By Frank Flores, founder of FamiliaLista · Updated November 2026

How to get your DD-214, and why your family needs a copy now

You can request your DD-214 from the National Archives online through eVetRecs (with an ID.me account) or by mailing or faxing Standard Form 180. Depending on your branch and when you served, you may also be able to request it through milConnect. Get a copy now and tell your family where it is: they'll need it for a burial in a national cemetery and for most survivor benefits, and requesting it later means proof of death and a wait of at least 90 days before they can follow up.

How do you request a DD-214, step by step?

1. Check what you already have. Look for a DD-214 for each period of active service. For National Guard service, look for your NGB-22.
2. See if milConnect covers you. If you were in the Air Force after Oct. 1, 2004, the Army after Oct. 1, 2002, the Marines after Jan. 1, 1999 or the Navy after Jan. 1, 1995, you can request it from the Department of Defense through milConnect.
3. Or request it online from the National Archives. Use eVetRecs on archives.gov. You'll need an ID.me account.
4. Or mail or fax the SF-180. Fill out Standard Form 180, sign and date it, and mail it to the National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138, or fax it to 314-801-9195. Send one form per person.
5. Include the details they need. Your complete name used in service, service number, Social Security number, branch, dates of service, and date and place of birth.
6. Wait 90 days before following up. The center gets 4,000 to 5,000 requests a day and asks you not to follow up before 90 days.
7. Tell your family where it is. Keep a copy where your family can find it, and write down where the original is.

Sources: va.gov, archives.gov

Why does your family need your DD-214?

• To schedule a burial in a VA national cemetery, the family is asked for discharge papers such as a DD-214. Source: va.gov
• Texas State Veterans Cemeteries use the same eligibility as national cemeteries and look at the character of discharge on the DD-214. Source: glo.texas.gov
• For survivor claims, evidence can include military service records. Source: va.gov When you apply for VA benefits yourself, VA requests your DD-214 for you. Source: va.gov

What information should you include?

• Your complete name as you used it in service.
• Your service number and Social Security number.
• Your branch of service and dates of service.
• Your date and place of birth, especially if the service number isn't known.
• If you think your records were affected by the 1973 fire, add where you were discharged, your last unit, and where you entered the service. Source: archives.gov

Source: archives.gov

Can your family request your DD-214 after you're gone?

Yes. Next of kin of a deceased veteran can request the records: a surviving spouse who has not remarried, a parent, a child or a sibling. They must send proof of death, such as a copy of the death certificate, a letter from the funeral home or a published obituary. Source: archives.gov

Records of veterans discharged more than 62 years ago are open to the public. Source: va.gov

What if the family needs it fast, for a funeral?

• For a burial in a VA national cemetery, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. The National Archives works directly with VA to verify service for burial. Source: archives.gov
• The scheduling office also takes discharge papers by fax at 866-900-6417, or scanned to [email protected] with the person's name in the subject line. Source: va.gov
• For an urgent request, such as a funeral, choose "Emergency Request" in eVetRecs, or write the emergency in the "Purpose" section of the SF-180 and fax it to the National Archives Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764. Source: archives.gov
• Express mail only gets the request there sooner; it isn't processed any faster. Source: archives.gov

What about National Guard service and the NGB-22?

Contact the Adjutant General's office of the state you served in to find out where to send your request, then send them a signed SF-180. Source: veterans.alaska.gov

Where should you keep it?

• Keep the original somewhere safe, and a copy where your family can find it.
• Send copies, never originals: the National Archives does not return documents sent with a request. Source: archives.gov
• Write down where it is in the same place as the rest of your papers. The veteran family checklist lists everything else to keep with it.

▶  Watch how to set it up, step by step.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• National Archives: Request military service records
• National Archives: Standard Form 180 (SF-180)
• National Archives: what to include in your request
• VA.gov: Get your military service records (including milConnect)
• State of Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs: How to obtain an NGB-22
• VA.gov: Plan a burial for a family member
• Texas Veterans Land Board: Cemetery burial benefits and eligibility
• VA.gov: Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

Every source above was checked in November 2026. General information, not legal or financial advice. VA and Texas rules change; check the official sources above or talk to your county Veterans Service Officer or another accredited representative about your situation.

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