How to Request Your DD-214 Military Record

A benefits claim, a home loan, a job or a burial has asked for the DD-214, and the copy that came home from service is gone. The National Archives calls the DD Form 214 the document most commonly needed for most veterans' benefits, and says veterans and next of kin can get free copies. Which route applies depends on how recently service ended.

Check whether milConnect covers the discharge date

The VA's page on milConnect and other record routes says the Department of Defense can supply records through milConnect for anyone discharged after October 1, 2004 from the Air Force, October 1, 2002 from the Army, January 1, 1999 from the Marines, or January 1, 1995 from the Navy, as of September 2026.

Start the National Archives request with eVetRecs

For everyone else, the National Archives page that starts an eVetRecs request says recent service records are not online, and that new requests require identity verification through the third party service ID.me.

Mail or fax Standard Form 180 instead

The archives page on Standard Form 180 says the SF-180 must be printed, signed and sent to the National Personnel Records Center, and that the tables on page 3 give the mailing address by branch, separation date and record type. It says each request must be signed and dated within the last year, and asks that no follow-up be sent before 90 days.

Include the identifiers that keep a request moving

The archives page on access to Official Military Personnel Files lists the complete name used in service, service number, Social Security number where applicable, branch, dates of service, and date and place of birth. For records affected by the 1973 fire it adds place of discharge, last assigned unit and place of entry into service.

Prove next-of-kin status, or wait out the 62 years

That page says veterans, next of kin and authorized representatives may request records, defines next of kin as the un-remarried widow or widower, son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister, and requires proof of death such as a death certificate, funeral home letter or published obituary. It says records open to the public 62 years after separation, and that newer files stay restricted by law.

Allow for the 1973 St. Louis fire

The archives page on the 1973 fire says 16 to 18 million personnel files were destroyed, including about 80 percent of Army records for discharges between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960. The fact sheet on the fire says there is no list of what was lost, that requests still begin the same way, and that where a record burned the reply encloses documents from alternate sources and can include a document usable in place of a DD 214 for benefit applications.

If a company offers to fetch it for a fee. The archives page on other request methods says some companies advertise DD Form 214 research services and charge for them, and that basic records are generally free for veterans, next of kin and authorized representatives.

If the person is still serving. The veterans FAQ says the records center receives records only after separation, and points to each service's own office.

Sources. National Archives, service records, Standard Form 180, OMPF access, the 1973 fire, VA service records.