What if you do not have a certified copy of the Military Discharge to send to the VA?

There are FOUR ways that we know of.

1)  Check the discharge, does it have a stamp saying it was recorded somewhere?

If yes, call that place and ask for a certified copy.  If no:

2)  You can call Town Hall or County records in your area and see if you can bring the original discharge to them and have it recorded – then they can print you out a certified copy

3)  Figure out where the veteran was living in at the time of discharge – Many states gave bonuses to returning servicemen and they kept an official record of their discharge with the Military Service Office of the  Adjutant  General’s Office of their state.  Call their office and ask if they have and can send you a certified copy of the discharge.

4)  Use this link – https://vetrecs.archives.gov/VeteranRequest/home.html to order a certified copy of the discharge.  It is free and should take 3 weeks.

 

Watch the short video below from the National Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC) on how veterans can apply for a copy of their military service records: