’s relationship to the service member.

The copy of the DD Form 1300 and the application shall be kept confidential and shall not be considered a government record under P.L.1963, c.73 (C. 47:1A-1 et seq.), except that they may be released to another government agency.

b. The county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, may consult with a representative of the Department of New Jersey of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., or any other organization formed for the support of parents or other family members of members of the armed forces who lost their lives while on active duty for the United States or the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs when establishing the documentation that may constitute satisfactory proof of an applicant’s relationship to the service member. In instances where an applicant is unable to produce documentation deemed acceptable, the Adjutant General shall assist in making a determination of the applicant’s eligibility for a Gold Star Family identification card.

L.2017, c.289, s.5; amended 2022, c.59, s.5.