Frequently asked questions.

Yes. DD214s are free from the National Archives via eVetRecs or the SF-180 form. We're a paid service that does the work for you. If you'd rather handle it yourself, our free guide walks you through it. Most of our customers tried that route first and decided their time was worth more than the fee.

No. Veteran DD214 is a private company. We are not affiliated with the National Archives, NPRC, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any government agency.

You shouldn't — if you have the time, the patience, and an appetite for government paperwork. Many of our customers tried first and either got rejected, got stuck, or decided their time was better spent elsewhere.

Many are, but the category has scammy operators. Look for: clear pricing, honest acknowledgment that the document is free from the government, real customer reviews, a money-back guarantee on higher-tier plans, and a way to talk to a real person.

The veteran themselves (if living), or an eligible next-of-kin if the veteran has passed away. Eligible next-of-kin are: surviving spouse (not remarried), parent, child, or sibling. Other relatives and non-relatives generally cannot request the record without specific authorization or a court order.

Veteran's full name during service, date of birth, place of birth, last 4 of SSN, branch, component (active/reserve/guard), approximate service dates, and what you need the DD214 for. For next-of-kin, also the date of death and proof of relationship.

Yes. Best estimates of month and year are sufficient. NPRC can locate records with approximate information — vague references like "served in Vietnam" alone are not enough.

That happens, especially with older service eras. The DD214 form didn't exist before 1950 — older veterans were issued equivalent forms like the WD AGO 53-55 (Army) or NAVPERS 553 (Navy). We can request the appropriate document.

Yes — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, plus Reserve and National Guard service.

Realistically, 8–12 weeks from when you sign the SF-180 to when you receive your DD214. NPRC sets the pace on processing. We submit your request within one business day of receiving your signed form, then track it through to delivery and send you a status update every two weeks.

We can't move faster than NPRC works. If you genuinely need a DD214 within days, your best bet is to call your U.S. Senator or Representative's office and ask about a constituent casework inquiry — congressional offices can place a priority status inquiry with NPRC, often getting a response in days. Our typical timeline remains 8–12 weeks.

NPRC processes a massive volume of records requests and works through them sequentially. Most cases land within the 8–12 week window. Older records that were archived offsite, or records affected by the 1973 fire, take longer.

We handle the back-and-forth. Most rejections are fixable (missing info, signature issues, unclear service dates). We work with you to provide whatever they need and resubmit at no extra charge.

Every two weeks by email, even when there's no new news. Plus immediate emails for any meaningful state change (submission, NPRC response, delivery).

A state-issued death certificate (or published obituary), documentation of your relationship to the veteran (birth or marriage certificate), and the veteran's basic service details. We'll guide you through what NPRC needs.

You can request one from the state's vital records office where the death occurred — typically $15–25 and 1–4 weeks. We pause your case until you have it. A published obituary is sometimes accepted as a substitute.

Not directly — NPRC limits eligible next-of-kin to surviving spouse, parents, children, and siblings. If you're outside those categories, contact us and we'll explain your options (which usually involves working with an eligible relative or pursuing a court order).

Yes. These are time-sensitive emotionally, but the NPRC timeline is the same as any other request. For active funeral planning, ask your funeral director — many work directly with NPRC under a different process.

A fire at the NPRC building in St. Louis destroyed an estimated 16–18 million military personnel records. Most affected: Army veterans separated 1912–1959, and Air Force veterans separated 1947–1963 with names beginning Hubbard–Z.

Often, yes. NPRC uses alternate documents — pay records, hospital records, unit morning reports, prior award documentation — to reconstruct a DD214 (or equivalent). It typically takes 6+ months. We price this work at $249 and set the expectation upfront.

Yes. WWII veterans were issued forms like the WD AGO 53-55 (Army) or equivalents — these serve the same purpose as a DD214. The SF-180 process is the same.

That doesn't mean the request is over. We work with NPRC to start the reconstruction process. Most cases yield at least partial documentation. We'll set realistic expectations once we know what we're dealing with.

We don't collect your full SSN on our website — only the last 4 digits. Your full SSN is captured later, inside our secure e-signature flow, which is end-to-end encrypted. We never share your information with third parties.

Through a secure encrypted download link sent to your email. The link expires after 7 days. We never send DD214s as plain email attachments — your SSN is on that document.

Email us. We'll generate a new one immediately at no charge.

We retain the file for 90 days after delivery for re-issue purposes. After that, it's moved to encrypted long-term storage and deleted after one year. We can extend retention on request.

No. We don't share your data for marketing. We do use a small set of trusted service providers — payment processing, e-signature, email delivery, and encrypted file storage — strictly to deliver your DD214. None of them are marketing partners. Specifics are disclosed in our Privacy Policy.

Standard plan: $97, one-time charge. Guaranteed plan: $147, one-time charge with a 120-day money-back guarantee. Fire-damaged records: $249. No subscriptions, no recurring fees.

On the Guaranteed plan: full automatic refund if we can't retrieve your DD214 within 120 days. On Standard: full refund minus $25 processing fee if you cancel before we submit to NPRC; non-refundable after submission. See our pricing page for the full policy.

You can upgrade from Standard to Guaranteed up until we submit your request to NPRC. After submission, plans are locked.

All major credit cards, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. We don't accept checks or money orders.

A small US-based team. We are not veterans ourselves — we built this because the paperwork side of helping veterans get their records is real, specific work that benefits from being done by a focused team. We work with a veteran advisor on case strategy and customer voice.

United States. All customer service and case work is handled domestically.

Email help@veterandd214.com. We answer within one business day, usually faster. A real person reads and answers every message.