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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the function of this site?
- What is NOT the function of this site?
- Who is authorized to use this site?
- Are there alternate methods for obtaining certification that a person is/is not on active duty?
- How are name-searches tracked and identified?
- Is it true that a name-search can be conducted without a SSN?
- What are the costs involved?
- What is a Manual Search?
- How long does a search take?
- When the site responds, in what format will the certification be?
- How is payment made?
- I am an office manager. I want to enable my employees to conduct searches. How is this accomplished?
- How can I keep track of my searches?
- What are User-Defined Field Names?
- What do I do with the certification?
- What is a Company/Firm Passcode?
- What is the format for phone numbers, fax numbers and credit card numbers?
- What is Shipping Method?
- Why is it necessary to conduct a name search?
- What is the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act?
- Whom does the Act protect?
- What military and other agencies have personnel who may be protected under the Act?
- What are some good resources?
- Do a Servicemember's protections end as soon as he exits from active military duty?
- Start Dates: Last time I checked, the Start Date was different. Why?
- Foreign Nationals: How do I comply with the SCRA?
- Is batch or bulk processing available?
- What if I have not supplied enough information to conduct an SCRA Verification?
- I think someone is trying to "con" me, claiming s/he is in the military. Will this site help me?
- What is the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Verification Service?
- Why is my credit card information being rejected?
- Are some social security numbers invalid and is there any logic to how the numbers are assigned or configured?
What is the function of this site?
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act ("SCRA") requires verification of whether an individual is on active military duty. We are the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service ("SCRACVS"). We are a name-search service only. Creditors (such as banks, mortgage companies) and their attorneys and agents must be mindful about taking certain action against people who are on active military duty. People who contract with servicemembers may also need some verification. Searches are conducted to determine whether or not a servicemember is on active military duty, and, thus, subject to the protections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Often courts will require certification that a search has been conducted, and its results. Agencies covered: (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps ("Marines"), Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA"), and Public Health Service).
What is NOT the function of this site?
We cannot give legal advice. Nor are we set up to answer inquiries from servicemembers that are unrelated to whether a person is on active military duty. Our searches do not provide locations or the identity, whereabouts, character or actions of any person. Our searches reflect a snapshot in time -- the moment the verification is conducted. There is no historical information provided, for example, whether a person has ever been in the military, unless the termination of service is within the past year. See the Resources and Links page for suggestions.
Who is authorized to use this site?
Only authorized personnel may use the site. See the Terms of Service page. Generally, authorized parties include court personnel, attorneys, litgants (parties in a lawsuit), insurance companies, lenders, debt collections agencies, leasing companies, landlords, storage facilities and other lessors.
Are there alternate methods for obtaining certification that a person is/is not on active duty?
You may write to each of the seven (7) agencies (i.e. Army, Navy, etc.) and enclose a check for $5.20 per name for each agency. If you multiply $5.20 by 7, you get $36.40. Note that some military agencies can take up to five (5) months to respond. There are other on-line methods of inquiry, but none, apart from us, to our knowledge, will respond conclusively to an inquiry without a social security number .
How are name-searches tracked and identified?
Each name search is assigned a unique Tracking Number by us. This Tracking Number must be referenced in any inquiries.
Is it true that a name-search can be conducted without a SSN?
We can usually perform the search without a SSN! When we process the search request, we are required to submit an SSN for a dispositive search (the government search can be conducted with just the d.o.b., but the results come back with "qualifications" that make the search less credible). Usually we are able to ascertain the SSN if you supply a partial SSN, date of birth, or some addresses. The most efficient method is to supply your information at the time you order the search. Second best is to follow up with an email to us supplying some leads for us to research the DOB (leads can be address, name of spouse, approximate age). In certain, rare situations, a Manual Search may need to be conducted.
What are the costs involved?
There are no membership or recurring fees. The cost is per name-search. A regular name-search is charged $36.40 and you are notified by email of the result. If you request an affidavit, there is an additional $15 charge. If you would like the affidavit sent by Fedex, there is a $24 charge. See "Manual Search" section below for unusual situations.
What is a Manual Search?
We utilize sophisticated databases that can usually reveal the subject's Social Security Number (see section below on SSN's). In very rare situations, we are unable to locate that number. Situations include: foreign visitors, nick names, very common names where you are unable to supply us with any valid addresses or dates of birth. In such situations, we will have to write manual letters to each Agency (Army, Navy, etc.). For this "manual search", we charge a $45 surcharge in addition to the base charges. We will never undertake a Manual Search without your authorization. NOTE: In September 2010 we were informed by the Army (specifically the US Army Human Resource Command) that it is now UNABLE to respond to inquiries about active military status. The Army says that it is without adequate resources to handle the requests, partially because the people in the Army outnumber all the other branches combined. If this is the case, it is likely that all manual searches will be suspended indefinately. Notwithstanding that notification, since then the Army has been responding, albeit very slowly (6 months).
How long does a search take?
