Modernizing Access to Military Service Records: Frequently Asked Questions
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Modernizing Access to Military Service
Records: Frequently Asked Questions
August 8, 2022
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R47212
SUMMARY
Modernizing Access to Military Records:
Frequently Asked Questions
As the world increasingly relies on digital access and electronic material as means to apply for
jobs, educational programs, disability or military benefits, etc., documents that are not digitized
are met with greater frustration by individuals trying to apply for various programs. One area that
has received significant attention is the means of accessing military service records because only
a small portion is currently digitized.
R47212
August 8, 2022
Heather M. Salazar
Analyst in Veterans Policy
Meghan M. Stuessy
Analyst in Government
Organization and
Management
The process to access military service records can be challenging, due in part to the number of
agencies and institutions involved in creating, retrieving, and maintaining military service
information. Documents such as identifying information and specific claims forms may be within
a veteran’s possession, but accessing other documents may require contacting the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Department of Defense (DOD), or the
veteran’s private doctor or medical facility. The main repository of military service records, outside of DOD, is in St. Louis ,
MO at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). The NPRC holds 4 million cubic feet of military and civil-service
personnel-related records stored in several buildings, of which more than 2 million cubic feet are specifically military
personnel and medical records for servicemembers who separated prior to or during 1994. Only 10% of these records are
digitized, while the remainder are in paper form, making it more challenging for veterans and other federal agencies to acces s
the records.
Digitization of materials may allow for the expedited consideration of veterans benefits, but concerns about the durability of
digital formats and associated costs compared to paper records remain. As the federal government increasingly manages
information in digital formats, efforts to modernize access to military service records have warranted congressional attention
and oversight.
This report explains how records are created, how military service records are managed and stored, and the processes that
surround digitizing and modernizing these records. In addition, this report responds to several questions frequently posed to
CRS regarding funding for digitization and modernization efforts, along with challenges or obstacles that agencies may face
while attempting to digitize their records.
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Modernizing Access to Military Records: Frequently Asked Questions
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
1. What are military service records? ............................................................................ 2
2. How do agencies collect and manage military service records?...................................... 3
3. Where are military service records located?................................................................ 4
4. How are military service records formatted and stored?................................................ 5
5. Who can request documents? ................................................................................... 7
Restrictions on Disclosure ..................................................................................... 9
6. Are fees charged to reproduce military service records? ............................................... 9
7. How quickly are NPRC records requests processed?.................................................. 10
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Processing................................................... 11
8. What efforts are being made to digitize military service records? ................................. 12
9. What are the challenges to digitizing military service records? .................................... 14
Ongoing Maintenance and Training Costs .............................................................. 14
Incorporating Records Management Consideration in IT Systems Planning ................. 14
Records Identifiers ............................................................................................. 15
10. What funds are available to support digitization of military service records?................ 15
Figures
Figure 1. Then and Now: Records Sent to NARA................................................................. 6
Tables
Table A-1. Abbreviations ................................................................................................ 17
Appendixes
Appendix. Abbreviations ................................................................................................ 17
Contacts
Author Information ....................................................................................................... 17
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Modernizing Access to Military Records: Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
Servicemembers, veterans, and their families frequently seek access to military service records
for a variety of reasons: to ensure veterans receive their earned benefits and honors; 1 to complete
family histories; among others. The process to access military service records can be challenging,
due in part to the number of agencies and institutions involved in creating, retrieving, and
maintaining military service information. As the federal government increasingly manages
information in digital formats, efforts to modernize access to military service records have
warranted congressional attention and oversight.
Documents such as identifying information and specific claims forms may be within a veteran’s
possession, but accessing other documents may require contacting the National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA’s) National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), the Department
of Defense (DOD), or the veteran’s private doctor or medical facility. Some Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) programs require additional or different documentation for a variety of
reasons, but the following are always required:
relevant identifying information, which could include a service number (SN) for
certain groups of veterans, Social Security number (SSN), or marriage or birth
certificates, etc.;
the veteran’s discharge or separation papers—Certificate of Uniformed Service
(DD Form 214) or equivalent;
an official military personnel file (OMPF), which typically includes dates and
locations of service, and records of medical diagnosis treatment; and
relevant VA application forms.
For all disability claims, the veteran is required to submit evidence of an injury/disease that
happened during active duty service and potential medical evidence from private doctors or
hospitals, in addition to the aforementioned items. 2 A veteran has the option to submit these
documents electronically, through the U.S. Postal Service, in person at a VA regional office,
through a veterans service organization, or with the help of a VA accredited representative. 3 If a
veteran has all of the required information, he or she can submit a “fully developed claim” which
is an electonic claim that VA can adjudicate quicker because the documentation does not require
scanning and uploading. This type of claim also does not require VA to acquire additional
1
VA offers a wide variety of benefits for veterans and their families including but not limited to: disability
compensation; disability pension; health care; readjustment counseling; burial benefits; and survivor pension. For more
information on a variety of VA benefits, see CRS Report R44837, Benefits for Service-Disabled Veterans, coordinated
by Heather M. Salazar; CRS Report R46813, Department of Veterans Affairs: Burial Benefits and the National
Cemetery Administration, by Heather M. Salazar and T amar B. Breslauer; CRS Report R46511, Veterans Benefits
Administration (VBA): Pension Programs, by Heather M. Salazar; and CRS Report R42747, Health Care for Veterans:
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, by Sidath Viranga Panangala and Jared S. Sussman.
2
Department of Veterans Affairs, Evidence Needed for Your Disability Claims, March 22, 2022, at
https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/evidence-needed/; and Department of Veterans Affairs, “How t o
Apply for VA Health Care,” March 9, 2022, at https://www.va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply/.
3 For more information on veterans service organizations and accredited representatives, see CRS Report R46412,
Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs): Frequently Asked Questions, by T amar B. Breslauer and Carol D. Davis; and
CRS Report R46428, Veterans Accredited Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions, by Heather M. Salazar and
T amar B. Breslauer.
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Modernizing Access to Military Records: Frequently Asked Questions
information. However, the adjudication process is longer if VA needs to assist the veteran in
acquiring paper records or has to process a paper claim. 4
Congress has taken an interest in modernizing the VA benefits claim process with more digital
assets and has also taken an interest in overall records digitization efforts, chiefly overseen by
NARA. Legislative efforts during the 117 th Congress have included:
H.R. 7153, “Department of Veterans Affairs Principles of Benefits Automation
Act,” and
H.R. 7256, “Expediting Temporary Ratings for Veterans Act.”
