1. Identify your status

• Active duty, National Guard, Reserve, retiree, veteran, dependent, spouse, survivor, caregiver, or other eligible person.
• For Guard and Reserve members, identify the actual duty status and orders involved in the event.
• For family members, identify the sponsor and the relationship on which eligibility depends.

2. Identify the event

Examples include entering service, PCS or TDY, pay error, injury, medical treatment, deployment, separation, retirement, VA claim, death, survivor election, record correction, or an appealable decision.

3. State the objective in one sentence

Examples: “Correct my pay,” “prove this period of service,” “restore eligibility,” “obtain my DD-214,” “challenge this decision,” or “identify survivor benefits.” A precise objective prevents being routed into a system that can provide information but cannot grant the requested remedy.

4. Find the controlling system and decision-maker

1. Identify the record that controls the issue.
2. Identify the office that can change that record.
3. Identify the form or portal used to submit the request.
4. Identify the official who decides it.
5. Identify the review, appeal, or correction authority if the answer is wrong.

Preserve first: orders, status records, decision notices, forms, submissions, correspondence, screenshots, and deadline information. Do not rely solely on a portal display when the underlying record can be downloaded or requested.

Official sources

• Military OneSource — Benefits Finder
• Military OneSource — Contact and MilLife support
• milConnect — benefits and records for DoD affiliates
• Military OneSource — Military Life Services

Source status: SRC-011; SRC-012; SRC-014; SRC-026 Verified October 4, 2026. Recheck the controlling office, form edition, and instructions before a deadline-sensitive filing.

Continue through the system map

Navigation Guides Index · Build Your Military Life File · Who Controls What · Forms, Deadlines & Evidence