Having your military records on-hand is a must when applying for veterans benefits. Precious time can be lost and without certain documents the VA will not even consider a claim for benefits.
Important documents such as your DD Form 214, Discharge Papers and Separation Documents are critical to establishing you within the VA system in order to obtain services and benefits.
Quite often a veteran can not find these needed documents. Family members may need these documents to obtain certain benefits after a veteran’s death but can not locate them. Many times the veteran or his dependents will just give up and not pursue the benefits or compensation that they are entitled to.
Obtaining needed records has recently become a great deal easier. The National Archives now has an “online military personnel records request system” called “eVetRecs” that can be accessed from their website for purposes of obtaining your records.
Veterans and their families can now request military service records by going to http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/ and completing the electronic form.