LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
200 W. Washington St., Suite 301
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 233-0696
iga.in.gov
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 6729 NOTE PREPARED: Dec 22, 2020
BILL NUMBER: HB 1242 BILL AMENDED:
SUBJECT: Access to Military Records.
FIRST AUTHOR: Rep. Ellington BILL STATUS: As Introduced
FIRST SPONSOR:
FUNDS AFFECTED: GENERAL IMPACT: Local
DEDICATED
FEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: This bill provides that any person may request the discharge records of a veteran
if the veteran has been discharged for at least 62 years.
Effective Date: July 1, 2021.
Explanation of State Expenditures:
Explanation of State Revenues:
Explanation of Local Expenditures: This bill requires county recorders to provide a certified copy of
discharge records to any person requesting them if the veteran has been discharged for at least 62 years. This
policy is in accordance with the standards set forth by the US National Archives and the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs. This requirement constitutes a slight increase in workload for county recorders but is
within their routine administrative functions. This provision should be able to be implemented with no
additional resources.
Additional Information: Upon discharge from the military, the Department of Defense sends a copy of a
servicemember’s discharge records (form DD214) to the recorder of the county in which the member resided
at the time he or she entered active service. Although centralized records are kept and are accessible through
the Archives and the Department of Veterans Affairs, these records are incomplete due to a 1973 fire which
destroyed between 16 and 18 million records of service. In these cases, the locally-filed DD214 retained by
the county recorder is often the only complete surviving record of a veteran’s service. This bill makes rules
regarding the release of those locally-filed records consistent with those used by relevant federal agencies.
HB 1242 1
Explanation of Local Revenues:
State Agencies Affected:
Local Agencies Affected: County recorders.
Information Sources: US Department of Veterans Affairs
(https://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/);
United States National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records)
Fiscal Analyst: Alexander Raggio, 317-234-9485.
HB 1242 2


Statutes affected:
1. Introduced House Bill (H): 10-17-2-4