These legislative proposals would direct VA to modernize and improve the agency’s information
technology mechanisms to increase the speed of processing claims, including digitizing and
accessing records electronically. The legislative proposals regarding NARA are focused on the
performance of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), and include:
H.R. 7337, “Access for Veterans to Records Act,” and
H.R. 3710, “Reopening to address Every COmplete Record request for Devoted
Servicemembers Act of 2021 (RECORDS Act of 2021).”
Digitization of materials may allow for the expedited consideration of veterans benefits, but
concerns remain about the durability of digital formats and associated costs compared to paper
records. 5 This report answers questions on how records are created, how military service records
are managed and stored, and the processes that surround digitizing and modernizing these
records. In addition, this report provides answers to several questions frequently posed to CRS
regarding funding for digitization and modernization efforts along with challenges or obstacles
that agencies may face while attempting to digitize their records.
1. What are military service records?
When an individual joins the U.S. Armed Forces, 6 its Reserve components, or the National
Guard, an “official military personnel file” (OMPF) is created, which records the activities of the
servicemember throughout his or her career. The OMPF contains documentation pertaining to the
servicemember’s training, education, tour of duty dates and locations, performance, awards, and
decoration. It also includes records of injuries incurred, and the circumstance of the member’s
separation from military service. The OMPF is created by the service branch in w hich the
servicemember serves and becomes a crucial record to accessing benefits upon separation.
Upon a servicemember’s separation from service, the individual is issued a Certificate of
Uniformed Service, most often referred to as DD Form 214. This form is provided to
servicemembers who completed active duty or at least 90 days of consecutive days of active duty
for training. The DD Form 214 will provide information on when and where the individual
entered and left the service, last duty assignment and rank, their job specialty, awards or citations
received, and character of service at separation.
4 For more information on VA’s claims process, see CRS Report R47163, Department of Veterans Affairs: Claims
Process and Compensation and Pension Exams by Contracted Physicians, coordinated by Heather M. Salazar.
5 For an exploration of some of these challenges surrounding digital and print formats, see CRS Report R45014,
Government Printing, Publications, and Digital Information Management: Issues and Challenges, by R. Eric Petersen.
6 10 U.S.C. §101(a)(4). T he U.S. Armed Forces includes the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and
Space Force.
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In February 2022, the Department of Defense (DOD) released new instructions on the issuance of
DD Form 214-1. This form is an addendum to the regularly issued DD Form 214, and will be
provided for all members of the National Guard and Reserve Components upon separation,
whether or not the individual completes a period of active duty or active duty for training. The
DD Form 214-1 would list all of the individual’s Guard/Reserve service—active duty or not—
and will be provided in conjunction with the DD Form 214; however, only the relevant portions
of the DD Form 214 will be completed. If a National Guard or Reserve member did not serve on
active duty, the DD Form 214 will only include identifying information related to the service
branch and individual. If the Guardsmen or Reservist had active duty service, that would be listed
on the initial DD Form 214, with any additional Guard/Reserve duty listed on DD Form 214-1. 7
In cases, where a veteran’s DD Form 214 is missing, has been destroyed, or cannot be provided to
the veteran, a “Statement of Service” is issued in lieu of the DD Form 214. 8 This document is
generally created to assist veterans with qualifying for VA benefits. The veteran should contact
the service branch for information on this statement or request VA to assist in acquiring such a
statement through its obligation of “duty to assist” (see question 2).
DOD is in the process of creating electronic discharge papers, pursuant to Section 569 of the
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 (P.L. 116-92). More
information on this effort is found in Question 8. What efforts are being made to digitize military
service records?”
2. How do agencies collect and manage military service records?
When a veteran or survivor files a claim for VA benefits—under Title 38, Section 5103A, of the
U.S. Code and Title 38, Section 3.159, of the Code of Federal Regulations—VA has a “duty to
assist” in developing or completing a claim, which initiates the federal government’s effort to
collect and manage an individual’s military service records. This obligation requires VA to notify
the claimant of additional evidence that was not previously submitted but is required to process
the claim. In addition, under VA’s “duty to assist” obligation, it can assist in accessing records
from nonfederal and federal entities. VA can contact DOD to request a veteran’s OMPF, including
medical and separation documentation, and NPRC for an older veteran whose records and DD
Form 214 have been sent to NPRC for archival purposes.
Another way in which agencies work together to collect and manage military service records is
through joint records centers. Beginning in 1989, the U.S. Army’s Joint Services Record
Research Center (JSRRC) mission researched Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast
Guard records that contained historical information on the branches’ individual units, as well as
some personnel records, to support requests from VA for veterans’ claims. In 2019, an Army
reorganization led JSRRC to begin to transfer responsibility for certain records research to the
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). 9 As a result, VBA created a Records Research Center
7 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Department of Defense, DoD Instruction
1336.01: Certificate of Uniformed Service (DD Form 214/5 Series) , February 17, 2022, at https://www.esd.whs.mil/
Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/133601p.pdf.
8
Approximately 16-18 million OMPFs were destroyed in a fire at the NPRC on July 12, 1973. It is estimated that 80%
of records for Army personnel discharged between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960, and 75% of records for Air
Force personnel discharged between September 25, 1947 and January 1, 1964, were destroyed. For more information
about materials affected by the 1973 NPRC fire, see National Archives and Records Administration, The 1973 Fire,
National Personnel Records Center, at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973.
9 Department of Veterans Affairs, FY2021 Budget Submission, Benefits and Burial Programs and Departmental
Administration, vol. 3 of 4, February 2020, p. VBA-186.
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(RRC) to take on JSRRC’s mission. VA published a final rule in the Federal Register on March
23, 2021, amending its regulations addressing the change in agencies. 10
VA’s FY2021 budget submission explained the change in records research, stating that RRC
planned to use contract support and 13 full-time employees to transition these records research
services from JSRRC to VBA. 11
VA’s FY2022 budget submission explained that the Army’s new Office for Unit Records
Response will conduct research for the VBA on Agent Orange and post-traumatic stress disorder
claims for incidents that occurred less than 30 years ago. This includes locations where DOD
conducts environmental and soil tests to determine traces of Agent Orange or other tactical
herbicides. In December 2019, DOD updated the list of locations that VA uses to grant benefits
for Agent Orange exposure due to newly discovered evidence and environmental testing that
supported use, storage, or testing of the herbicides.
VBA’s RRC will conduct the research for claims where the incident occurred more than 30 years
ago. The budget submission also included information about VA creating a digital repository for
these claims.
Compensation Service developed and deployed a workflow engine tool within the Veterans
Benefits Management System (VBMS) that provides a fully searchable digital image
repository. This stores the digitized records and tracks current tasks. Compensation Service
is targeting a full operational capability by the end of 2021. The VA-Army IT interface is
critical for the RRC and the Department of the Army to process these claims.
