Virtually all Veterans Benefits are derived through the veterans Discharge Certificate, DD-214 (or equivalent document). It is extremely important that this document be protected. The most convenient method of doing that is to have the document recorded with the County Clerk of the county in which you reside. In Texas, there is no charge for recording military discharges. When you file the document you will be given "some" certified copies by the Clerk’s office for your immediate use. If, at a later time, a copy of the DD-214 is needed, you need only contact that County Clerks office to get additional copies of the recorded document.

If your DD-214 has been lost or destroyed and you did not register it with a County Clerk’s office, you will likely have to request the document from your military personnel records maintained by the National Archives (National Personnel Records Center) in St Louis, MO. For additional information concerning this process, visit their web site at http://www.nara.gov/regional/mpr.html.