ptsd Records At National Archives

[hawkfire27]

Hey Hadit people! :)

I just wanted to remind everyone requesting records from the national archives of something my husband just discovered.

Asking for a copy of all records they have is not sufficient. You will not get all records. As shown in the following link:

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-...ial-notice.html

You need to make sure you request things specifically, such as, I require a copy of all Article 15's, I require a copy of all court martial papers, and all papers regarding discharge, the nature of discharge. I need all papers regarding any medical treatment, diagnoses, tests, treatment for mental illness, pay slips, id cards requests (which show the location of issue), R&R requests and approvals, uniform issues (that show the location of issue), all letters of commendation, all promotions, E-1-E7 etc. This is often the information people need to show there character of service, there location if they are unable to prove it because they were attached to a unit overseas instead of being assigned, it can also help prove the time, date and location for people trying to prove stressors for PTSD, and ALL this information is available but you need to ask for it specifically.

My husband sent off a very detailed request and he received over 50 pages of of extremely important information he never knew was even available, even though he had previously requested his complete file. So make sure your requests are really specific. I would hate for a veteran to get turned down for a claim simply because he didn't have the evidence from service. Any and all personal actions, deployment orders, medical records, qualifications and commendation are all held in these files, at least my husbands file had them, and he didn't even know about it for 30 odd years.

Anyway just wanted y'all to know! :-)

Hawk

Edited March 22, 2010 by hawkfire27

[SLEDGE]

The Primary Care Doctor, that I gladly left for another, once told me that the VA satellite clinic keeps records for a certain number of years and then DESTROYS THEM.

When I requested my records I received nothing per my written request.

I used their forms and my own written request that I typed out and signed.

That was over 10 years ago and I actually gave up after 3 years and getting attitude from the records clerk.

Apply for copies as soon as possible for they may never come.

sledge

[Vync]

I checked my old outlying clinic to track down some old medical records. I have not been to the place in over 10 years. They said my records were transferred to the VAMC near where I live. However, they only had records in their electronic system which went back to 2002. I had to put in a special request for my archived records. After a couple of months, I received them and everything was there except some imaging lab results. I had to go to the nuclear medicine records department and they were able to print those out. Records can be everywhere!

[LarryJ]

As I've said here in the past, and as Hawkfire and others have pointed out in this posting, YOUR RECORDS CAN BE EVERYWHERE!

Start with the SF 180, look at the various places that they list as repositories of military personnel records (the National Archives AND the VA have DIFFERENT locations, just in St. Louis, MO, where your records COULD be..........). And, don't forget ANY VARO that you have used, any VA/Military hospital/clinic that you were ever treated at (good example, when I filed my first claim, the VA actually found my xrays/reports in San Diego (Balboa Navy Hospital) FROM 1964!). If you run up against a "brick wall", just get on here, at hadit, and let us know what you are having trouble with. We'll come up with something or at least we'll come up with a good story about something!