Compensation Service plans to implement a scanning solution for daily research and add
Coast Guard records.12
According to VA’s FY2023 budget submission, the fully searchable digital repository did not
launch at the end of the calendar year 2021 as predicted. It is targeted for full operational
capability by the end of 2022, according to the budget submission. VBA said it also plans to
include a scanning solution for Coast Guard records that are used in completion of research
requests. VBA reported that it completed more than 41,000 research requests in 2021 and is
averaging approximately 200 requests per day. VBA estimated that with the increased requests,
the cost of research will be approximately $6.4 million in 2023 and is included in the overall
appropriation requests for VBA’s Office of Field Operations and Office of Business Integration. 13
3. Where are military service records located?
DOD, VA, and NPRC may hold relevant records for servicemembers and veterans, and the age of
the record determines where the record is stored. The transfer of records between agencies and
storage locations can have implications for locating materials needed to process veterans’ benefits
requests. 14 The age of the servicemember’s records is calculated from the date of separation from
the military.
10 Department of Veterans Affairs, “New Evidence,” 86 Federal Register 15413-15414, March 23, 2021.
11 Department of Veterans Affairs, FY2021 Budget Submission, Benefits and Burial Programs and Departmental
Administration, vol. 3 of 4, February 2020, p. VBA-186.
12 Department of Veterans Affairs, FY2022 Budget Submission, Benefits and Burial Programs a nd Departmental
Administration, vol. 3 of 4, May 2021, p. VBA-173.
13 Department of Veterans Affairs, FY2023 Budget Submission, Burial and Benefits Programs and Departmental
Administration, vol. 3 of 4, March 2022, p. VBA-80.
14 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial
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Generally, the records of servicemembers who separated from the military less than 62 years ago
are under the purview of the DOD or VA. NARA takes custody of, or accessions, records of
servicemembers who separated from the military more than 62 years ago via NPRC. The NPRC
is the central repository for the federal government’s military and civil service personnel-related
records. The NPRC stores these documents permanently in accordance with the Federal Records
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33). 15 NARA provides information on records not
available at NPRC and where they are otherwise located on their website. 16
Records control schedules also provide information on the location of records prior to their
transfer to NARA. A records control schedule includes information such as a title of the records
series that is descriptive in a meaningful way for agency personnel, a complete description of
their agency use, physical type as appropriate, how the records are arranged, and disposition
instructions. 17
For additional information on locating sources related to military unit histories and awards, see
CRS Report RS21282, Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to
Locating Sources, by Barbara Salazar Torreon and Travis A. Ferrell.
4. How are military service records formatted and stored?
The formatting and storage of military service records varies widely based on when the
information was created. While recently created records are increasingly managed digitally, many
older records, including those at the NPRC, remain in physical formats. The NPRC houses 2
million boxes of military and medical records in 15 warehouses. Of those holdings, only 10% are
available in electronic formats, while the rest are available in paper and other physical formats. 18
The NPRC holds 4 million cubic feet of military and civil-service personnel-related records
stored in several buildings, of which more than 2 million cubic feet are military personnel and
medical records for servicemembers who separated prior to or during 1994. 19 Generally, records
for servicemembers who separated after 1994 are available in electronic formats and are available
through the servicemembers’ branch of service. 20
Affairs, Wading Through Warehouses of Paper: The Challenges of Transitioning Veterans Records to Paperless
Technology, 112 th Cong., 1 st sess., December 4, 2012, H.Hrg 112-82 (Washington: GPO, 2013), pp. 54-55.
15 For more information on the treatment of records under the Federal Records Act, see CRS In Focus IF11119,
Federal Records: Types and Treatments, by Meghan M. Stuessy.
16 National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center: Records Not at NPRC, July 13,
2021, at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/frequently-requested-records. See also National
Archives and Records Administration, Locations of Service Records, at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/militaryservice-records/locations.
17 36 C.F.R. §1225.14 and 36 C.F.R. §1225.16. For more information about the treatment of federal records materials,
see CRS In Focus IF11119, Federal Records: Types and Treatments, by Meghan M. Stuessy.
18
Letter from Rob Portman, Senator, and Sherrod Brown, Senator, to President Joseph R. Biden and Hon. David S.
Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, April 14, 2021, at https://www.portman.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/
%5BUntitled%5D%20%283%29_0.pdf.
19
National Archives and Records Administration, The National Personnel Records Center - A History, at
https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/history; and National Archives and Records Administration,
National Personnel Records Center Prepares for Expansion of Onsite Workforce, Washington, DC, March 8, 2021, at
https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2021/nr21-30.
20 National Archives and Records Administration, Access to Military Service and Pension Records, May 20, 2022, at
https://www.archives.gov/research/order/research/order/order-vets-records.
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Figure 1. Then and Now: Records Sent to NARA
1936 and 2021
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, Photograph of Veteran’s Bureau Records in Stack Areas,
6/12/1936, National Archives Catalog, Record Group 64, Series: Historic Photograph File of National Archives
Events and Personnel, 1935 - 1975, June 12, 1936, at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7820633. U.S. Air Force
Office of Special Investigations, Largest OSI caseload sent to National Archives, Quantico, VA, December 20, 2021,
at https://www.osi.af.mil/News/Art icle-Display/Artic le/2879835/largest-osi-caseload-sent-to-national-archives/.
Complicating efforts to digitize tangible materials while also managing digital files, the volume
of digital records materials has increased exponentially in comparison to tangible records. 21
“Huge volumes of electronic information” are a “major challenge” in record management,
according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and “electronic information is
21 Because NARA accepts historical materials from agencies for preservation, the volume of analog materials to be
processed has not slowed, even as agencies adopt electronic formats. Under its current strategic plan, NARA notes that
it still receives about 100,000 cubic feet per year of new archival records in analog formats. Similarly, the volume of
new electronic records transferred varies significantly from year-to-year, but remains substantial. NARA plans that it
will digitize 500 million pages of records and make them available online to the public by FY2024. For more
information on NARA’s current strategic plan, see National Archives and Records Administration, 2018-2022
Strategic Plan, February 2018, at https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/strategic-plan/2018/strategic-plan2018-2022.pdf.
