How can my husband go about replacing his missing Member-4 DD-214 discharge paperwork from the United States Air Force?
When completed, the DD-214 has 8 u201cpartsu201d, all of which go to a different entity. The term u201cpartsu201d is left over from the old days when it was an actual 8 page carbon-copy form - these days, itu2019s computer generated.Once itu2019s completed, each of the 8 parts is sent out to itu2019s assigned location (see below). Copy 4 - of which only one is made, even now when itu2019s computer generated - is given to the service member at the time, along with a Copy 1. If the service member isnu2019t present and it canu2019t be sent to them, it is usually destroyed after a given amount of time.The parts are sent out as follows:Copy 1 u2024 Service MemberCopy 2 u2024 Service Personnel FileCopy 3 u2024 United States Department of Veterans AffairsCopy 4 u2024 Member (if initialed in Block 30)Copy 5 u2024 United States Department of LaborCopy 6 u2024 State Director of Veteran AffairsCopy 7 & 8 u2024 Distributed in accordance with Military Service Department directions (shredded and retain)To answer your question, a quick explanation on what the u201cCopy 4u201d form is, and why itu2019s important is needed.Copy 4 is also called a u201clong formu201d copy. This includes ALL available information that is normally part of a DD-214, including the nature of the discharge, etc. u201cShort formu201d copies contain far less information, and are for use when a vet needs to prove they served during a particular time but the other information isnu2019t needed. Employers and others (including the VA) usually want to see a u201clong formu201d DD-214, because they have the right to know what the nature of service was, which is not included on the short form.THAT is why employers and others usually ask for a Copy 4.Hereu2019s the BAD news - Copy 4 is not retained anywhere by the government. There is nowhere to get a replacement of it if the service member loses it.Hereu2019s the GOOD news - you donu2019t need to present a Copy 4 to anyone, including employers or the VA, to satisfy their requirements - you only need to present a u201cLong Form Copyu201d. And ALL other copies of the DD-214, except for Copy 1, are Long Form. To put it another way - Copy 4 is identical to copies 2 through 8. ANY of them will do the trick.Hereu2019s a link to the Wikipedia article on the DD-214, which contains a lot of great information and explains this far better than I can: DD Form 214 - WikipediaAs far as getting replacement copies goes, thatu2019s pretty easy. The National Archives is one place that you can get them, though you cab also write to the National Military Personnel Records administration directly. There are other ways as well, especially if the veteran is already enrolled in the VA and has online access to their records there (the link is a bit hard to find on that site, but it is there).Below are a few links that should help you get a copy fairly quickly. Do be aware that there are some online businesses out there that will get a copy for you for a fee - you do not need to go through them. You can do it yourself. The fact that youu2019ve been able to post this question on a Quora thread means that you have all the computer savvy that you need in order to handle this without outside help, though of course itu2019s there if you choose to use it.Good luck, and just remember that with all government agencies, patience and persistence is sometimes needed (though not usually for this).National Archives: Request Your Military Service RecordsGood article from Rally Point on where to find your records if you have online VA access (scroll down the page to the comments section): Where can I obtain a DD 214 member copy 4? | RallyPointGood article on what to do if the MPRC canu2019t find the veteranu2019s military records, along with general DD-214 info and contact info for a variety of agencies: Welcome Veterans to the DD214 Website! - Note - this is NOT a government website.One last decent website with good DD-214 info (also not a government site): How to Get a DD 214 Copy | Military Benefits
