Service periods
Track each meaningful period separately, including branch, component, dates, active-duty status, and the records attached to that period.
SERVICE & ELIGIBILITY FOUNDATION — FOUNDING PUBLIC BETA
Your service history is a timeline, not one record.
Prior service, branch transfers, component changes, actual breaks in service, IRR or inactive periods, legal name changes, missing records, and different discharge characterizations can all change which records and service periods matter to a benefit decision.
Privacy note: This page does not ask for your name, former name, SSN, DoD ID, VA file number, or other identifying information. The quick check runs only in your browser and its answers are not sent to analytics.
MDN must model the person first.
The foundation is: Person → identity history → service periods → branch/component transitions → breaks in service → record sets → conflicts → eligibility facts → benefits.
A single global field such as “Branch,” “Years served,” or “Discharge” is not enough for people whose military history spans more than one period.
WHAT MDN TREATS SEPARATELY
Every period and transition can matter.
Branch changes
Prior service in one branch followed by another should not be collapsed into the current branch.
Component changes
Active, Reserve, Guard, AGR/active Reserve, IRR, and other statuses can have different service and eligibility consequences.
Breaks in service
A civilian break is different from remaining in an inactive status. MDN should preserve both the gap and the status during the gap.
Name & identity continuity
Records may exist under a former legal name, spelling, suffix, or other identity detail. MDN only needs to know that a continuity issue exists—not the actual former name.
Discharge by period
Characterization belongs to the relevant period of service. A later discharge should not silently overwrite an earlier qualifying period.
Record conflicts
Missing DD214s, NGB records, orders, reserve points, medical records, retirement documents, or conflicting dates should be flagged before personalization.
Record correction lane
MDN can identify a mismatch and route the user; the responsible service, records custodian, VA, or correction board controls the actual correction.
LOCAL-ONLY QUICK CHECK
Does your service history need reconciliation first?
Choose Yes, No, or Unsure. You do not need to enter names, dates, units, or identifiers.
Why this is upstream of eligibility
VA specifically explains that an honorable period of service may support eligibility even when a later period ended differently, and that a qualifying earlier period may exist even when no separate DD214 was issued at the end of that earlier term. That is why MDN will evaluate relevant service periods rather than treating the most recent discharge as the whole person.
Do not “fix” uncertainty by guessing.If a period, break, characterization, or record link is unclear, MDN should preserve it as Unknown and route the user to the responsible official source.
OFFICIAL RECORD ROUTES
Where record continuity gets verified
National ArchivesRequest military service records
NARA says record requests rely on the complete name used while in service, branch, and dates of service, among other identifiers. MDN does not need those identifiers to flag a continuity issue.
Open NARA records guidance ↗National ArchivesCorrect military service records
Non-archival corrections generally route to the appropriate service personnel command; some changes require a service review or correction board.
Open correction guidance ↗VAPrior honorable periods & discharge review
VA explains how prior honorable service and separate periods can affect benefit eligibility and Character of Discharge review.
Open VA discharge/correction guidance ↗DMDC / milConnectDEERS & VMET continuity
milConnect documents how service-reported information, name updates, and breaks between reported occupation codes can create inaccurate or incomplete downstream records.
Open milConnect VMET guidance ↗NEXT LAYER
Then browse benefits with the right service-history questions in mind.
The Benefits & Services Registry does not issue eligibility verdicts. It shows what factors need verification and where the official answer lives.