Veterans' Service Records

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How to Initiate a Request for Military Personnel Records

Users are required to verify their identity through the third party service, ID.me, when submitting new requests and retrieving electronic responses. Clicking on the "Start Request Online" button will initiate that process.

Click on the " Launch the eVetRecs System" link to start. This will launch a separate window.
Click the "Make a new request" button.
Click the green “Sign in with ID.me” button and follow the prompts to log into your ID.me account or create a new one. After logging in, you will be redirected to the Basic Information page to begin the submission process. The system will guide you through the following steps:

Step 1 (Basic Information), you will be asked who you are:

If you are the veteran, choose Veteran.
If you are the next of kin of a deceased veteran, choose Next of Kin of Veteran and specify your relationship to the veteran.
If you are neither the veteran or their next of kin, choose Other, then specify your relationship to the veteran with the options available.
If you are requesting ON BEHALF of the veteran or next of kin, choose Other. You will need to upload authorization when prompted later in the submission process.

Step 2 (Service and Request Details), you will be required to provide basic details of the veteran’s service as well as the category of the request. The category chosen will dictate which questions are asked in the following steps. If these fields do not include the items you wish to request, you will have the opportunity to expand your request in the Comments section in Step 3.b.

For example, if you want to request multiple items from the menu selections (such as "Genealogy" and "Military Awards/Decorations"), choose one of the items from the menu and then use the Comments section in Step 3.b. to ask for the additional documents/information or provide further details. Please do NOT create multiple, separate requests for each of the menu selections available in Step 2 as that may delay the handling of your request.

Step 3.a. (Veteran Information), you will be required to provide information about the veteran and their service. Please provide the veteran’s name as it was used in service along with any additional information available. Note: Missing information could lead to processing delays.

Step 3.b. (Documents Requested), you will be asked to specify the documents/information being requested and the category provided in item 6 above will determine the fields on this screen. Please review this page carefully and provide as much information as possible. You may use the Comments field to provide further details about your request.

Step 3.c. (Send Response To), you will tell us where you’d like the response delivered and must enter an email address. Whenever possible, we will provide a digital response to your request and instructions will be sent to the email address entered. Please ensure your email filters allow messages from the @nara.gov domain, otherwise these communications may not reach you.

If you have entered a U.S. mailing address, you will be asked to confirm the address provided by the U.S. Postal Service. If the USPS address is correct, click the radio button next to it and click Continue.

Step 4 (Upload Authorization), you will have the opportunity to upload supplemental documents to your request. These may include service records, a death certificate, or the veteran’s authorization. You may also provide a link to the veteran’s obituary, if available.

Note: Files must be less than 5 MB and in PDF format. Links must begin with ‘https://www.’

Step 5 (Review and Submit), you will be asked to review all information that was entered. Please retain this information, as you may need to refer back to it when your request is completed. After confirming the information is correct, scroll down and review the Acknowledgement and Verification section. By clicking the Submit Request button, you are agreeing to the statement therein.

Step 6 (Confirmation), you will receive a confirmation message that your request was received followed by a case number (beginning with a 'C-'). Please retain this number for your records as well.

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