The DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) is the document most often used to prove military service for burial benefits. If you cannot find it, there are several ways to get a copy.
First, check at home and locally
- Look in the veteran’s important papers, safe or with the will.
- Many Florida veterans recorded their DD214 with the county Clerk of Court in official records. Ask the clerk’s office in the county where the veteran lived.
- The veteran’s county veterans service office may have a copy on file if they helped the veteran with claims.
Request from the National Archives
Military personnel records are held by the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), part of the National Archives.
- Next of kin of a deceased veteran (surviving spouse, parent, child or sibling) may request records.
- Requests can be made online through the National Archives, or by mail or fax using Standard Form 180.
- Include proof of death, such as a copy of the death certificate.
- For an upcoming funeral, the NPRC handles burial-related requests as a priority. Funeral homes often submit these requests for families.
Start at the National Archives veterans’ service records page.
When there is no time
Tell the funeral director. The National Cemetery Scheduling Office can sometimes verify eligibility for burial in a national cemetery using VA records, even without the family’s copy of the DD214.
Records affected by the 1973 fire
A 1973 fire at the NPRC damaged many Army and Air Force records. Records can often be reconstructed from other sources; the NPRC will explain the options.