Public Records Free Directory Blog

Military records can be useful for veterans, future employers, and can even be helpful resources for genealogy searches. One of the most important military records is called the DD214. This record is one that is officially recognized as proof of military service. The DD214 is the official discharge document for the US Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corp, and Coast Guard.

Military personnel records are not available for view online, as a federal law requires that these record requests be made in writing. Although the actual record is not available to view online, there is a downloadable form that you can complete to request these records from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. The form you will need to download is called Form SF180. You can also send in a signed written request without Form SF180. Also, the recently launched eVetRecs site allows veterans and next of kin to request DD214 records online. The type of information included in the DD214 record can include the confirmation of service, reason for discharge, and service history. However, there are different levels of DD214 records that release varying levels of information. Copy 4 for a DD214 record will contain the most information. While, Copy 1 will simply address whether or not that person was in fact party of the military. Also, requests for military personnel records for those discharged prior to 1939 must be requested through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

In addition to personnel records, the NPRC is also responsible for include Morning Reports and Unit Rosters. The Morning Reports and Unit Rosters identify military personnel who are not present for reasons including death, promotion or demotion, being wounded or missing in action, going to the hospital for treatment, or being involved in a different training exercise. Morning reports are only available from NPRC for the Army from November 1912 to 1974 and for the Air Force from September 1, 1942 to June 30, 1966.

It is important to keep in mind that the type and scope of military records available to the general public will vary. If you have a signed document from the veteran or their next of kin (if deceased) that documents the type of information releasable, then you are permitted access to any record specified. This can include personnel records and medical records. However, if you do not fall into this category, you can still request certain records, but you will likely only be permitted certain information. While the government is required to make certain information accessible to the public under the Freedom of Information Act, they must follow the Privacy Act, and work to protect privacy interests.

Other important military records include draft cards, prisoner of war (POW) records, and names of soldiers killed in the varying wars. When searching for military records, searching by the war fought could be a good place to start. Searches can be performed for WWI, WWII, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, and more. Other than the NPRC and NARA, other resources can include the Department of Defense and local veteran administration and veteran affairs offices. Also, there are many military records search resources that may not be able to provide online records, but can point you in the right direction to locate a specific record. Some searches may even require you to visit certain archives in person.  The Free Public Records Directory provides various military records research resources under their “National and Federal Government” category.  This could help point you in the right direction.

When performing these military record searches, the more information you can provide, the easier search will be. Information you may need can include full name, date of birth, social security number, service number, and dates of service. Although your search may not require all this information, it could also make the hunt much easier.

Many of us are familiar with FOIA - the Freedom of Information Act which provides the general public with the right to access federal agency records or information.  States have created their own FOIA laws and provisions and New York’s, known as the Freedom of Information Law, has recently been amended per  legislation signed by New York Governor Paterson effective August 7, 2008.   FOIA provisions generally require that an agency can charge a maximum of 25cents per photocopy when records are made available or the actual cost of those records that cannot be copied.  Agencies reported financial hardships with the amount of time their employees were spending fulfilling FOIA requests.

The new fees authorized now provide not only for the actual cost of providing records, but also include the cost of employee’s time if at least two hours of time is necessary to complete a request. The hourly salary is to be that of the lowest paid employee who has the necessary skills to complete the request.  Additionally, if, in rare cases, an agency is incapable of preparing a copy due to insufficient technology equipment, an agency may charge the actual cost of hiring an outside professional service.  Agencies must notify the requestor of the fee in advance if either employee time or an outside agency fee will apply.

My first thought in reading of this change was rather cynical - that agencies are trying to reduce or narrow the scope of requests. Then I see on the state’s FOIL page that this is exactly right. The state says “With advance knowledge of the amount of the fee that would be assessed, applicants in many situations may narrow the scope of their requests”.

Other changes to New York’s FOIL may be viewed here.

Access to public records remains a vital resource for citizens and is one that all of us should continue to use.  I believe that we also have a duty to monitor governments’ responses to our requests to ensure that our access remains open and within reason.  View other articles on this subject, as well as access public records at the Public Records Directory.

Identity theft could happen to any one of us at any time.  According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), about 9 million Americans become victims of identity theft every year.   Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information and uses this information to commit further crimes.  The type of personal information typically stolen includes social security numbers and credit card numbers.  These thieves may use your stolen identity to write bad checks under your name, take out loans, apply for credit cards, get government benefits, or even get a job.

Identity theft is such a serious crime because it can damage your reputation, finances, and credit history.  In fact, it was found that some of the terrorists who attacked the U.S. on 9/11 had actually opened bank accounts and rented apartments using stolen identities.

Retrieving your social security number is usually the key ingredient for thieves to perpetrate their crimes. We are often required to provide our social security numbers to financial institutions or government agencies for various services.  Employers may also request social security numbers for their records.  In many cases, social security number can be found on public records such as land records or records from court cases.  As such, while the federal and local governments have been working hard to create easy access to public records, they have also had to work on protecting social security numbers.

In 2001, the federal courts banned social security numbers from appearing on documents that would become public records.  Furthermore, many states, including Maryland and Virginia, have enacted their own laws that prohibit certain personal information from being placed on documents filed with their courts or government agencies. However, one problem with these new laws is that they may only apply to documents filed after a certain date.  Thus, any documents filed before the law was enacted could still reveal social security numbers.  As such, many states have taken an additional step to redact social security numbers from their records.  It can be a costly procedure for the government to go through records and redact information, but it is a price worth pay for.  In 2006 the Macomb County in Michigan spent over $400,000 to redact social security numbers from 4.8 million property records.   This week, another Michigan County, Oakland County, announced that it would be redacting social security numbers from all photocopies of public documents.  In 2007, California passed a bill that required agencies to redact social security numbers from documents before making them available to view by the public.  Even in states that do not have laws mandating redaction, there options for citizens to request that their social security numbers be redacted from public records.  For example, in Arizona, the Arizona Revised Statute § 11-461, allows people to request that their number be redacted from records that are available on the Internet.  In cases such as these, it is recommended that you perform records searches under your name to determine whether you social security number appears in records relating to you.

If you are concerned about the availability of your social security number to the public, visit the Free Public Records Directory to access public record search resources.  This website provides access to dozens of public record types, including land records, business records, and vital records.