If you provide a full social security number, the response is usually sent to you by email within minutes. If you do not provide a social security number, and you do provide other information sufficient to identify the person, 87% of the time the search is conducted by midnight of the same business day. It is very important to supply as much alternate information to us if you are not providing a full social security number. There is a blue box on the intake screen that suggests the type of alternative information that is useful. In the rare situation where a Manual Search must be conducted, the search could take up to six months (two of the reporting Agencies take that long to respond to our letters). See "Manual Search" explanation.
When the site responds, in what format will the certification be?
You will always receive your results by email. In addition, when you check out at the end of placing your order, you will be asked whether you want to pay for us to prepare an affidavit for you, and whether you would like it mailed or sent overnight. In your "My Account", "Affidavit Preferences" area of the site, you indicate your default preference for your check-out screen.
How is payment made?
Each time you access the search site, you may enter in as many subjects' names as you wish. When you check out you will pay for all searches. The SCRACVS has engaged the checkout service of Paypal which has a high encryption and security platform, is easy to use, and is familiar to most users.
I am an office manager. I want to enable my employees to conduct searches. How is this accomplished?
We suggest that an office manager or similar person obtain a debit card with a specific dollar value and register as a unique Paypal user and then give that Paypal login information to your employees.
How can I keep track of my searches?
The site provides full tracking. Additionally, emails are sent out marking certain progress points: initial order, status, and final search results. When you register, you will select a preference: whether you want periodic status reports, or whether you just want the final search results and no status reports. Each time you access the search site, you may enter in as many subjects names as you wish.
What are User-Defined Field Names?
We offer you two fields for your use to assist you in tracking each search and for sorting purposes. In "My Account" you can assign names to these two fields, because they are "user-defined" fields. For example, you could name the first customer reference field with the name "Account No." or "Case No.", etc. This can be particularly handy for sorting in the future, for billing your customers for searches on their matters, or other reference uses. It may also assist Prime Users who want to standardize the search process among their sub-users.
What do I do with the certification?
The certification can serve as the basis for an affidavit of compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Alternatively, you can request that that we prepare and send to you an Affidavit.
What is a Company/Firm Passcode?
When a Prime User (such as an office manager or administrator) signs up for the service s/he receives a code to distribute to his/her employees who are authorized to conduct searches on your firm's behalf.
What is the format for phone numbers, fax numbers and credit card numbers?
Digits only, no dashes, parentheses, or other characters.
What is Shipping Method?
If you have ordered and paid for an affidavit (at a surcharge of $15) then you may elect to have that affidavit shipped overnight or by regular mail.
Why is it necessary to conduct a name search?
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provides limitations against collections and possessory actions that may be taken against persons on active military duty. The Act also provides for penalties for failing to abide by the Act. Courts will usually require a certificate of compliance with the Act before entering judgment.
What is the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act?
Passed in December of 2003, and found at 50 U.S.C. App Section 501-596, the SCRA completely restates and renames the old act: the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act of 1940. For a copy of the Act, see our Home Page, then Resources and Links tab, then "Text of Act".
Whom does the Act protect?
Active military members (including reservists, National Guardsmen, commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who are in active federal service).Dependents of these people are eligible for some of the benefits of the Act.
"Active duty" for armed services is defined in 10 U.S.C. § 101(d)(1) as "fulltime duty in the active military service of the United States ... [including] full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance, while in the active military service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary of the military department concerned." "Active military service" is not further defined in Section 101 of Title 10, U.S. Code, although active service is given the meaning service on active duty or full-time National Guard duty in Section 101(d)(3).
Under the SCRA, persons on active duty and attending a service school are covered, while persons attending training prior to entering active duty, such as officer candidates, may not be covered. It is unclear, for example, whether "active military service" under 10 U.S.C. § 101(d) covers training as a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps or attendance at a military academy. "Dependent" is defined as a servicemember's spouse or child (as defined for purposes of veterans benefits, in 38 U.S.C. Section 101, or another individual for whom the servicemember provided more than one half of the support in the 180 days prior to an application for relief under the act. This language appears to codify courts' treatment of the term "dependent" as relating to financial dependency rather than strict familial relationships. 38 U.S.C. Section 101(4) defines child as a person who is unmarried and under the age of eighteen; who before attaining the age of eighteen became permanently incapable of self-support; or who after attaining the age of eighteen and until completion of education or training (but not after attaining the age of twenty-three) is pursuing a course of instruction at an approved educational institution; and who is a legitimate child, a legally adopted child, a stepchild who is a member of a veteran's household or was a member at the time of the veteran's death, or an illegitimate child but, as to the alleged father, only if acknowledged in writing signed by him, or if he has been judicially ordered to contribute to the child's support or has been, before his death, judicially decreed the father of such child, or if he is otherwise shown by evidence to be the father of the said child.
Note that some protections extend for a period of time AFTER active military duty (i.e. the 6% interest rate cap lasts for one year after termination and proscriptions against foreclosure also extend after the active duty termination date).
What military and other agencies have personnel who may be protected under the Act?
Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, some members of the National Guard, Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (7 agencies in total).
What are some good resources?
Please go to our Resources and Links tab.
