Military Discharge

South Dakota Codified Laws (SDCL)

Pursuant to SDCL 33-17-14 and SDCL 43-28-2(7):

Certificates of discharge of all persons who have served in the military forces of the United States or of any of its allies in any war in which the United States has or may hereafter engage, or who are veterans as defined in SDCL 33-17-1 shall be recorded without charge and certified copies shall be furnished to the persons named therein or their dependents without charge if requested for the purpose of presenting or prosecuting claims for compensation or pension.

Otherwise, a discharge document recorded by the Register of Deeds may be made only to the veteran, the veteran's parents, the veterans' next of kin, the veteran's legal representative, a county veteran's service officer, a veteran's organization service officer, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, or the veteran's designee.

Authorization for Release of Certificate of Military Discharge

Any person requesting a discharge document shall complete an Authorization for Release of Certificate of Military Discharge (PDF) as provided by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.