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increasingly being created in volumes that pose a significant technical challenge to our ability to
organize it and make it accessible.”22
In December 2020, the Archivist of the United States wrote to Congress that in a typical year
NPRC responds to 1.2 million records requests, most of which were completed within 10 days. 23
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, NPRC reported that it could respond to about 6,300 requests
from VA per week. However, due to complications from the pandemic, such as facility closures,
delayed reopenings, and reduced staffing, NPRC said it responded to an average of 2,500 VA
requests per week during the winter between 2020 and 2021.24
With specific regard to managing military service records requests, NARA stated that staff
responded to more than 7,000 emergency reference requests during the closure and delayed
reopening period. 25 However, in its FY2023 congressional budget justification, NARA reported:
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt operations at NARA’s Federal
Records Centers throughout FY 2021 causing NARA to fall well below its target in
meeting customers’ requests. Substantial backlogs of unanswered users requests
accumulated as a significant number of staff were unable to work onsite at their local
facility due to facility closures. Emergency requests were given priority and serviced
although backlogs of veterans and agency requests amassed.26
NARA’s ability to keep pace with the processing of records requests depends not only on the
volume of records, but also on the adequacy of staff training and records maintenance. NARA
also describes that the pandemic has delayed the transfer of records from agencies to the NPRC,
and that the agency is working to develop capacity to service requests remotely.
5. Who can request documents?
Federal agencies may request documents from other federal entities. VA’s “duty to assist”
obligation can apply to accessing records from either federal or nonfederal entities. This authority
is typically used in assisting a veteran in filing a claim for disability compensation, disability
pension, health care, or burial, among other VA benefits. In some circumstances, VA is able to
acquire a veteran’s medical records through the electronic health system that is a joint DOD-VA
system. In other cases, where the records have not been digitized, VA can contact the service
branches or NPRC for a veteran’s records. The veteran’s name, service branch, date of service,
and either service number or SSN is needed.
22 GAO noted that it did not independently verify these reported volumes of records. See GAO, Information
Management: The Challenges of Managing Electronic Records, GAO-10-838T , June 17, 2010, at http://gao.gov/assets/
130/124883.pdf, pp. 10-11.
23
Letter from David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, to Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman, December 2020,
at https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/NARA.201209.Letter%20re%20NPRC.pdf.
24 National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center Prepares for Expansion of
Onsite Workforce, Washington, DC, March 8, 2021, at https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2021/nr21-30.
See also Nicole Ogrysko, “Pandemic-induced backlog sparks new efforts to digitize military records at NARA,”
Federal News Network, June 7, 2021, at https://federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2021/06/pandemic-inducedbacklog-sparks-new-efforts-to-digitize-military-records-at-nara/. For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11950,
COVID-19 Impact on Access to Military Service Records, by Heather M. Salazar and Meghan M. Stuessy.
25
National Archives and Records Administration, FY2022 Congressional Justification, May 28, 2021, p. 76, at
https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/performance-budget/2022performance-budget.pdf.
26 National Archives and Records Administration, FY2023 Congressional Justification, March 28, 2022, p. APP-6, at
https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/performance-budget/2023-nara-congressional-justification.pdf.
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Servicemembers, veterans, next of kin (NOK), and VA are also able to request information from
DOD and NPRC. If the servicemember’s discharge date is less than 62 years ago, the veteran may
be eligible to request their personnel and medical records directly from the Army, 27 Navy, 28
Marine Corps, 29 Air Force, 30 Coast Guard, 31 or Space Force. 32
Requests for a living servicemember’s records must be accompanied by the signature of the
servicemember, court appointment documentation, authorization letter, or proof of power of
attorney in order for documents to be released to the servicemember, NOK, or authorized
representative.
For deceased servicemembers who separated less than 62 years ago, NOK may request military
service records from the service branch by providing proof of the servicemember’s death.
Both NPRC and VA consider a veteran’s NOK to include a surviving spouse who has not
remarried, parents, children, or siblings. VA details four ways in which the veteran’s NOK can
request the military records: (1) mail or fax form SF-180; (2) write a letter to NPRC; (3) visit
NPRC in person; or (4) contact the state or county veterans agency.33 A request for a veteran’s
record by a NOK must contain: the veteran’s full name; service branch; date of service; either
service number or SSN; and date and place of birth. If the NOK suspects that the deceased
veteran’s records were destroyed, NPRC requests the NOK also provide the veteran’s place of
discharge; last assigned unit; and place of entry into service, if known. 34
For deceased servicemembers who separated more than 62 years ago, these archival records may
be requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA; 5 U.S.C. §552). 35 Any member of
the public may make a FOIA request. DOD, VA, and NARA all must comply with information
requests through FOIA subject to certain exclusions, and oftentimes proactively disclose certain
27 Army Soldier Record Branch, Accessing or Requesting Your Official Military Personnel File Documents, May 10,
2022, at https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/
Accessing%20or%20Requesting%20Your%20Official%20Military%20Personnel%20File%2 0Documents.
28
Navy Personnel Command, Ordering & Reviewing Your OMPF, at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/CareerManagement/Records-Management/Military-Personnel-Records/Order-Review-OMPF/.
29 U.S. Marines, Official Military Personnel Files, at https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Agencies/Office-of-LegislativeAffairs/Congressional-Correspondence-Section/Records-Request/.
30
Air Force Personnel Center, Request Copy of Military Records, at https://www.afpc.af.mil/Career-Management/
Military-Personnel-Records/.
31 Personnel Service Center USGC Military Records Section, Obtaining a Copy of Your Personnel Data Record (PDR),
at https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-for-Human-Resources-CG-1/PersonnelService-Center-PSC/BOPS/PSC-BOPS-C/PSC-BOP S-C-MR/P SC- BOPS- C-MR_PDR/.
32
T he Space Force is a separate branch of the U.S. military that is organized within the Department of the Air Force.
Currently, many of the policies and requirements are the same as the Air Force due to the recent creation of the force.
33 Form SF-180 provides an instruction and information sheet that explains the procedures required to request and
release military service records in detail. See National Archives and Records Administration, Standard Form 180 –
Requests Pertaining to Military Records, at https://www.archives.gov/files/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf. See
also Department of Veterans Affairs, “How Do I Request Someone Else’s Military Records,” Request Your Military
Service Records (including DD214), March 22, 2022, at https://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/.
34 National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center: Request Military Service
Records, April 22, 2022, at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.
35 For more information on how to make a request under FOIA, see U.S. Department of Justice, How do I make a FOIA
Request? at https://www.foia.gov/how-to.html. For more information about FOIA, see CRS Report R46238, The
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): A Legal Overview, by Daniel J. Sheffner.
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commonly requested agency records through their FOIA libraries. 36 Certain information provided
in response to a FOIA request may be redacted, per one of FOIA’s nine exemptions.
Restrictions on Disclosure
Certain statutes govern the release of government and personal information once requested. These
statutory requirements can impact the completeness of information received in response to a
request, and whether individuals can make an appropriate request for documents.
