Help Replacing Lost Military Discharge Papers for Pennsylvania Veterans
The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) runs a Records Request Program that helps veterans and their family members track down lost military paperwork such as the DD214, DD215 or NGB22. The department assists thousands of veterans and their family members every year who are looking for lost military documents.
These papers matter because they prove your service. The DD214 is a concise record of a period of time with the Armed Forces at the time of separation, discharge or change in military status, and it is an authoritative source of information for government agencies and the Armed Forces for employment, benefit and reenlistment purposes. A DD215 corrects errors or additions to the DD214 found after the original was delivered. Members of the National Guard have the NGB22 as their discharge document, and the NGB23 is the retirement points statement, which may also be needed.
Where you send your request depends on when and where you served.
- Veterans discharged from 2010 to the present can access their own digital records by setting up an account through the VA e-benefits portal at ebenefits.va.gov.
- If you were discharged from an active branch of service or the reserves before 2010 with no remaining service obligation, your personnel file is most likely stored at the National Archives and Records Administration. A veteran, or their next of kin, can complete Standard Form 180, which includes mailing instructions on the last page, or submit a signed form electronically at archives.gov/veterans. The National Archives does not house Guard personnel files.
- If you retired or separated from the PA National Guard in the last year, you can request service documents including copies of your NGB22 and NGB23 by submitting Standard Form 180 to Retirement Services. Fax the completed request to 717-861-9643, or mail it to Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, ATTN: Retirement Services, BLDG 14-99 (FTIG), Annville, PA 17003-5002.
- The Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard maintain a state file of service from 1955 to 2009. Information in these state files varies, but it should include records of enlistment and discharge documents, among other forms. If the discharge year is known, a veteran, or the next of kin of a deceased veteran, can obtain copies of available information by completing Standard Form 180 and emailing it to RA-REQ@pa.gov or mailing it to PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, ATTN: Records Requests, 40 Fisher Ave, Jonestown, PA 17038. That address is for mailing the form; nothing on the page describes in person service there.
- Information on PA National Guard discharges before 1955 must be requested directly from the Pennsylvania State Archives, which maintains evidence of service for PA military units dating from 1775 to 1985 and records of state war bonuses paid to service members of the WWI, Korean, WWII and Vietnam Wars.
You can also locate your service medical records. If you had an overnight stay in a military treatment facility while on active duty, a clinical record of that treatment most likely exists and may be available. Veterans who plan to file a claim for benefits with the USDVA do not need to request copies of service medical records, because the VA will obtain them if they are not already in its possession.
Questions about National Guard records can be directed to the Office of Veterans Affairs at 717-861-8910, option 2. The DMVA's general number for veterans questions is 800-547-2838 or 717-861-8910, and the department's address is Bldg. 0-47, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA 17003-5002.
To avoid this search later, the DMVA recommends that one of the first stops for a service member leaving the military be the Prothonotary's Office at their county courthouse to file their paperwork, so that the veteran and their family always have access to an official copy.
The page does not say whether there is a cost to request records or how long a request takes.
Source: pa.gov/agencies/dmva/pennsylvania-veterans/pa-vetconnect/…, read September 18, 2026.
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NARA does not house Guard Personnel Files. To request information maintained in a personnel file, a veteran, or their next-of-kin, can complete the Standard Form 180 , which includes mailing instructions on the last page.
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FAX completed requests to 717-861-9643, or mail to: Department of Military and Veterans Affairs ATTN: Retirement Services BLDG 14-99 (FTIG) Annville, PA 17003-5002 National Guard retirement benefit questions should be directed to the Retirement Services office at 717-861-8432 or 717-861-8489 . The Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard maintain a state file of service from 1955-2009. Information from these state files vary, but should include records of enlistment and discharge documents, among other forms. A veteran, or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, can obtain copies of available information if the discharge year is known by obtaining an Standard Form 180 at and emailing to RA-REQ@pa.gov or by mailing to: PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs ATTN: Records Requests 40 Fisher Ave Jonestown, PA 17038
- Standard Form 180
In Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’s words
Veterans transitioning from the military to civilian life often forget how important it is to properly record and safeguard their important military paperwork such as the DD214, DD215 or NGB22, for future use. Failure to properly secure this paperwork can lead to it being lost, resulting in a frantic search when it is needed. The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) assists thousands of veterans and their family members every year who are looking for lost military…
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Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
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This listing summarizes publicly available information from pa.gov/agencies/dmva/pennsylvania-veterans/pa-vetconnect/…. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.