What are Service Treatment Records?
Service treatment records are the medical records from your time in service. When filing a disability claim, you can either submit these documents yourself OR request that the VA access them.
It is important for you to have a copy to ensure their accuracy, and for your own use. They include all health information and appointments from your service time, from your initial to your final physical examination and all mental health, outpatient and dental appointments in between.
If you don’t already have access or a copy, we recommend reaching out to change that. You cannot be your own best advocate if you don’t possess the information, documentation, and background you need.
How Can I Find Mine?
The process for where your service medical information is housed and how to access them has changed several times in the past 30 years. Prior to the 1990’s, all were filed with the National Personal Records Center, in the personnel portion. The switch was made from 1992-1998 by all service branches to file medical and health documents with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2014, the process once again changed and medical and health documentation was no longer automatically retired to the VA. Different locations housed different medical and health information after 2014, depending on when a member was in service and what branch of the military they were in. Below is a helpful chart from the National Archives, showing where medical records are housed.
| Branch | Status | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Discharged, retired, or separated from any component | 10/16/1992 to 12/31/2013 | Department of VA, Records Management Center |
| on or after 01/01/2014 | AMEDD Record Processing Center | ||
| Navy | Discharged, retired, or separated from any component | 01/31/1994 to 12/31/2013 | Department of VA, Records Management Center |
| on or after 01/01/2014 | BUMED Navy Medicine Records Activity | ||
| Air Force | Discharged, retired, or separated from any component | 05/01/1994 to 12/31/2013 | Department of VA, Records Management Center |
| on or after 01/01/2014 | AF STR Processing Center | ||
| Discharged or retired from Reserves or National Guard | 06/01/1994 to 12/31/2013 | Department of VA, Records Management Center | |
| on or after 01/01/2014 | AF STR Processing Center | ||
| Marine Corps | Discharged, retired, or separated from any component | 05/01/1994 to 12/31/2013 | Department of VA, Records Management Center |
| on or after 01/01/2014 | BUMED Navy Medicine Records Activity | ||
| Coast Guard | Discharged, retired, or separated from Active Duty – Reservists with 90 days active duty for training | 04/01/1998 to 09/30/2014 | Department of VA, Records Management Center |
If your tour ended after the above-listed dates, yours will be at the Department of VA, Records Management Center.
Request a Copy
There are several ways to do this:
- Call 1-800-827-1000 to speak to someone with VA claims
- Complete the Standard Form 180, a request pertaining to military records. You can find the form here.
- As a last resort, you can file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The main FOIA page is here. The VA FOIA information page is here. Remember that filing an FOIA request can sometimes take months before you actually get the documentation you need.
Who’s on Your Team?
Navigating the disability claim process can be confusing and time consuming. Rather than doing this alone, we encourage you to work with someone who is knowledgeable and can help guide you through the process. Contact one of our team members today for free using the button below.
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