Saginaw County Clerk: Free DD-214 Recording and Certified Copies

Michigan county clerks record discharges, keep them confidential for 70 years and give copies free to the veteran and those working on the veteran's behalf (MCL 35.31 to 35.35; see the Michigan entry on discharge records). Saginaw County. The Clerk's Military Discharge page asks veterans to file the discharge with the Clerk's office in their county of residence, bringing the original document with a valid government-issued ID; the original is copied and handed straight back, the record is filed while the veteran waits, and the veteran leaves with certified copies. There is no fee to file or to obtain certified copies. Copies. The record is private and cannot be viewed by the public. The veteran shows a valid government-issued ID; if the veteran is deceased, an heir shows a certified copy of the death certificate with further proof of relationship, such as a marriage licence or birth certificate. Requests can be mailed, or left in the Courthouse drop box, to Saginaw County Clerk, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Saginaw, MI 48602, with identification and a self-addressed envelope. What the page leaves out. MCL 35.32 also lets a person with the veteran's written permission, and a veterans service officer or county veterans counsellor helping with a claim, see and copy the record free. A service officer turned away can cite the section.