DD214: What You Need to Know – Military.com

DD214: What You Need to Know  Military.com

From healthcare to home loans, education to employment, nearly every veteran benefit starts with one document: Your DD214. From health care to home loans, education to employment, nearly every veteran benefit starts with one document: Your DD214. Your military discharge papers are officially known as DD Form 214, or just DD214. All veterans receive this Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty once they are out of the military. In a nutshell, the DD214 is proof of your military service. All branches use this same form. There may be no more important document, as it serves as the key to unlocking benefits of all kinds. In recent years, the military’s reserve components have also begun issuing departing reservists a new standard service record: Form DD214-1, the Certificate of Uniformed Service, Reserve Component Addendum.

This form summarizes their periods of active and inactive service as well as the “points” they’ve earned toward retirement. Unlike active-duty members — who may receive only a single DD214 covering one continuous service commitment — reservists can accumulate many DD214s over a career, one for each activation and release, whether for full-time National Guard duty, a mobilization, or another contingency operation. Read More: All Services Now Issue Form DD214-1 to Departing Reservists Treat your DD214 like gold, as this piece of paper is vital to