Mahoning County Recorder: Free Discharge Recording and Veteran ID Card

Recording. The Mahoning County Recorder, Richard S. Scarsella, 120 Market Street, first floor, Youngstown (330-740-2345, fax 330-740-2347), takes an original or VA-certified discharge for recording at no cost, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Revised Code 317.24; see the Ohio entry on county recorders). At recording the veteran's Social Security number is redacted to prevent identity theft, and the original comes back with a certified copy. Recorded discharges are not public record for 75 years under Senate Bill 248 of 2009; the office's document searches run on Laredo Anywhere, with sign-up free. The ID card. A veteran who records the discharge and shows two current, valid forms of identification receives a United States Veteran Document Identification Card, free, carrying photograph, service dates and the record's document number so the office can find the discharge quickly. The accepted identifications run from an original or certified birth certificate, a VA identification card, a military identification card and a passport to a Social Security card, a state motor-vehicle operator's license, a state identification card or a state permit to carry a concealed weapon. The statute would let the office charge up to $2; Mahoning charges nothing. The card proves veteran status for employment applications, home loans, hospital services, student loans, burial benefits and store and restaurant discounts.