What is DD Form 2138? It is a Department of Defense form titled DD Form 2138, Request for Transfer of Outpatient Record, January 1978., and its job is straightforward: Request for Transfer of Outpatient Records. That single line covers most of what people want to know before they download it.
Does it apply to your branch? Yes. The DD prefix means Department of Defense, not one service, so the same blank serves the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and the Coast Guard under Defense jurisdiction. There is no Army version and no Navy version to search for.
Where does the requirement come from? From not stated, with not stated responsible for the document itself. Those are the names to cite if anyone asks under what authority you filed.
Is this the right edition? The current one is dated not stated, and the publisher carries it as not stated. Check that against whatever copy you already have before going further.
What the form asks for
- Part 3 - Requesting Facility. From (Complete mailing address of requesting facility).
- Date.
- Sponsor name (last, first, middle initial).
- Part 3 - Requesting Facility. From (Complete mailing address of requesting facility).
- Date.
- Press this reset button to clear the data from all fields
- Print name (last, first, middle initial) and relationship to sponsor (family prefix code). Embossed patient's card may be used.
- Part 2 - Sponsor information. Grade.
- Sponsor name (last, first, middle initial).
- Department.
- Social Security Number. Include dashes.
- Requester (Signature, grade and title).
- Print name (last, first, middle initial) and relationship to sponsor (family prefix code). Embossed patient's card may be used.
- Part 2 - Sponsor information. Grade.
- Department.
- Social Security Number. Include dashes.
- Requester (Signature, grade and title).
Download the form
What can you download? The available set is PDF. How big is the job? The form runs 1 pages with roughly 17 fields to complete.
Why do two kinds of pdf exist? Because two kinds of user exist. One completes the form on screen and forwards a file; the other prints a blank and fills it by hand. The fillable release has interactive boxes, the printable release is a static image of the same page.
Does typing matter? It does. Your completed form will probably be scanned, forwarded and filed, and typed text comes through each of those steps unchanged while handwriting degrades. If pen is your only option, block capitals give the receiving clerk a fighting chance.
In what order do you complete it? The printed order, top to bottom. Header data comes before the body, and the body before the signature block. The sequence is not decorative — later entries are keyed to earlier ones.
What is the first thing to check? The edition date on the face of the form. Does it read not stated? If not, the copy is superseded, and a superseded DD form is a real problem: Department-level revisions replace the blank for every service at once, so an old file on a shared drive is stale everywhere, not just in your office.
Is the form its own instruction manual? Partly. The rest sits in not stated, which is also the authority where the two texts conflict.
Who receives it? The office not stated designates, subject to whatever local instruction your organization adds. What do you keep? A copy, made before the form leaves your hands.
What if DD Form 2138 points to another form? Search the series and number. Because the DD sequence is common to every military department, no branch qualifier is needed to land on the right file.
Do DA and DD numbers ever correspond? Never. DA numbering is Army-specific, administered by an Army proponent, while DD numbering is Department-wide under not stated or an equivalent Department office. Identical digits in the two systems mean two unrelated documents, which is why the prefix matters more than the number.
How often does a form like this change? Unpredictably — revision follows directive changes, altered collection requirements and updated notice language. What is the practical defence? Verifying not stated every time you download rather than trusting a saved copy.
What does this page actually provide? The blank form and a description of it. What does it not provide? Legal guidance, procedural rulings, or any assurance about a particular filing. Who answers those? not stated, the administrative office that serves you, or the authority identified in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2138?
- DD Form 2138, Request for Transfer of Outpatient Record, January 1978.
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?