Merchants, bankers and others who do business with military personnel must stay in compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a United States law. In order to do this, they must frequently request a search for military service records.
While is it possible to obtain military service records through the mail by sending your request to the federal government in writing, it is much easier, faster and more common to perform an online military records search. Anyone can do a national search for such records, but it can sometimes be frustrating and confusing. For instance, you may assume that the National Archives and Records Administration is the place to find what you’re looking for, but in fact, this national government agency only houses certain historical records.
Further, to obtain accurate results when you search for records, you must request the Social Security number of the person you are searching for.
But when you get help from a third-party service such as the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service, your search results are guaranteed. And you get the records quickly — usually within 24 hours.
If you don’t have the person’s Social Security number, we can use other identifying information to obtain their Social Security number and the subsequent military status records, If you have their name, address, email address, names of next of kin, phone number or other information, all this can help us to find the records you need.
When Did They Serve?
What is key in performing searches for military records as they relate to the SCRA is the period of time the customer or client was in the military. If, for instance, you repossessed a car from a military veteran who was not an active-duty service member at the time, this may let you off the hook for violations.
The SCRA only applies to active-duty military personnel. Service members who join the military or are called to active duty are often allowed to cancel contracts such as leases, cell phone contracts and the like made before the call-up. However, if they enter the contract while on active duty, they may be obliged to adhere to it under certain circumstances.
Further, the SCRA only applies to members of the United States military. Members of the UK military or the armed forces of other nations are not entitled to SCRA protections.
Whether military members are veterans who served during wartime is also irrelevant to the SCRA. Veterans of World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War or veterans of the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq are entitled to the same SCRA protections as those who serve during peacetime. Thus, while war records can sometimes be helpful in a records search, it is not a necessary component.
Checking Military Records Is a Critical Step
Before moving forward with any court action against a military service member, such as an eviction, foreclosure or repossession, you must check their personnel records to see if they were on active duty when they entered a contract with you, or if they are now. Additionally, if the service member makes a request for a reduction in their interest rate, you must grant this as well. The SCRA says that service members are guaranteed an interest rate of no greater than 6 percent on mortgages, car loans, student loans, personal loans, credit cards and any other type of loan. Failure to comply with this national, federal regulation can result in steep fines and penalties.
How do you request a check on the service records of clients? It’s easy. Just contact the SCRACVS, provide the necessary information and request the records. We find the documents and military records you need quickly and easily. We transmit these military records to you via encrypted email, so you get what you need without fear of a data breach.
Contact Us Today
Contact the SCRACVS today with your military records request. We have access to the DMDC database of service records, so we get results quickly.