The form itself is an amalgamation of more than 30 bits of information, all pulled from a variety of personnel records, transcripts and other documents that originate from multiple offices and have to be condensed into databases from each service’s human resources directorate and then hand filled-in ― and in many cases, corrected ― on a submission for a DD 214.
However, because the DD 214 has become a touchstone in proving one’s service record, it ballooned to include not only key information like years of service, career field and rank, but awards, education, deployments and units of assignment.
Write a letter to request records: If you are not able to obtain form SF-180, you may still submit a request for military records. Legally, Mulcahey said, DoD is obligated to give each separating service member a piece of paper that explains they are leaving active service, the reason for separation and the characterization of the discharge. Recently separated veterans may be able to find their records through the joint Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense eBenefits Portal. “This effort is all about making something better,” Patricia Mulcahey, the department’s director of officer and enlisted personnel management, told Military Times on Thursday.īy better, she means taking on the first big revamp of the military’s official discharge document since they were first issued in 1950.