Military Medical And Health Records

[allan]

Military Medical and Health Records

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-...ds/medical.html

taken from the archives web page..........

[Veterans who plan to file a claim for medical benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) do not need to request a copy of their military health record from NPRC (MPR).]

I requested my records from the VARO for over 25 years & "NEVER" received a response of any kind.

I finally found this website & requested a copy of my records from them. I received a reply from the archives center that the VARO had all my original records in their position not long after I left service in the mid 70's.

When I finally received my service medical records from the VARO, three years were missing. The three years that would have shown ongoing treatment records for the injuries I'm claiming.

If you did not receive a complete copy of your records when you left service, request your records from the archives center "FIRST" or some of yours may go missing before the DVA sends them to you.

Allan

[purple]

Berta-

My DD214 still shows my reason for discharge as "retirement"....LOL! When I told the personnel folks that it needed to be changed to a "medical discharge" they told me it didn't matter! Just wish I could get the ID card to go along with it.....

[billy2]

As a "soon-to-be" VSO (and, hopefully, a good one), I'd really like to sit down with the claimant and fill out the POA's, etc. And, then, request ALL their SMR's, DD214, private med recs, statement(s)-in-support-of (buddy statements), SSA records, etc. ALL of the "stuff" that I have learned the hard way that the VA is gonna wind up asking for in their SOC's and SSOC's. Highlighting the pertinent portions of all these records, with accompaning Post-It-Notes. And not sending in the B.S.

Besides making the records easier for the VA personnel to deal with (they have enough to do without having to go thru hundreds of pages to find the 3 pertinent pages), it will make it easier for me to tell if the claimant ACTUALLY has a claim, and then, and only then, can I council them as to their options.

And then, and ONLY then, packaging it up and sending it in to the VARO, meanwhile retaining a copy of everything sent in, with the same highlited portions.

I dunno, maybe I'm all wrong. But, some kind of sanity must be created out of the insanity of the system as it now stands.

BTW, I start my training this week. Pray for me that I can "endeavor to persevere" and actually be of help.

Larry,

Good luck and I'm sure you will do a good job.

Bill