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Every VA benefit — DIC, burial benefits, state programs — requires the DD-214. Here's what it is, why you need it, how to request a replacement if the original is lost, and how long it takes.
Quick answer
The DD214 (Report of Separation) is the official record of the loved one's military service. A surviving spouse who has not remarried, or the loved one's father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother, can request it from the National Archives. Copies of the DD214 are usually free (older archival records can carry a fee), through eVetRecs or Standard Form 180 (SF-180). NARA doesn't publish a set time. For burial in a VA national cemetery, call 800-535-1117 and VA gets the records itself.
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Do you know whether a copy of the veteran's DD-214 exists?
The DD-214 — formally called the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty — is the official government document that proves a veteran's military service. It is issued upon separation from active duty and contains the veteran's complete service record in a single document.
Key information recorded on the DD-214 includes:
Veterans who served before 1950 received different separation documents — the WD AGO 53, WD AGO 55, or similar forms depending on their era and branch. The same replacement request process through the National Archives applies to those earlier records as well.
Replacement copies of the DD-214 are obtained through the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), which is part of the National Archives. This is the official — and free — source. Any third-party service that charges a fee for retrieving a DD-214 is unnecessary.
If your loved one has died, you may be able to request their DD214 (Report of Separation) and other service records from the National Archives' National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). Copies of the DD214 are usually free.
You may be eligible to request the records if you are the loved one's: surviving spouse who has not remarried, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother.
You'll need:
Ways to request:
Gathering paperwork for multiple programs? See every document needed across all 10 military benefits.
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Build my plan in 2 minutesNARA doesn't publish a set time. It receives about 4,000 to 5,000 requests a day and asks that you not send a follow-up before 90 days have passed. Sending a request by express mail gets it there sooner but won't make it processed faster. For questions, call NPRC at 314-801-0800 (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT).
A 1973 fire at the NPRC damaged or destroyed 16 to 18 million Army and Air Force records for people discharged from 1912 to 1964. NARA says it can often rebuild service details from other records, so it's still worth requesting.
When the DD-214 is needed urgently — for funeral and burial planning, or to meet a VA claim deadline — several options can accelerate the process:
The National Archives' online request system is called eVetRecs. It is available at archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records. Here is how the process works:
Completed requests are typically mailed to the requestor's address. The NPRC does not email original documents, though some follow-up communications may occur electronically.
The DD-214 is the foundational document for virtually every veteran and military survivor benefit program. Without it, most claims cannot be processed. You will need it for:
Get multiple certified copies upfront
Each institution — the VA, each state veterans program, the National Cemetery Scheduling Office — may require its own original certified copy. Order 10–15 certified copies from the funeral home or vital records office when you receive the death certificate, and request the same number of DD-214 copies. Getting additional copies later costs time.
The National Archives accepts requests from a surviving spouse who has not remarried, or from the loved one's father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother. You'll need to sign the request and include proof of death.
No. If you don't have it, the National Cemetery Scheduling Office will try to find the records it needs. Call 800-535-1117. VA notes it may take several days to check eligibility without discharge papers.
Choose "Emergency Request" in eVetRecs, or fax a signed SF-180 marked as an emergency in the "Purpose" section, with proof of death, to 314-801-0764.
Most Veterans and their next of kin can get free copies of the DD214 and other service records.
A 1973 fire at the NPRC damaged or destroyed 16 to 18 million Army and Air Force records for people discharged from 1912 to 1964. NARA says it can often rebuild service details from other records, so it's still worth requesting.
No. NARA says express mail only gets the request there sooner; it isn't processed any faster. If it's urgent, use the emergency options above.
Start your family's plan, free to begin
Keep military records, key documents, deadlines, and who handles what in one shared plan your family can see.
Start your free VA benefits checklistNo card required.
Or try the demo firstOrder tracks the DD-214 request alongside DIC, SBP, burial benefits, and state programs in one shared checklist your whole family can work through together.
Start your free VA benefits checklistFree to start. No card required.
