Chester County Recorder of Deeds: Free Discharge Recording and Veteran ID Card

Recording. Bring the DD-214 or other discharge documents and a photo ID to the Recorder of Deeds, 313 West Market Street, Suite 3302, West Chester, or to one of its off-site events. There is no fee. After recording, paper copies holding sensitive information are destroyed and the image is kept on a secure server; discharges are the only documents the office keeps out of the public record. The Recorder suggests that a veteran who recorded a discharge in another county or state also record it here. Certified copies: 610-344-6330. Who can get a copy. The Recorder releases a recorded discharge to the veteran, immediate family (spouse, siblings, children and parents, in the veteran's absence or after death), or authorized military personnel or veterans' agencies, with proof of identity. 16 Pa.C.S. 1303 also allows release to someone the veteran authorises in writing and on a court's process, and opens the record to anyone after 85 years. The Veteran ID card. After recording, the office takes the veteran's photograph and issues a free Veteran ID card, with a packet listing the participating businesses, roughly 100 of them, which offer discounts, typically 10 to 25 percent. Fill in the Veterans ID Program application; the card must be made in person.