South Dakota now requires anyone requesting a certified copy of a veteran's discharge papers from a county register to fill out a form from the Department of Veterans Affairs that proves they're eligible to get it. The law specifies who can request these copies—including the veteran themselves, their family members, veterans service officers, and accredited veterans organizations—but adds a new verification step to ensure only authorized people access these documents.
This bill does not directly amend codified state law.
The amendment completely rewrote the discharge certificate access rules by replacing a detailed framework that restricted access to specific categories of people (with exceptions for compensation/pension claims) with a simpler list of seven eligible requesters, while removing the previous exemption for discharge documents not reflecting character of discharge. This NARROWS the bill's scope by eliminating special handling for veterans seeking compensation or pension benefits and makes access requirements more straightforward and uniform.
Signed by the Governor S.J. 529
Delivered to the Governor S.J. 477
Signed by the Speaker H.J. 516
Signed by the President S.J. 448
House of Representatives Do Pass Passed, YEAS 65, NAYS 0. H.J. 470
Military and Veterans Affairs Certified uncontested, placed on consent H.J. 3
Military and Veterans Affairs Do Pass Passed, YEAS 12, NAYS 0. H.J. 3
Military and Veterans Affairs Scheduled for hearing
Military and Veterans Affairs Scheduled for hearing H.J. 1
First read in House and referred to House Military and Veterans Affairs H.J. 261
Senate Do Pass Passed, YEAS 34, NAYS 0. S.J. 213
Military and Veterans Affairs Certified uncontested, placed on consent
Military and Veterans Affairs Do Pass Passed, YEAS 5, NAYS 0.
Military and Veterans Affairs Scheduled for hearing
First read in Senate and referred to Senate Military and Veterans Affairs S.J. 14
Military and Veterans Affairs — Do Pass
Do Pass
Military and Veterans Affairs — Do Pass