I am trying to see about VA benefits for my father. I am not sure when he served. Can they help me look it up or do I need to know?

thank you. i am trying to do this for my mom, i will have to do some investigating because i know she will tell me to not go through the trouble (shes too sweet) and if he has benefits out there both my Dad and my Mom deserve the help.

Periods of War that are relevant to obtaining benefits.

Beginning and Ending Dates

World War II
December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946

Korean Conflict
June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955

Vietnam Era
August 5, 1964 through May 7, 1975; for veterans who served "in country" before August 5, 1964, February 28, 1961 through May 7, 1975

Gulf War
August 2, 1990 through a date to be set by law or Presidential Proclamation

VA Aid & Attendance Program & Other Pensions for Aging Veterans

An estimate if he can’t tell you or doesn’t remember..
.probably WWII around 1945 ish but if you call VA & give his name, SS# & Bday they can assist

Your best bet is to contact your local VA. Because in order to request a copy of his records using form SF-180 you will need his dates of service, which you don’t have.

Military bases usually have laisons to help. The VA administration would certainly know how to find out. But if he has any documentation like his DD Form 219 of his service, this would be all you need. During his era they were assigned military service numbers, not using social security and numbers or the new system of DoD numbering.

Don't know if this might help? - https://www.usa.gov/military-records

You want the section about halfway down the page that reads:

Request Recent Records (World War I - Present)
To get a copy of military records, a veteran or the next of kin of a deceased veteran can:
Submit a request online
Mail or fax a Standard Form 180 (SF-180)
Write a letter
Use other methods to request military records