DD Form 214 evidence for UCX eligibility

CLASSIFICATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
UI
Employment and Training Administration
Washington, D. C. 20210
CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL

TEUMI
ISSUE DATE

April 2, 1984
RESCISSIONS
EXPIRATION DATE

None
April 30, 1985

DIRECTIVE: UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM LETTER 20-84

FROM: Bert Lewis, Administrator for Regional Management

TO: ALL STATE EMPLOYMENT SECURITY AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Use of DD Form 214 Information to Support UCX Entitlement

1 Purpose: To provide information on the issuance of DD Forms 214 and its need to support
UCX entitlement.

2. Reference: UCX Handbook (ET Handbook 384 ) and UI PL 9-84

3. Background: At the time a person is separated from the Armed Forces, he/she is given a DD
   Form 214, certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, identified as copy 1. This copy
   does not show the person’s "Character of Service" and other special additional information
   needed to support a claim for UCX benefits. Veterans are encouraged by the military service to
   request a copy 4 of their DD Form 214, since it is needed to request VA and /or UCX benefits.
   However, not all veterans make this request. If they request copy 4, item 30 of the DD Form 214
   will be initialed to this effect. Facsimiles of copy l and copy 4 of the DD Form 214 are shown in
   Chapter IV of UCX Handbook.

   When an ex-service member is separated from the military service, a copy 5 of the DD Form 214
   is sent to the Claims Control Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by the military separation station
   shown in Item B of the DD Form 214. Copy 5 contains all information needed to support UCX
   entitlement, which may be used in lieu of copy 4.
   
   Information on copy 5 may be used to validate the authenticity of items shown on the copy 4
   presented by the UCX claimant. For example, the copy 4 presented by the claimant may show
   he/she was separated "Under Honorable Conditions”, but copy 5 may show “other than
   honorable.”
   
   When a claimant presents a copy 4 and the Claims Control Center has not received a copy 5,
   there is a serious question on whether the person had been in the military service and if the DD
   Form 214 is fraudulent. However, in making such a determination, the SESA should recognize
   

   that there are reasons for the control center not having a copy 5 of a person's DD Form 214, such
   as:

        a.      The military separation station may have overlooked sending a copy 5 to the
                control center.
   
        b.      Copy 5 may have been misdirected or lost in the mail.
   
        c.      The separation station may have delayed sending copy 5 to the control center.
                Actually, in about 95 percent of the instances that a UCX claimant presents a
                copy 4 of his/her DD Form 214, the control center will have received a copy 5
   

4. Instructions: When a veteran applies for UCX benefits, he/she is asked to present copy 4 of
   his/her DD Form 214, in order to support the UCX claim. (Refer to Section 6, Chapter II of UCX
   Handbook.)

        a.      If the claimant says he/ she lost the DD Form 214 or was not issued one, the
                SESA should inform the claimant that while it is his/her responsibility to obtain a
                copy 4, the SESA will try to help by requesting the required DD Form 214
                information from the Claim Control Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. If the
                control center has no record of his/her military service, the SESA may further
                help the person to obtain a copy 4 by use of Form ETA B-43, Request for
                Military Documents, as instructed by Chapter IV of the UCX Handbook.
   
                When an the SESA shows on its UCX inquiry that the claimant did not present
                the copy 4 of DD Form 214, the control center is programed to supply the SESA
                with a copy of the person's DD Form 214, when Item 28 on the form is needed,
                if the control center has received copy 5 of DD Form 214.
   
                For the quarter ending September 30 , 1983 , there were e 1280 in stances in
                which the claimant n t presented no DD Form 214 , but there were e 1122
                instances ( 87.7 percent t ) in which DD Form 214 information was furnished by
                the control center.
   
        b.      If the UCX claimant presents a copy 4, the SESA should complete a Form ES-
                970, Request for UCX Determination, and if appropriate, immediately determine
                UCX entitlement and pay benefits. Also, the SESA will send to the Claims
                Control Center a UCX inquiry for the claimant as instructed by Section 9,
                Chapter II of the UCX Handbook .
   

   If the control center informs a SESA that it cannot verify the information shown on the claimant's
   DD Form 214, since it has not received copy 5, the SESA will send a legible reproduced copy of
   the person's DD Form 214 to the control center. The center will use this copy to follow-up with
   the appropriate branch of the armed forces. The control center will, if possible, obtain a copy 5
   (or equivalent information) from the armed forces, in order to verify the ex-service member's DD
   Form 214.

   If the DD Form 214 cannot be verified by information supplied by the armed Forces 45 days after
   the SESA sent a reproduced copy to the control center, the SESA will atop its follow-up with the
   control center. It will be the SESA's responsibility to determine, to the extent possible, whether
   the ex-service member had in f act presented a "legitimate DD Form 214," as outlined in section 5

   and lla, Chapter II of the UCX Handbook.

        c.      It will be the SESA’s responsibility to resolve differences in DD Form 214 and
                information received from the Claims Control Center and the DD Form 214
                information furnished by the claimant. In some instances, these differences may
                not have any material consequence s on the UCX claim or benefit payments
                Such differences may be resolved by techniques outlined in Section 9 of Chapter
                VI of the UCX Handbook.
   

   When there is an obvious material difference , the SESA should promptly request from the
   control center that the DD Form 214 information that it received from the center be verified
   against the information shown on copy 5 received by the Center. If material differences remain, it
   is the SESA's responsibility to request verification of “questioned items" from the appropriate
   branch of the military service by use of Form ETA B-43. If the material differences remain after a
   reply from the military service, the possibility of the incident of fraudulent claiming should be
   considered. (Refer to Chapter XXI of the UCX Handbook.)

5. Action Required: SESAs are requested to provide the above instructions to appropriate
   staff members.

6. Inquiries: Direct inquiries to the appropriate Regional Office .