Why Pay for a DMDC Search?

While a DMDC search for military status is free, you may must get what you pay for. The Defense Manpower Data Center, a branch of the Department of Defense, has specific requirements for performing a military status search, and if you do not meet them, your “verification” will come with a disclaimer saying that it may not be guaranteed. Such a verification may not impress a court of law sufficiently to move your case forward.

A DMDC search should have the Social Security number of the person for whom you are performing a search. Absent this, you will get a limited result, if you get one at all. The DMDC is, after all, a governmental agency, and its wheels turn slowly.

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service

Many lenders and companies that do business with servicemembers instead turn to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service for their military status verifications. We are the SCRACVS.

Why is the SCRACVS Better?

  1. You don’t need a Social Security number. If you provide the SCRACVS with other identifying information such as name, address, birthdate, phone number, names of relatives, etc., we can usually get the Social Security number. If we can’t conduct the military verification, we refund your money.
  2. It’s One-Stop. Regardless of whether you have the Social Security Number or if you rely upon us to find it, you can do it all, at the same time, in one place, on our site.
  3. It’s fast. We provide you with results, delivered electronically, usually within 24 hours.
  4. It’s efficient. Instead of spending hours manually typing names and numbers into a database that is limping along on its last leg, just send your information to us. We offer batch processing, which means you can get results for hundreds or thousands of clients in a single day.
  5. You can get an affidavit. Even if you have Social Security numbers, the DMDC won’t give you an affidavit. While some courts don’t require affidavits, most do. We provide affidavits for an extra $30, and we get them to you via FedEx.  
  6. You get live help. If for any reason you are confused by our process, can’t find what you need or need to talk to a live person, we employ live people to stand by to answer your questions in real time by chat or phone.

While you may be able to get military status verifications on your own or even through another service, the question you must ask yourself is: Can you trust these sources and are they efficient? If your paperwork isn’t in order, one of two unpleasant things could happen.

Negative Outcomes For Not Using SCRACVS

  1. Your case could be continued. Delays translate to lost time and money. Not unlike a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles, court cases requires so much paperwork it is almost guaranteed that multiple visits will be necessary to complete your task. Lessen your odds of a delay, and use a trusted service such as the SCRACVS. We have done nearly 3 million verifications since 2008 and have thousands of satisfied customers.
  2. You could be fined thousands, or even millions, of dollars. If your military status verifications are nonexistent, incorrect, or erroneously show the plaintiff is not in the military when they are and you move forward with your case, you are in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act — a federal law that extends protections to deployed military personnel — and subject to steep fines and penalties.

In short, your best course of action is to trust the SCRACVS for all your military status verifications and DMDC searches. It’s the tried-and-true resource of choice.

Attorney Roy Kaufmann serves as the Director of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service, located in Washington, D.C. As a recognized authority on the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Mr. Kaufmann has published hundreds of articles and hosted many webinars. His teachings help law firms and businesses to remain compliant with the SCRA rules and regulations so as to avoid costly fines.