VA Benefits Paperwork for a Veteran Parent: DD214 and More

The most important VA paperwork for a veteran parent is the DD214, the discharge form that shows when and how they served. VA health care, a VA pension, Aid and Attendance, burial in a national cemetery and most survivor benefits lean on it. If it's missing, the veteran or (after their death) the next of kin can request a copy from the National Archives online through eVetRecs or on Standard Form 180. Next to it, keep award letters, the claim number, the VA health ID card, any forms naming who may help, and a pre-need burial decision.

For the rest of a parent's papers, see important documents for aging parents.

What a DD214 is, and why everyone asks for it

The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, is the report of separation a service member gets on leaving active duty. The National Archives' DD214 page says it may show dates of entry and release, last duty assignment and rank, military job, decorations, total creditable service, and the separation details, including character of service.

Most VA benefits turn on two questions the DD214 answers in one place: did your parent serve long enough, and was the discharge something other than dishonorable.

A few things that surprise families:

• Older veterans may not have a "DD214" at all. Before January 1, 1950, the services used other forms, such as the WD AGO 53-55 and NAVPERS 553, per the same Archives page. VA keeps a list of accepted discharge documents.
• Your parent may have more than one. Each period of active service can produce its own form. Keep every one.
• There are "deleted" and "undeleted" copies. The Standard Form 180 (06/2026 revision) says a deleted copy blacks out items such as the reason for separation and, for separations after June 30, 1979, the character of separation. An undeleted copy "is ordinarily required to determine eligibility for benefits," and that's what the Archives sends unless you ask otherwise.

Start with what's already in the house

Before you order anything, look: a cedar chest with the uniform, a folder labeled "Army," the back of a framed photo, a safe deposit box. Ask your parent, and whoever helped with VA paperwork before. While you're there, pull any VA letter with a claim number or file number at the top, any award letter or rating decision (it tells you what your parent already gets), a signed VA Form 21-22 or 21-22a (a representative is already on file), and old orders, medals and pay records, which help if the service record turns out to be thin.

One relief from VA's records page: if your parent applies for VA benefits, "we'll request your DD214 for you when we receive your application." A missing DD214 doesn't have to hold up an application.

How to request the DD214

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis holds most records. Its request page says most veterans and next of kin can get free copies of the DD214, and warns that companies charging for "DD Form 214 research" are selling something the Archives provides free. One catch for older parents: records become "archival" 62 years after discharge, and archival copies carry a copying fee, so a Korean War veteran's file may not be free.

The request needs the name used in service, service number, Social Security number, branch, dates of service, and date and place of birth (for a possible 1973 fire record, add place of discharge, last unit and place of entry). It must be signed and dated.

While your parent is living

The veteran makes the request, though you can do the typing.

1. Online through eVetRecs. The Archives requires identity verification through ID.me, and VA says the Archives may ask for a "live selfie" with a smartphone. Sit beside a parent who doesn't use one.
2. By mail or fax with the SF-180. The 06/2026 form says "Previous edition unusable," so skip the old copy in the drawer. Its address table (page 3) gives the right address by branch and discharge date, and the Archives' SF-180 page lists the fax number.
3. Through milConnect, the Defense Department's site, for recent veterans. VA lists the cutoffs as Air Force discharges after October 1, 2004, Army after October 1, 2002, Marines after January 1, 1999, and Navy after January 1, 1995.

If your parent can't sign, the SF-180 has a box for a legal guardian (with a copy of the court appointment) or an authorized representative (with an authorization letter or power of attorney). A durable financial power of attorney pays off here.

After your parent has died

The Archives and VA both list next of kin as a surviving spouse who hasn't remarried, a parent, a child, or a sibling. You'll need proof of death; the SF-180 accepts a death certificate, an obituary or death notice, a coroner's report, or a funeral director's signed statement, among others.

For a funeral this week, the Archives' emergency request page says to choose "Emergency Request" in eVetRecs (help line 314-801-0800). For burial in a VA national cemetery, you may not need the DD214 in hand: the National Cemetery Scheduling Office (800-535-1117) contacts the Archives, which works directly with VA to verify service.

If the record burned in 1973

On July 12, 1973, a fire at the NPRC destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million military personnel files. The Archives' page on the fire puts the losses at about 80 percent of Army records for people discharged November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1960, and about 75 percent of Air Force records for people discharged September 25, 1947, to January 1, 1964, with surnames after "Hubbard, James E." No duplicate or microfilm copies existed.

Ask anyway. The Archives rebuilds service information from VA claims files, pay records, Selective Service records and other sources. VA's reconstruction page notes the fire didn't involve records of retirees and Reservists alive on July 12, 1973, and that for a disability claim, the veteran submits NA Form 13055, Request for Information Needed to Reconstruct Medical Data. Old letters, photos and orders from the attic become evidence.