Do a Servicemember's protections end as soon as he exits from active military duty?
No. The SCRA provides protections that extend after the termination date from active service. For example, foreclosures are halted for 9 months after active duty and the interest rate cap extends 12 months after duty. The SCRACVS will provide an active duty termination date to assist with the determination.
Start Dates: Last time I checked, the Start Date was different. Why?
Reservists, for example, could be called to active duty multiple times, each time resulting in a new Start Date. Officers, start military service, but often then go into a 6-month training session. After that training session, for some reason, a new Start Date is given (although, the servicemember's protection starts from the earlier date). Information is not available to us as to the history of a person's service. The only information available to us is whether the person is on active duty at the time of inquiry.
Foreign Nationals: How do I comply with the SCRA?
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act proscribes certain activity against certain persons on active military duty (or recently retired). The logical corollary is that a person ineligible to serve would not be accorded such protections. See: 10 USCS § 504 Persons not qualified. (b) Citizenship or residency. (1) A person may be enlisted in any armed force only if the person is one of the following: (A) A national of the United States, as defined in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22)). (B) An alien who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined in section 101(a)(20) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20)).
The Department of Defense database cannot respond to SCRA verifications unless a social security number is submitted, or, if the name is unusual, a date of birth may sometimes suffice, although the response is equivocal since the only uniquely identifier is the SSN. If a person is neither a citizen or resident alien, it is likely that the person has no social security number.
In situations where we cannot conduct an SCRA search because we cannot provide the SSN (because no SSN exists) we recommend that local counsel consider an alternate affidavit (the Clerk of the Court may need to be side-stepped), setting forth the grounds for belief that the individual is neither a citizen nor a resident alien, that due diligence was exercised, but that no response was available from the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), an organization of the Department of Defense (DoD) that maintains the Defense Enrollment and Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) database, and that, as a matter of law, the individual is ineligible to enlist in the armed force pursuant to 10 USCS § 504 and, hence, ineligible for the protections accorded under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
Is batch or bulk military search processing available?
Yes, batch processing is available. Submission of large data files is available through a special portal in highly secure asymmetric encryption format either via HTTPS Secure File Transfer (SFTP) or FTP File Exchange (MS Excel or Delimited Text). The control panel allows full tracking and searches by individual name. The results are downloadable by the Client in the same format supplied, but with SCRA information added by us and SSNs scrubbed. We also have the capacity to deliver the results programmatically to the client's system, ensuring seamless integration. Minimum orders per month for batch processing is 500 name-searches. SSNs are required for Batch processing. Click on "Contact us" and request the .pdf documentation for details.
What if I have not supplied enough information to conduct an SCRA Verification?
An SCRA verification can only be conducted if either you supply the SSN or if we can find it. If the name is unusual, we can sometimes process a verification with the d.o.b., alone, but such a search is not dispositive or preferred. Thus, if you are not supplying a SSN, be sure to supply as much other information as possible. If you have a partial SSN, or full or partial d.o.b., supply it. Make liberal use of the Misc. Information box to give us possible addresses for the Subject, known relatives, or any information that you think might be able to assist. Please note that residential addresses are much more valuable to us than business addresses. If we have insufficient information from you, we will stop and contact you. If you do not reply we may terminate the search, in which event, in which event, if you request it, you may be refunded the search fee.
I think someone is trying to "con" me, claiming s/he is in the military. Will this site help me?
No. This site offers no information at all except whether or not a person is (or is not) on active duty. The validity of our response depends entirely upon the information you supply. If you have wrong information given to you and you then relay that misinformation to us, you may not rely upon our response and you may have wasted your valuable money. Instead, contact the branch of the military in which the person claims to be serving.
What is the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service?
The SCRACVS is a division of D.C. Registered Agent, Inc., a private corporation organized and located in the District of Columbia since 1994.
Why is my credit card being rejected?
The SCRACVS really has no control over this function. Your credit card information is transmitted directly to the bank that issued the credit card. It is transmitted precisely as you entered it (and we can not see that information nor access it). Your bank is the entity that issues the approval or declination. If you contact your bank, it will have a record of the charge attempt and your bank will inform you why it declined the charge. Some banks are more picky than others. Some banks require the precise address for the holder to be entered.
Are some social security numbers invalid and is there any logic to how the numbers are assigned or configured?
Generally, no SSN's have been issued with zeros as follows: 000-XX-XXXX, XXX-00-XXXX, or XXX-XX-0000. No SSN's have been issued with the first three digits higher than 740 (note, IRS issues "tax identification numbers higher than 740, but these are not SSNs. For example, foreign nationals can be assigned a TIN so that the national can file a tax return. The number looks like a SSN, but is not an SSN. Prior to June 25, 2011, there was a system for assigning SSNs which assigned by geography and other factors. Wikipedia has a good article on this. Also see Social Security Administration Pre-June-2011 Explanation and the pamphlet issued by Social Security Administration entitled "The Social Security Number" (Pub. No. 05-10633).
On June 25, 2011, the assignment of new SSNs became randomized. Social Security Number Randomization Memorandum
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