Cameron County Clerk: Recording of Military Discharges

The Cameron County Clerk, Sylvia Garza-Perez, keeps the county's records from the Cameron County Courthouse; her DD-214 page sits under Vital Statistics. "Although it is not required, filing your DD 214 with the Cameron County Clerk's Office provides permanent retention of the record. Doing so allows our office to provide a certified copy of your DD 214 should you need a replacement copy for your records in the future. An original, complete DD 214 must be provided for the filing and will be returned once the filing is completed." Where. Filing and copies go through the Vital Statistics Department, Main Office, 835 East Levee Street, 3rd Floor, Brownsville, Texas 78520; 956-544-0817. The fees. The Clerk's 2026 fee schedule lists "Military Discharge (DD214)" twice, each "NO CHARGE" - filing under Local Government Code § 192.002(b) and certified copy under the same citation. Section 192.002 requires the free recording; Government Code 552.140 makes a discharge first received on or after September 1, 2003 confidential for 75 years and requires free copies for the people it lists; see the Texas entry. The same fee schedule carries the military-veteran assumed name certificate at $0.00 under Business & Commerce Code 71.155(a-1) - the clerk's-choice waiver the Texas entry explains. Copies. "Once a DD 214 has been recorded at our office, a copy can be obtained from the Vital Statistics Department by submitting request via email to: [email protected]." The page's requester list is narrower than the statute's: "Aside from the Veteran, only immediate family (spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother) may request a copy. In order to request a copy of a DD 214, we require proof of age and identity in the form of a valid government issued or state issued photo identification." The minimum information is the veteran's full name. Section 552.140(c) also lets a legal guardian, the estate's personal representative, a person holding a power of attorney from one of those, another governmental body, and a funeral home helping with the burial have copies; a guardian, executor or funeral director turned away should cite the section. A veteran without an original can request a certified copy online at archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records or by mail or fax on the SF-180; the National Personnel Records Center's customer service line is 314-801-0800.