Dad's discharge record is usually the first paper a pension file asks for, because it shows the service the claim rests on.[1] The request itself is short. The trouble comes from guessing at names and dates, or from sending off the only copy you own. Work through the steps in this order.

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Step 1: Gather what the request asks for

Write down the name Dad used in service, his date and place of birth, his branch, and the dates he served, with the service number if you have it. The request form lists what the records office needs and what it does when a piece is missing.[2] Do not fill in a date you are guessing at. Leave it blank and note that it is unknown, because a wrong date sends the search to the wrong file.

Step 2: Pick one route and keep proof you sent it

VA's records guidance points to the ways to request service records, including an online request and a paper form.[2] Pick the route you can finish in one sitting. Save the confirmation page or the mailed receipt, and write the date you sent it in your file. One request is usually enough. A second copy sent by a different route only creates a second file to match against the first.

Step 3: Confirm who may sign

The veteran signs for his own record. If he cannot sign, the form lists who else may request it and what proof of that role it needs. Check that the signer's name and relationship appear on the form before it leaves your hands. A request signed by someone the form does not list can be sent back for a missing signature.

Step 4: Check the copy when it arrives

When the record arrives, compare the name, the branch, the dates of service, and the separation paperwork against the notes you took in step one. Make copies. Send only copies to VA, and keep the original where you can find it later. If the name on the record is spelled differently from the name on the claim forms, write down the difference and ask VA how it wants the mismatch explained before you send anything.

If the first record is thin

Some older files are incomplete, and VA's guidance describes other documents it can accept as proof of service.[2] Ask which alternates apply before you guess at what to send. Do not substitute a summary you wrote yourself for a record.

The steps are clerical. The judgment is whether the paper matches the claim, and that is worth a second reader. Free help can look at the packet with you. The list is on Local Help: St. Louis Offices, and the order for the whole file is on Start Here: The Order to Read.

Footnotes

  1. VA, Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits: va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound
  2. VA, Get military service records: va.gov/records/get-military-service-records