Information provided in response to a records request may be redacted under FOIA or the Privacy
Act of 1974 and therefore may appear incomplete. While FOIA’s main purpose is to inform the
public of the federal government’s operations, the act excludes certain private and governmental
interests from disclosure. FOIA lists nine exemptions from its disclosure requirements that
permit, but do not require, agencies to withhold information or records that are otherwise subject
to release. These include reasons related to national defense or foreign policy, matters exempted
from disclosure under other statutes, and personnel, medical, and similar files. 37
Like other individually identifiable information the federal government maintains, disclosure of
military service records is restricted by the Privacy Act of 1974. The Privacy Act of 1974 pertains
to living U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and generally prohibits disclosure of individually
identifiable information without the individual’s written consent. 38 The act allows an individual to
request an agency perform a search for information in a system of records based on identifiers
such as the individual’s own name or SSN. Courts and the Department of Justice have interpreted
the Privacy Act’s definition of individual to exclude deceased individuals. 39 To comply with the
Privacy Act, the agency solicits written consent of the servicemember via completion of form SF180 or other permissible documentation, depending on the nature of the requester’s relationship to
the servicemember.
6. Are fees charged to reproduce military service records?
Fees to reproduce military service records generally depend on where the information is located,
and the policies of the agencies holding the information. 40 Records of individuals who separated
from the military less than 62 years ago are under the purview of DOD, while those exceeding 62
years are managed by NARA.
Sections 1041 and 1042 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code prohibit DOD fees for providing certificates
of service or discharge under certain conditions. Therefore, for records less than 62 years old
under DOD’s purview, there is generally no charge for basic military personnel and medical
record information provided to veterans, NOK, and authorized representatives.
36 U.S. Department of Justice, Search Government Websites, at https://www.foia.gov/search.html.
37 See CRS In Focus IF11450, The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): An Introduction, by Daniel J. Sheffner.
38
Exceptions to the written consent requirement of the Privacy Act can be located at 5 U.S.C. §552a(b). For more
information on recent legislation to modernize the Privacy Act’s written consent requirement to permit electronic
authorizations, see CRS In Focus IF12159, The CASES Act: Implementation and Issues for Congress, by Meghan M.
Stuessy and R. Eric Petersen.
39
U.S. Department of Justice, Overview of the Privacy Act of 1974, 2020, p. 24, at https://www.justice.gov/opcl/
overview-privacy-act-1974-2020-edition.
40 Under 5 U.S.C. §522(a)(f)(5) of the Privacy Act, an agency may only assess fees for reproduction in response to an
individual’s request for information about him or herself.
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For records more than 62 years old, NARA assesses reproduction fees as it would for any types of
archival records under Title 44, Sections 2116 and 2307, of the U.S. Code. Archival records are
open to the public and subject to NARA’s public fee schedule. 41 NARA notes that a typical
OMPF copy of more than 6 pages would be subject to a $70 flat fee; however, there is no fee to
review an archival record in person at the St. Louis Archival Research Room. 42
Some companies request servicemembers’ written consent to retrieve military service records,
including DD Form 214s, and later charge recipients for this service. However, many of these
records can be requested by servicemembers and produced at no cost to the requester. The VA
warns against using these companies for document retrieval, writing:
unscrupulous businesses continue to charge them fees to obtain copies of their (free)
military service and discharge records. Some websites charge $90 to $150 to obtain copies
of DD-214s and other free military records through their “expedited” service, but Veterans
Affairs agencies in most states often can provide the requested paperwork within a day or
within hours for military funeral honors. All states have benefits counselors where Veterans
can receive free assistance.
Veterans who encounter companies charging fees for their discharge records or other
military paperwork are encouraged to report it to their state’s Veterans Affairs agency.43
These companies have also recently come under congressional scrutiny. On July 15, 2022, the
House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced that they are investigating whether these
companies “are misusing National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) procedures intended to
expedite emergency records requests while charging veterans to obtain government records they
are entitled to receive at no cost.”44
7. How quickly are NPRC records requests processed?
NARA stated in March 2021 that in a typical year, NPRC “responds to more than 1.2 million
requests for copies of [military personnel and medical] records, or more than 20,000 requests
each week, most of which are completed in under 10 days.”45 Additionally, NPRC reported in
June 2021 that it could respond to about 6,300 requests from VA per week. 46 For requests from
individuals, NPRC provides a web portal and telephone number to check the status of a records
41 44 U.S.C. §2116(c) and 44 U.S.C. §2307.
42 National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center: Official Military Personnel
Files (OMPF) and Archival Records Requests, January 24, 2022, at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-recordscenter/military-personnel/ompf-archival-requests#fees.
43 Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans: Be wary of scams regarding job offers and the sale of military records,
government forms, VAntage Point, April 17, 2018, at https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/47492/veterans-be-wary-of-scamsregarding-job-offers-and-the-sale-of-military-records-government-forms/.
44 Letter from Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform,
and Representative Stephen F. Lynch, Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security, to Mr. Cody Graham, July 15,
2022, at https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2022-0715.CBM%20SFL%20to%20Graham-Angels%20Research%20re%20Emergency%20Records%20Request.pdf . See also
Amelia Brust, “Congress investigating whether companies are profiting off veterans disability claims backlog,”
Federal News Network, July 15, 2022, at https://federalnewsnetwork.com/veterans-affairs/2022/07/congressinvestigating-whether-companies-are-profiting-off-veterans-disability-claims-backlog/slide/1/.
45 National Archives and Records Administration, “National Personnel Records Center Prepares for Expansion of
Onsite Workforce,” press release, March 8, 2021, at https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2021/nr21-30.
46 Nicole Ogrysko, “Pandemic-Induced Backlog Sparks New Efforts to Digitize Military Records at NARA,” Federal
News Network, June 7, 2021, at https://federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2021/06/pandemic-induced-backlogsparks-new-efforts-to-digitize-military-records-at-nara/.
