How to Fill Out New York DMNA Form 86: Sections, Filing, and Next of Kin

DMNA Form 86 is the one-page request a funeral director submits to arrange New York Army National Guard military funeral honors for an eligible Army veteran. The completed form, together with a discharge document, goes by fax or email to the nearest NYARNG Honor Guard Detachment at least 48 hours before the service. There is no cost to the family or the funeral home when personnel are available.¹

Families do not file the form themselves. They coordinate through the funeral home, and the funeral director fills in every section.

Who the Form Covers

DMNA Form 86 requests honors for Army veterans. The deceased must have received an honorable discharge or a discharge under honorable conditions. A dishonorable discharge, a bad conduct discharge, or a discharge resulting from a court-martial disqualifies the veteran, as can a conviction for a federal or state capital crime.²

For veterans of other branches, use the service-specific contacts rather than DMNA Form 86: Air Force at 800-531-5803, Marine Corps at 866-826-3628, Navy at 202-433-6892, and Coast Guard at 617-990-6249.²

The minimum ceremony federal law guarantees to any eligible veteran is the folding and presentation of the U.S. flag and the playing of Taps. The NYARNG offers a standard two-soldier detail and, when personnel allow, larger details for retirees with 20 or more years, active-duty deaths, Medal of Honor recipients, and general officers or command sergeants major.² The detachment determines the level based on service record and availability; the form does not ask you to request a tier.

Filling Out the Five Sections

The form is a single-page PDF on the DMNA website.¹

Section 1: General Information

Identify the funeral home: name, street address, point of contact for the arrangements, main phone, and a cell number. The detachment uses the cell line to reach the person actually managing the service, so give a direct number rather than a general switchboard.

Section 2: Deceased Information

Enter the veteran’s full name, date of death, Social Security Number, branch of service, rank, and years of service with start and end dates. Pull these from the discharge paperwork. Branch matters: if the form shows anything other than Army, the request belongs with that branch’s office, not the NYARNG.

Section 3: Next of Kin Information

Record the primary next of kin: name, address, relationship to the deceased, phone, and email. This is the person who will receive the folded flag at the ceremony.

Section 4: Service Information

This section carries the logistics the honor guard needs to show up at the right place at the right time.

Church service name, address, and start time.
Cemetery service name, address, and start time.
Honors location address and start time, if different from the church or cemetery.
Date and day of the week for honors.
Casket or cremation. If casket, note whether it has handles and whether those handles are long or short, which matters for pall bearers at a full-honors ceremony.
Whether flag folding is required.
Whether the funeral home already has a U.S. flag for the service.

If the family does not have a burial flag, submit VA Form 27-2008 (Application for United States Flag for Burial Purposes) with the DMNA Form 86.²

Section 5: Verification Documentation

Check the box for the discharge or service document you are attaching: DD-214, Statement of Service, Retirement Letter, or NGB-22. At least one must come in with the form. Active-duty veterans and reservists usually have a DD-214; National Guard members who did not serve more than 90 consecutive days on active-duty orders receive an NGB-22 instead.³ Without this attachment, the detachment will not confirm an honor guard team.¹

Where to Send It and When

Fax or email the completed form, with the verification document, to the Honor Guard Detachment closest to where the service will be held. It must arrive at least 48 hours before the scheduled honors. If no confirmation call reaches the funeral home within 24 hours, follow up directly with the detachment you contacted.¹

Western Region

DET 1 (Latham): 518-786-4481 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det1mfh@army.mil
DET 5 (Buffalo): 716-888-5691 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det5mfh@army.mil
DET 6 (Rochester): 585-783-5356 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det6mfh@army.mil
DET 8 (Syracuse): 315-438-3302 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det8mfh1@army.mil
Fort Drum: 315-772-3930 · usarmy.drum.imcom.mbx.dhr-casualty-office@army.mil

Eastern Region

DET 2 (New York City): 646-424-5028 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det2mfh@army.mil
DET 3 (New York City): 646-424-2707 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det3mfh@army.mil
DET 4 (Long Island): 631-962-1625 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det4mfh@army.mil
DET 7 (Binghamton area): 607-661-5056 · ng.ny.nyarng.mbx.det7mfh@army.mil

Not to Be Confused With Federal SF-86

The names look alike and the forms have nothing in common. DMNA Form 86 is the New York State funeral honors request described above. The federal Standard Form 86 is the Questionnaire for National Security Positions used to begin a background investigation for a security clearance through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.⁴ If you need the clearance questionnaire, you are looking for the federal SF-86, not this form.

1
New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. DMNA Form 86 – Request for NYARNG Military Funeral Honors
2
New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. New York Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors Information
3
National Guard Association of the United States. New Policy Provides DD-214 to Guardsmen at End of Service
4
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. SF 86 – Questionnaire for National Security Positions