VA health care and the VA ID card

A veteran who served in the active military and didn't receive a dishonorable discharge may be eligible for VA health care. Per VA's eligibility page, people who enlisted after September 7, 1980, generally needed 24 continuous months or their full call-up period, with exceptions, and VA has expanded eligibility to all Vietnam War and Gulf War veterans who meet the basic service and discharge requirements. A parent turned down years ago may qualify now.

The application is VA Form 10-10EZ, online, by phone at 877-222-8387, by mail or in person. Per VA's how to apply page, have the DD214, every insurance card including Medicare, and last year's household income (optional if they qualify another way). Your parent signs, or "someone acting as your power of attorney" signs and attaches a copy of the POA.

The Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) comes after enrollment. VA's VHIC page says it's a photo ID for checking in at VA appointments. It "doesn't pay copays or authorize care at non-VA medical centers" and isn't an insurance card. If Dad lands in a community ER, the hospital still needs his Medicare and other insurance cards.

How VA lets a family member help

This is where most adult children get stuck: you call VA, and they won't talk to you. The fix depends on the goal.

Permission to share information: VA Form 21-0845

The 21-0845 (May 2026 revision) lets VA share your parent's claim or benefit information with one person or one organization. From the form itself:

• Your parent picks "limited information" (such as claim status or payment history) or "any information," and for "any information," whether it's one time, ongoing, or until a set date.
• Your parent picks a security question VA will ask each time you call. Write the answer in the binder.
• VA keeps only one 21-0845 on file at a time, so siblings can't each have their own.
• VA can't accept one from someone it has rated incompetent. If memory is slipping, do this sooner.

It lets VA talk to you, nothing more. For VA medical records, your parent signs VA Form 10-5345, Request for and Authorization to Release Health Information, which does for VA health records roughly what a HIPAA authorization does elsewhere.

Someone to handle claims: VSOs, agents and attorneys

VA's accredited representative FAQs say VSO help on a claim is always free, and most attorneys and claims agents charge only after VA decides the initial claim. Your parent appoints a VSO on VA Form 21-22 and an individual on VA Form 21-22a. The 21-22 appoints the whole organization, doesn't need a notary, and makes that VSO the sole representative while it's in effect. Check anyone's accreditation with VA's search tool.

Can you, the daughter, be the representative? Once. Under 38 CFR 14.630, any person may be authorized on a 21-22a to handle one claim, with a signed statement that no one is paid, and only one time unless VA's General Counsel grants an exception. For anything ongoing, a VSO is the usual route.

Your power of attorney, and where it stops

A state durable power of attorney does work in some VA places: the health care application, the SF-180, and the pre-need burial application all accept one. Keep a copy in the VA section. If your parent never signed one, see what to do when a parent has no power of attorney.

VA benefit payments are different. That's the fiduciary program.

When VA appoints a fiduciary

VA's Fiduciary Program covers beneficiaries who, because of injury, disease or age, can't manage their financial affairs, a finding VA makes only after medical documentation or a court decision. VA's fiduciary FAQ describes a field examination that includes an interview with your parent, and a "least restrictive" approach: a parent who shows they can manage may get supervised direct payment for a while instead. If a fiduciary is needed, VA considers your parent's choice, then spouse, family, friends and caregivers who'll serve without a fee; a paid fiduciary is the last resort. The proposed fiduciary may get a credit check and a criminal background check.

Your parent can appeal both the finding and the choice of fiduciary. Social Security runs its own separate version, covered in representative payee vs power of attorney.

Pension and Aid and Attendance

The Veterans Pension is a monthly, needs-based payment for wartime veterans. VA's pension eligibility page requires a discharge that isn't dishonorable, family income and net worth within limits Congress sets (the house, car and most furnishings don't count), and, for those who started before September 8, 1980, at least 90 days of active duty with one day during wartime. Your parent must also be 65 or older, permanently and totally disabled, in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability, or on Social Security disability or SSI.

Wartime periods include World War II (December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946), the Korean conflict (June 27, 1950, to January 31, 1955), and the Vietnam era (November 1, 1955, to May 7, 1975 for service in Vietnam; August 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975 elsewhere).

Aid and Attendance is added to the pension for a veteran or survivor who needs another person's help with things like bathing, feeding or dressing, spends much of the day in bed because of illness, is in a nursing home because of lost mental or physical abilities, or has very limited eyesight. Housebound is the alternative for someone mostly at home because of a permanent disability; you can't get both. VA's Aid and Attendance page lists VA Form 21-2680, which a medical examiner completes, and VA Form 21-0779 for a nursing home resident. If your parent isn't on a pension yet, the pension application is VA Form 21P-527EZ, and it asks about unreimbursed medical expenses, so keep those receipts.