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request and suggests that requesters allow 10 days for the receipt and initial processing of the
request. 47
NARA states that improvements are underway “to expand remote processing opportunities and
increase capacity for digitization in the stacks in order to enhance operations in a sociallydistanced, post-COVID-19 environment.”48
In NARA’s five-year strategic plan, the agency set forward a goal that by FY2026, it would
provide 95% of customer requests in the promised time. Per the strategic plan, this figure would
represent the “weighted average of NARA’s average response time when: furnishing items in
public research rooms, responding to reference requests by email and mail, providing veterans
and their families with copies of military separation documents (DD-214), and responding to
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the public.”49 While NARA reports that it has
responded to 93% of customer requests within the promised time since 2017, NARA missed its
target in 2020 by reportedly delivering 89.2% of requested records within the promised time. 50
Data for 2021 and 2022 are not yet available. These figures do not account for possible
fluctuations in the request fulfilment times offered to requesters, and therefore may not reconcile
with reported backlog numbers.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Processing
In March 2020, NPRC closed due to COVID-19, keeping minimal staff on site to complete
emergency requests.51 The NPRC resumed normal operations on March 7, 2022. 52
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NPRC staff prioritized emergency requests. 53 Emergency
requests are considered to be those involving burial honors for deceased veterans, life-threatening
medical emergencies, homeless shelters seeking to gain admittance of homeless veterans, and
comparable emergencies. Requests for records were not processed as expeditiously as before the
pandemic. At the height of the pandemic, the NPRC reportedly processed 2,500 requests from VA
per week, down from their reported 20,000 requests per week in a typical year. 54 As of March 31,
47
National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center: Check Status of a Request for
Military Service Records, July 1, 2022, at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/forms.
48
National Archives and Records Administration, FY 2022 Congressional Justification, May 28, 2021, p. APP-6, at
https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/performance-budget/2022performance-budget.pdf.
49 National Archives and Records Administration, FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, March 2022, p. 7, at
https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/strategic-plan/nara-2022-2026-strategic-plan-march-2022.pdf/.
50
National Archives and Records Administration, FY2023 Congressional Justification, March 28, 2022, p. APP-6, at
https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/performance-budget/2023-nara-congressional-justification.pdf.
51
T he number of staff available at the NPRC has varied throughout the pandemic. In October 2020, staff began to
return to in-person work to process more requests, but on November 7, 2020, NPRC again closed due to a spike in
COVID cases among staff. Following a gradual restoration of on -site staff, during the spring and summer of 2021,
NPRC increased on-site staffing levels to 45% of its workforce, effective October 18, 2021.
52 See banner announcement at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/military-personnel#:~:text=
Louis%20area%20have%20improved%20and,.gov%2Fst%2Dlouis. “ Resumption of Onsite Operations at the National
Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis: Local health conditions in the St. Louis area have improved and the
NPRC resumed normal operations on March 7, 2022. While the National Personnel Records Center has reopened for
normal operations, the federal record center research room remains closed. T he operating status of the public research
room may be found at http://www.archives.gov/st -louis.”
53 NARA notes that emergency requests may be submitted via the online eVetRecs portal, accessible at
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/emergencies.
54 Nicole Ogrysko, “Pandemic-Induced Backlog Sparks New Efforts to Digitize Military Records at NARA,” Federal
News Network, June 7, 2021, at https://federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2021/06/pandemic-induced-backlog-
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2022, NARA’s Office of Inspector General states that the NPRC’s backlog of requests exceeded
500,000 requests. 55 According to The Federal News Network June 7, 2021 report, the NPRC
anticipates that it may take 18-to-24 months to resolve the backlog. 56
Complicating the efforts to reduce the backlog of records requests is that the majority of records
requested from NPRC are in paper form. As of June 2021, only 10% of these records were
available in digital formats, meaning the vast majority of materials at the NPRC only exist in
paper form and cannot be accessed remotely. 57 As a result, staff must physically retrieve materials
on-site and may not be able to maintain social distancing.
8. What efforts are being made to digitize military service records?
Government-wide efforts to digitize paper records to increase remote accessibility are ongoing
and predate the pandemic. 58 In 2019, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and NARA
announced an initiative to convert federal recordkeeping practices from analog to digital. The
corresponding guidance, OMB Memorandum M-19-21, provided seven targets for all federal
agencies to meet in order to comply. Two of them have December 31, 2022, deadlines:59
1.2 By 2022, Federal agencies will manage all permanent records in an electronic format
and with appropriate metadata; and
1.3 By 2022, Federal agencies will manage all temporary records in an electronic format
or store them in commercial records storage facilities.
NARA annually solicits reports from the Senior Agency Officials for Records Management
(SAORMs) on policy successes and challenges related to records program implementation.
SAORMs are agency officials tasked with ensuring that their agencies efficiently and
appropriately comply with all applicable statutes and policies related to records management. 60
The 2021 report asked SAORMs to report on various aspects of M-19-21 implementation. DOD61
and VA62 SAORMs reported that they would not meet targets 1.2 and 1.3 by the end of 2022, but
sparks-new-efforts-to-digitize-military-records-at-nara/.
55 Brett M. Baker, Semiannual Report to Congress: October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 , National Archives Office of
Inspector General, Washington DC, March 31, 2022, p. 12, at https://www.archives.gov/files/oig/nara-oig-sar22a1oct21-to-31mar22.pdf#page=12.
Nicole Ogrysko, “Pandemic-Induced Backlog Sparks New Efforts to Digitize Military Records at NARA,” Federal
News Network, June 7, 2021, at https://federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2021/06/pandemic-induced-backlogsparks-new-efforts-to-digitize-military-records-at-nara/.
57 Nicole Ogrysko, “Pandemic-induced backlog sparks new efforts to digitize military records at NARA,” Federal
News Network, June 7, 2021 at https://federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2021/06/pandemic-induced-backlogsparks-new-efforts-to-digitize-military-records-at-nara/. T he NPRC resumed normal operations on March 7, 2022. For
more information, see National Archives and Records Administration, Onsite Operations at the National Personnel
Records Center in St. Louis, at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/operating-status.
56
58 Federal Records Management Council, FRMC White Paper: Digitization Cost Benefit Analysis, National Archives
and Records Administration, at https://www.archives.gov/files/frmc-digitization-cost-benefit-whitepaper.pdf.
59
Russel T . Vought and David S. Ferriero, M-19-21: Transition to Electronic Records, White House Office of
Management and Budget, June 28, 2019, at https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/policy/m-19-21-transition-tofederal-records.pdf.
60 Chief Information Officers Council, Key Stakeholders: 4.16 Senior Agency Official for Records Management
(SAORM), at https://www.cio.gov/handbook/key-stakeholders/saorm/.
61 Christine Condon, Senior Agency Official for Records Management: 2021 Annual Report, Department of Defense,
Washington DC, March 30, 2022, at https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/agency/dod-saorm-2021.pdf.
62 Kurt DelBene, Senior Agency Official for Records Management: 2021 Annual Report, Department of Veterans
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that they have planned for temporary records storage in commercial records storage facilities.
