Northampton County Office of Veterans Affairs: Free Discharge Recording

What the office does. The Office of Veterans Affairs "recommends that all honorably discharged servicemembers record their discharge document" with it. Recording is free to county veterans, the discharge is kept permanently, and certified copies can be had at any time. Bring the DD-214 to 2801 Emrick Boulevard, Bethlehem (610-829-4875). What the statute says. 16 Pa.C.S. 1302 has the recorder of deeds, or the equivalent officer in a home rule county, record each final discharge, and section 1301 defines a discharge as one under conditions other than dishonorable, so a veteran with a general or other than honorable discharge may record too. Under section 1303 the record is confidential: it may be released only to the veteran, immediate family, someone the veteran authorises in writing, a court, the county director of veterans affairs or a government agency, until 85 years have passed. See the Pennsylvania entry on the county director. The Recorder of Deeds' page says that all documents it records are "available for public inspection"; a discharge recorded with the county is not.