Two points families often miss:

• File an intent to file first. VA's intent to file page says it sets a potential start date and gives your parent one year to finish the claim. Starting the pension application online with a verified account does this automatically; otherwise use VA Form 21-0966 or call.
• VA has its own look-back. Under 38 CFR 3.276, VA reviews asset transfers made in the 36 months before a pension claim and can impose a penalty period of up to five years when assets were given away or sold below value to get under the net worth limit. It's separate from the Medicaid look-back period, and the two can collide. Be wary of anyone selling "VA pension planning" that involves moving Mom's savings; talk to an accredited representative or elder law attorney first.

Burial benefits and pre-need eligibility

Veterans who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, their spouses (even if they remarried after the veteran's death), minor children and some unmarried adult dependent children may be eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery, per VA's burial eligibility page. A divorced former spouse isn't.

The step that saves a hard week later is a pre-need determination of eligibility. Your parent applies online or on VA Form 40-10007 and can name a preferred national cemetery, which VA says it can't guarantee. VA's pre-need page says a DD214 speeds it up, but VA will try to find records without one. If you apply on your parent's behalf, you need supporting documents or an affidavit showing you're their court-appointed representative, caregiver or durable POA, plus a VA Form 21-22 or 21-22a. File the decision letter in front of the DD214.

Burial allowances help with burial, plot and transportation costs in situations such as a service-connected death, a death under VA care, or a veteran who was getting VA pension or compensation. The application is VA Form 21P-530EZ. For a death that wasn't service connected, VA's burial allowance page says the claim generally must be filed within two years after the burial, with exceptions. Headstones, flags and the Presidential Memorial Certificate are in our funeral preplanning checklist.

When your parent dies: the survivor paperwork

VA says calling is the fastest way to report a veteran's death: 800-827-1000, then 5. Reporting stops benefit payments, so survivors don't owe back an overpayment. Have the Social Security or VA claim number, date of birth, date of death and branch of service. Other calls: who to notify when a parent dies.

For the surviving parent, look at Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, a tax-free monthly benefit for some surviving spouses when the veteran died from a service-connected condition or had a service-connected disability rated totally disabling for a certain period (DIC page), and the needs-based Survivors Pension for a surviving spouse of a wartime veteran who hasn't remarried. Both lean on the DD214, death certificate, marriage certificate, and records of earlier marriages and divorces.

What to keep in the VA section of the binder

Originals belong somewhere safe (see where to keep important documents); copies go in the binder. The Archives won't return documents you send, so mail copies.

• A one-page service summary: full name used in service, branch, service number, dates of entry and discharge, wartime periods served, and where the original DD214 is kept
• Copies of every DD214 or older discharge form, undeleted versions
• Any reconstructed service records or NPRC letters, if the file was in the 1973 fire
• The VA claim number or file number, and the regional office handling claims
• Current award letters or rating decisions for pension, Aid and Attendance or compensation
• A copy of the VHIC, front and back, plus the VA medical center and primary care team phone number
• Copies of any signed 21-0845, 10-5345, 21-22 or 21-22a, with the security question answer and the VSO's name and phone
• Any fiduciary appointment paperwork
• The power of attorney and health care proxy, copies only
• Marriage certificates, divorce decrees and death certificates for prior spouses
• The pre-need eligibility decision, preferred national cemetery and the funeral home's name
• Any intent to file confirmation, with the date
• Phone numbers: VA benefits 800-827-1000, VA health care 877-222-8387, NPRC 314-801-0800, National Cemetery Scheduling Office 800-535-1117

Frequently asked questions

Can I get my living parent's DD214 for them?

Your parent signs the request, online through eVetRecs or on the SF-180. If they can't, the SF-180 accepts a request from a legal guardian with the court appointment, or an authorized representative with an authorization letter or power of attorney.

How long does it take to get a DD214 from the National Archives?

There's no promised timeline. The Archives says response times vary, it gets about 4,000 to 5,000 requests a day, and asks people not to send a follow-up before 90 days. For a funeral or surgery, use the emergency request option.

Do I need the DD214 to bury my parent in a national cemetery?

Not necessarily. The National Cemetery Scheduling Office works with the Archives to verify service, and a pre-need decision made ahead of time makes it simpler.

Building the VA folder

Find the DD214, order a copy if it's missing, have your parent sign a 21-0845 while they still can, and write the claim number on the first page. That's an afternoon and a few envelopes. If you'd rather have help organizing the rest of the binder, Emergency Binder Now asks about 25 minutes of guided questions and turns the answers into a printable binder with a one-page Emergency Information Sheet, a legal documents page that records whether each document exists and where it's kept, and a gap list of what's still missing. You can see a sample binder first.

This article is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice. VA eligibility depends on each veteran's service record and circumstances. For your parent's situation, contact VA at 800-827-1000 or an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative.