DD214.com

My DD214 Is Packed Inside My
Household Goods Shipment.

When Should I Request a New DD214?

Many of those in the military preparing to retire or separate from military service try to get a head start on their civilian careers by enrolling in school programs before they've gotten out of the military.

Those who retire or separate and must travel from an overseas base or go cross-country back to the home of record sometimes lose important paperwork including the DD214. (A common problem is misplacing the DD214 and other documents.) Sometimes they are accidentally packed inside a household goods shipment from the overseas base or stateside duty location to the home of record.

In cases where the DD214 is simply packed inside a household goods shipment, you have a choice to make-can you wait out the delivery of your household goods? Shipments coming to the home of record from a stateside military base may only take a few weeks or a month to arrive, depending on where you home of record is located. But a household goods shipment from an overseas base may take as long as four months (sometimes even longer) to arrive.

If you're up against a tight deadline for paperwork to start the GI Bill, or state-sponsored veteran's education benefit programs such as the Illinois Veteran's Grant or the Minnesota State Veterans' Education Assistance program, you may do better to request a replacement DD214 as soon as you know it's been misplaced or packed into your household goods.

In cases where the DD Form 214 was accidentally included in a household goods shipment, contact your orderly room or Military Personnel Center at your base first. Explain your situation and see if you can get a faxed or e-mailed copy of your DD214 sent to you. In some cases, you may be able to have the DD214 faxed directly to your nearest VA office, so be sure to do some coordination with a local VA representative first.

If you can't get copies of the DD Form 214 from your last base, you'll need to request a replacement from the National Personnel Record Center in St. Louis. Make your request as quickly as possible and be sure to include any pertinent information about school deadlines in your request to see if it can be expedited on an emergency basis. Such requests are considered case-by-case, and may be determined by workload volumes or other factors. But it never hurts to ask.

Detailed instructions and more information can be found here: www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html

You can mail your request for a replacement DD214 to:
National Personnel Record Center:

NPRC Fax Number:
314-801-9195

Mailing Address:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

Before sending a request to the NPRC, read the instructions found at the NPRC official site and follow them exactly.

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