“Veterans: Please, for the love of all things holy, do NOT pay for a copy of your DD214!”
With this comment, a recent Courtney Steffen LinkedIn post caught our attention this week.
That made us want to know more about why retirees were paying for this form.
So, we made a call to Courtney, a veteran services officer in South Dakota’s Brooking County about this.
Steffen shared how her county clerk shared with her one veteran had paid a professional veteran’s service firm nearly $100 to get this form.
The DD Form 214, according to VSOs like Courtney act as a passport for everything from a VA home loan, application for college funding and for burial services.
When a military completes their service, it’s important to safeguard this record.
In Bexar County, veterans are encouraged to file a copy with Lucy Adame-Clark, the Bexar County Clerk . Her office is located downtown at the courthouse near the San Fernando Cathedral.
Veterans who have jury duty should bring a copy of their DD Form 214 to the courthouse during a break or lunch from this civic service, Eddie Pichardo, the Bexar County Clerk’s special projects coordinator said.
Matt Pillar, another Brookings County VSO, said private firms like www.dd214direct.com advertise “fast and simple – that’s our commitment to you!
A visit to their website shows a professional narrator advocating their services. The website has a BBB accredited business and a “veteran owned” logo.
In San Antonio, Adame-Clark’s staff provides mobile “Thank a Veteran” programs for community events. Pichardo said businesses, non-profits and churches who want to provide a space for this program should contact him at 210-335-2096.
Links to Resources:
The National Arcives also provides the DD Form 214 as well as other records and medals.
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