MILITARY DISCHARGE RECORDS

As Clerk of the Courts of Wayne County, I am honored and humbled to offer service and assistance to the men and women of this great country who have served in our nation’s armed forces. Veterans are provided the opportunity to record and permanently preserve their military discharge.

Military discharge records include:

  • Copy 4, DD Form 214 issued by the United States government;
  • Any copy of DD Form 214 with a raised seal issued by the United States National Personnel Records Center; or
  • United States National Archives Form 13038.

A veteran desiring to have his or her military discharge records permanently recorded in the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court of Wayne County should bring the records to the Clerk’s Office. The office is located in the Wayne County Courthouse Annex located behind the courthouse at 174 North Brunswick Street, Jesup, Ga

There is no filing fee for this service, nor is there a fee for obtaining copies, certified or otherwise. However, to protect military discharge records against fraudulent misuse, strict enforcement of Georgia laws are followed concerning who may view and receive copies of discharge records. The following is a synopsis of the law governing the confidentiality of records.

Georgia Laws, Code Section 15-6-72.

“(c)(1) Any DD-214 record filed pursuant to this Code section shall for a period of 50 years following its filing be exempt from Chapter 18 of Title 50, relating to open records. During that 50 year period, it shall be unlawful for any person to permit inspection of any such record, to disclose information contained in any such record, or to issue a copy of all or any part of such record except as authorized by this subsection or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

(2) Upon presentation of proper identification, any of the following persons may examine a record filed pursuant to this Code section or obtain free of charge a copy or certified copy of all or part of such record:

(A) The person who is the subject of the record;
(B) The spouse or next of kin of the person who is the subject of the record;
(C) A person named in an appropriate power of attorney executed by the person who is the subject of the record;
(D) The administrator, executor, guardian, or legal representative of the person who is the subject of the record; or
(E) An attorney for any person specified in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of this paragraph.
(3) Records kept pursuant to this Code section shall not be reproduced or used in whole or in part for any commercial or speculative purposes.
(4) Any individual, agency, or court which obtains information pursuant to this subdivision shall not disseminate or disclose such information or any part thereof except as authorized in this subsection or otherwise by law.
(5) Violation of this subsection shall constitute a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $5,000.00; provided, however, that the clerk of the superior court shall not be liable and shall be held harmless for any act of any person who copies, reproduces, or uses records in violation of this subsection.

Sincerely,    

Frances Yeargan