Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds: Free Discharge Recording and Veterans' Discount ID Card

Recording. Bring the DD-214 or NGB-22 and a photo ID to the Recorder of Deeds in Norristown, or to one of its mobile events, which the Recorder lists on the county calendar. There is no fee; the county fee schedule lists veterans' discharge papers at no charge. The office keeps the image permanently on a secure database and the veteran keeps the original. Questions: 610-278-3289. The discount card. A Montgomery County veteran who records a discharge and is photographed gets a Veterans' Discount ID card and a list of participating businesses, which the Recorder updates monthly. Merchants offer a percentage or a dollar amount off, join for a year at a time and are asked to give 30 days' notice before leaving, but the county does not guarantee the discount, so show the card when you buy and ask. The programme is funded by contributors, with no tax money. Copies. A copy goes only to the veteran, an immediate family member, an agent the veteran authorises in writing, or the county director of veterans affairs, on the Recorder's request form. Call first to make sure the discharge was recorded here; the office has only what was filed with it. What the page has out of date. It cites "Pennsylvania Statute of 1868, Act 37" and says discharges are not open to public search until 75 years after recording. Act 97 of 2024 replaced the 1868 act with 16 Pa.C.S. Chapter 13 from December 15, 2024, which keeps a recorded discharge confidential for 85 years and also lets a court, a State or federal agency, or the county director obtain it.