Additionally, both agencies plan to request exceptions to the M-19-21 requirements before the
December deadline. 63 NARA’s SAORM responded yes to both targets. 64
VA and DOD have also made efforts to digitize their records at the agency level. 65 A recent
digitization effort undertaken by VA and NARA was in response to the Blue Water Navy Vietnam
Veterans Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-23), which expanded VA presumptive service connected benefits
for those exposed to Agent Orange. VA and NARA entered into an agreement in August 2019 to
digitize the deck logs of U.S. military vessels that served during the Vietnam War within the
geographic locations specified in law. The project took approximately one year to complete, with
the final logs entered in VA’s specially created ship locator tool in September 2020. 66 The project
digitized approximately 29 million images from 1,800 vessels’ deck logs and has helped over
25,000 Vietnam veterans receive VA benefits. 67
Through this effort, many Vietnam-era veterans (or their families if those veterans have died) are
able to resubmit information if their VA benefits were previously denied due to not having
eligible “in country” service. VA claims processors are now able to enter the dates of service and
the ship names into the ship locator tool, and it will determine whether those ships were within
the boundaries set forth in P.L. 116-23.
Currently, DOD is enhancing its digital capabilities for DOD records to interface with VA,
including those records for servicemembers who separated prior to the use of electronic health
records. In a 2014 report to Congress, DOD explained that it is scanning Service Treatment
Records from January 1, 2014 forward, into a system that is designed to share data with VA. 68
Some records prior to 2014 have also been scanned, including some records that were not retired
and sent to NPRC.
Congress has enacted legislation mandating digitization of the DD Form 214. Section 569 of the
FY2020 NDAA (P.L. 116-92) requires that DOD provide separated servicemembers with a
machine-readable and electronically transferable DD Form 214 beginning December 31, 2023. 69
Affairs, Washington DC, March 11, 2022, at https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/agency/va-saorm-2021.pdf.
63 For more information about the exception process, see https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2020/2020-
01.
64 William J. Bosanko, Senior Agency Official for Records Management: 2021 Annual Report, National Archives and
Records Administration, College Park, MD, March 11, 2022, at https://www.archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/agency/
nara-saorm-2021.pdf.
65
Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 5015.02, DOD Records Management Program , August 17, 2017, at
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/501502p.pdf.
Brandi Vincent, “VA, NARA Complete Digitization Effort to Help Speed Up Disability Claims for Some Veterans,”
Nextgov, September 29, 2020, at https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2020/09/va-nara-complete-digitizationeffort-help-speed-disability-claims-some-veterans/168869/.
67 National Archives and Records Administration, Letter o f Agreement Between Department of Veterans Affairs:
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), August 9, 2019,
at https://www.archives.gov/files/digitization/pdf/va-letterofagreement-final-signed.pdf.https://www.archives.gov/files/
digitization/pdf/va-letterofagreement-final-signed.pdf.
66
68 Department of Defense, Report to Congress: Interoperability of the Department of Defense (DoD) Health Artifact
and Image Management Solution (HAIMS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Benefits
Management System (VBMS), June 23, 2014, at https://www.health.mil/Reference-Center/Reports/2014/06/23/
Electronic-Health-Records-of-the-DoD-and-VA-HAIMS.
69
Robert Fahs, Congressional Requirements to Digitize Military Service Records Support Progress toward Improving
Classification and Declassification, National Archives and Records Administration, Information Security Oversight
Office, April 9, 2020, at https://isoo-overview.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/09/congressional-requirements-to-digitize-
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9. What are the challenges to digitizing military service records?
In addition to the increasing volume of records and initial costs associated with digitizing analog
records (such as hardware, software, and program staffing), challenges include the ongoing costs
involved in maintaining access and usability of the converted materials, including records
management considerations in developing or updating agency information technology (IT)
systems, and changing identifiers for a series of records.70
Ongoing Maintenance and Training Costs
In its guidance on maintaining electronic materials, NARA urges agencies to plan for these
ongoing costs for the entire retention period of the records, observing that agencies will incur
repeating costs. 71 Specifically, Title 36, Section 1236.12 of the Code of Federal Regulations
requires,
As part of the capital planning and systems development life cycle processes, agencies
must ensure: (a) That records management controls … are planned and implemented in the
system; (b) That all records in the system will be retrievable and usable for as long as
needed to conduct agency business (i.e., for their NARA -approved retention period).
Where the records will need to be retained beyond the planned life of the system, agencies
must plan and budget for the migration of records and their associated metadata to new
storage media or formats in order to avoid loss due to media decay or technology
obsolescence.
With respect to images to be retained indefinitely, NARA requires the records systems be
periodically inspected for file stability, documentation quality, and finding aid reliability. 72 These
periodic inspections and maintenance requirements indicate the need for resource management
and planning beyond the initial digital conversion of materials.
Incorporating Records Management Consideration in IT Systems Planning
NARA and VA’s Office of Inspector General have recommended increased attention to VA’s
management of staff and department-wide records management training. In its most recent 2016
inspection of VA’s records management program, NARA notes that VA had not included records
management processes as a stakeholder consideration in developing IT systems.73 Moreover, the
2016 inspection also found that records management training was not compliant with Title 36 of
the Code of Federal Regulations, and that existing records management policies at VA were
inadequate and not properly disseminated. 74
military-service-records-support-progress-toward-improving-classification-and-declassification/.
70 T he challenges surrounding the volume of records is further discussed in “ 4. How are military service records
formatted and stored?”
71 36 C.F.R. §1236.14. For more information on the process to schedule records as appropriate for temporary or
permanent preservation periods, see CRS In Focus IF11119, Federal Records: Types and Treatments, by Meghan M.
Stuessy.
72 36 C.F.R. §1237.28.
73 National Archives and Records Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs Records Management Program:
Records Management Inspection Report, Washington, DC, October 7, 2016, p. 22, at https://www.archives.gov/files/
records-mgmt/pdf/va-2016-inspection.pdf.
74 National Archives and Records Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs Records Management Program:
Records Management Inspection Report, Washington, DC, October 7, 2016, p. 13, at https://www.archives.gov/files/
records-mgmt/pdf/va-2016-inspection.pdf.
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Records Identifiers
Digitizing records associated with military service is often more difficult than it appears.
Discharge paperwork is not uniform, unlike the large digitization effort for Blue Water Navy
veterans, where the deck logs could be scanned in large quantities because they were in a similar
format. The current DD Form 214 has been issued to separating servicemembers only since
January 1, 1950. Prior to 1950, there were several different forms to prove military service such
as: DA 1569 Transcript of Military Record; DD 256 Honorable Discharge Certificate; DD 257
General Discharge Certificate; and many more. 75 This means, for example,that individuals who
served in World War II, left service, and then re-enlisted to serve in Korea would have two
different discharge papers, but both are important for purposes of various benefits.
