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INSTRUCTION AND INFORMATION SHEET FOR SF 180, REQUEST PERTAINING TO MILITARY RECORDS

1. General Information. The Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records (SF180) is used to request information from military records.

Certain identifying information is necessary to determine the location of an individual's record of military service. Please try to answer each item on the SF

180. If you do not have and cannot obtain the information for an item, show "NA," meaning the information is "not available". Include as much of the

requested information as you can. Incomplete information may delay response time. To determine where to mail this request see Page 2 of the SF180 for

record locations and facility addresses.

Online requests may be submitted to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) by a veteran or deceased veteran’s next-of-kin using eVetRecs at

was discharged, retired or died in service more than 62 years ago.)

a. Release of information: Release of information is subject to restrictions imposed by the military services consistent with Department of Defense

regulations, the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act of 1974. The service member (either past or present) or

the member's legal guardian has access to almost any information contained in that member's own record. The authorization signature of the service

member or the member's legal guardian is needed in Section III of the SF180. Others requesting information from military personnel records and/or

STRs must have the release authorization in Section III of the SF 180 signed by the member or legal guardian. If the appropriate signature cannot be

obtained, only limited types of information can be provided. If the former member is deceased, the surviving next-of-kin may, under certain

circumstances, be entitled to greater access to a deceased veteran's records than a member of the general public. The next-of-kin may be any of the

following: unremarried surviving spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother. Requesters MUST provide proof of death, such as a

copy of a death certificate, newspaper article (obituary) or death notice, coroner’s report of death, funeral director’s signed statement of

a. Release of Information: Archival records are open to the public. The Privacy Act of 1974 does not apply to archival records, therefore, written

authorization from the veteran or next-of-kin is not required. In order to protect the privacy of the veteran, his/her family, and third parties named in

the records, the personal privacy exemption of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552 (b) (6)) may still apply and may preclude the release

of some information.

b. Fees for Archival Records: Access to archival records are granted by offering copies of the records for a fee (44 U.S.C. 2116 (c)). If a fee applies

to the photocopies of documents in the requested record, you will receive an invoice. Photocopies will be sent after payment is made. For more

information see http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/archival-programs/military-personnel-archival/ompf-archival-requests.html.

4. Where reply may be sent. The reply may be sent to the service member or any other address designated by the service member or other authorized

requester. If the designated address is NOT registered to the addressee by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), provide BOTH the addressee’s name AND “in

care of” (c/o) the name of the person to whom the address is registered on the NAME line in Section III, item 3, on page 1 of the SF 180. The COMPLETE

PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 COMPLIANCE INFORMATION

The following information is provided in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(3) and applies to this form. Authority for collection of the information is 44

U.S.C. 2907, 3101, and 3103, and Public Law 104-134 (April 26, 1996), as amended in title 31, section 7701. Disclosure of the information is voluntary. If

the requested information is not provided, it may delay servicing your inquiry because the facility servicing the service member's record may not have all of

the information needed to locate it. The purpose of the information on this form is to assist the facility servicing the records (see the address list) in locating

the correct military service record(s) or information to answer your inquiry. This form is then retained as a record of disclosure. The form may also be

disclosed to Department of Defense components, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS, U.S. Coast Guard), or

the National Archives and Records Administration when the original custodian of the military health and personnel records transfers all or part of those

records to that agency. If the service member was a member of the National Guard, the form may also be disclosed to the Adjutant General of the

appropriate state, District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, where he or she served.