Where is My DD214?
Common problems and delays
For today's service members, tracking down a copy of a DD Form 214 isn't difficult, it's a matter of either contacting the orderly room at the last assignment in the case of recent retirements or separations, or sending a request to the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri if the service member's military records have already been sent to their final disposition in St. Louis.
Most military personnel records are stored in St. Louis in the National Personnel Records Center. This is true for anyone who has retired or separated completely from the United States military with no remaining commitment, and for deceased veterans. Anyone serving after World War II who has retired, completely separated or has died should have records at the NPRC. Those serving prior to WWII may have their records stored at the National Archives and Records Administration, Old Military and Civil Records Branch in Washington D.C.
There are some exceptions. A fire in 1973 destroyed a large number of military service records, including the DD214 paperwork for Army personnel who received discharges between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960. About 80 percent of the records for these people were lost in the fire. About 75 percent of the Air Force members who were discharged between September 25, 1947 and January 1, 1964 with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E also lost their records. These must be "reconstructed" using research and other records that weren't destroyed by fire.
Next-of-kin doing military records searches are the ones usually affected by issues like these. Today's recent retirees and separates often have a problem getting a replacement DD214 because of the transit time it takes to get military records from the final assignment to the National Archives. If you have submitted a request for a replacement DD Form 214 and haven't gotten a reply within a few weeks, it may be due to the fact that your records haven't arrived yet.
If you have submitted a request to correct or update your DD214 this may also affect processing time-is the update you requested reflected in the current record? Is the update still pending? These issues may also affect how long it takes to get your DD Form 214 replacement copy.
For more information on replacement DD214s and related issues, contact the National Archives.
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