Another challenge in scanning large quantities of military records is that some identifying
numbers associated with servicemembers have changed over time. Prior to certain dates, the U.S.
military identified a servicemember by a service number (SN) and not by SSN. The use of SNs
changed during the late 1960s and into the 1970s depending upon the individual’s branch of
service. The change from SN to SSNs happened on the following dates for members of each
service branch:
Army and Air Force—July 1, 1969;
Navy and Marine Corps—January 1, 1972;
Coast Guard—October 1, 1974.76
In order to digitize these records, a mechanism might be needed to identify the veteran by one or
both of the record identifiers based upon the time period he or she served. There may be increased
concern in cases where the veteran’s service was non-consecutive, and when that service
occurred, both before and after changes in identifying numbers.
10. What funds are available to support digitization of military
service records?
NARA and VA have received various funds for digitization efforts, and some of these funds have
been targeted for the NPRC. For FY2022, NARA received $388.3 million, of which $29 million
“shall remain available until expended for expenses necessary to enhance the Federal
Government’s ability to electronically preserve, manage, and store Government records.”77
Congress appropriated $50 million (to remain available until September 30, 2022) to NARA via
the Records Center Revolving Fund in P.L. 116-260, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,
to offset the loss of user fees usually collected by the fund as a result of the pandemic. According
to a letter from some Members of Congress to President Joe Biden and the Archivist of the United
States, as of April 5, 2021, $15 million from this funding had been allocated to NPRC. 78
75 Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration: Veterans Military Discharge Documents, March
17, 2020, at https://www.cem.va.gov/hmm/discharge_documents.asp.
76 National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center: Service Numbers and Social
Security Numbers, February 25, 2020, at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/social-security-numbers.
77
P.L. 117-103, 136 Stat. 278.
78 Letter from Warren Davidson, Member of Congress et al. to Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States, and
David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, April 5, 2021, at https://republicans-veterans.house.gov/
uploadedfiles/2021_4_6_rmb_davidson_ltr_re_nprc.pdf.
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In the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Congress appropriated $272 million to VA to mitigate
the impacts of the pandemic on the benefits claims and appeals backlog. 79 VA stated that it is
using $150 million “to expand the scope of Federal scanning to reduce claims processing delays
and reduce the current claims backlog by half. In addition, VA will provide digital copies of all
scanned records to NARA to help expedite pending and future requests for any Veteran
records.”80
Congress is also currently considering additional funds for records digitization. H.R. 8254, the
FY2023 appropriations bill for Financial Services and General Government Operations, proposes
an increased budget of $427.5 million to NARA, of which $30 million would remain available for
electronic records preservation. The House passed this bill on July 20, 2022, as Division D of
H.R. 8294, an omnibus appropriations bill providing funding for a number of government
agencies. In the report accompanying H.R. 8254, the House Appropriations Committee wrote that
the backlog of records requests persists at NPRC despite the $50 million in emergency funding to
the Records Center Revolving Fund. Further,
the Committee expects NARA to restore the NPRC to full operational capacity as quickly
as feasible, to continue to use its emergency funding expeditiously to streamline operations
and reduce the records backlog, and to continue to prioritize critical veterans records. The
Committee directs NARA to provide quarterly reports detailing obligations and planned
spending for this emergency funding, the current status of the backlog and an estimate for
when it will be fully cleared, and lessons learned about NPRC operations as a result of the
pandemic and recommendations for future improvements. 81
On May 23, 2022, the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a $9.1 million loan to
NARA from the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to modernize records delivery
systems. 82 The funds are to be used for systems that process veterans’ records requests and
systems that manage the workings of federal records centers. 83 NARA is required to repay the
TMF over the next five years. For more information on this fund, see CRS Report R46877,
Federal Information Technology (IT) Budgeting Process in the Executive Branch: An Overview,
by Dominick A. Fiorentino, Federal Information Technology (IT) Budgeting Process in the
Executive Branch: An Overview, by Dominick A. Fiorentino.
79 P.L. 117-2.
80 Department of Veterans Affairs, VA and NARA to digitize federal records for Veterans, VAntage Point, August 5,
2021, at https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/92792/va-nara-digitize-federal-records-veterans/.
81 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
Bill, 2023, Report T ogether with Minority Views to Accompany H.R. 8254, 117 th Cong., 2 nd sess., June 28, 2022,
H.Rept. 117-393 (Washington: GPO, 2022), p. 91.
82
U.S. General Services Administration, Technology Modernization Fund Announces Investments to Modernize Major
Systems at USDA and NARA, Washington, DC, May 23, 2022, at https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/newsreleases/technology-modernization-fund-announces-investments-to-modernize-major-systems-at-usda-and-nara05232022. Relatedly, VA also received funds from the T MF in April 2022 for adjacent efforts. GSA awarded VA
$10.5 million in order to modernize the sign-in experiences at VA.gov and MyHealth.VA.gov, and seeks to improve
the experience of Veterans to “digitally access benefits and services more reliably, equitably and securely.” U.S.
General Services Administration, Technology Modernization Fund Is Making It Easier and More Secure for Veterans
to Access Benefits and Services, Washington, DC, April 19, 2022, at https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/newsreleases/technology-modernization-fund-is-making-it-easier-and-more-secure-for-veterans-to-access-benefits-andservices-04192022.
83 Robert Fahs, “$9.1M T echnology Modernization Fund Award Backs Updates to National Archives’ Legacy
Systems,” National Archives ISOO Blog, June 3, 2022, at https://isoo-overview.blogs.archives.gov/2022/06/03/9-1mtechnology-modernization-fund-award-backs-updates-to-national-archives-legacy-systems/.
Congressional Research Service
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Modernizing Access to Military Records: Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix. Abbreviations
The common abbreviations listed in Table A-1 are used throughout this report.
Table A-1. Abbreviations
Acronym
Term
DOD
Department of Defense
DD-214
Certificate of Uniformed Service
FOIA
Freedom of Information Act
FY
Fiscal Year
JSRRC
Joint Services Records Research Center
NARA
National Archives and Records Administration
NOK
Next of Kin
NPRC
National Personnel Records Center
OMPF
Official Military Personnel File
SN
Service Number
SSN
Social Security Number
VA
Department of Veterans Affairs
VBA
Veterans Benefits Administration
Author Information
Heather M. Salazar
Analyst in Veterans Policy
Congressional Research Service
Meghan M. Stuessy
Analyst in Government Organization and
Management
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Modernizing Access to Military Records: Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer
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Congressional Research Service
R47212 · VERSION 1 · NEW
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This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.