During your Military service, did you receive vaccines injected with jet guns, reused needles, medicine vials, had medical or dental procedures, or, treated by medical personnel that did not wear gloves? Did you get the Hep B vaccine before 2001, or other shots made with human blood, like Small Pox or tetanus Vaccinia? Had a blood transfusion, bone or tissue transplant, worked with or around blood, i.e., injured or dead bodies, equipment, guns, rags, etc. Then, the answer is, yes, you are eligible to file a claim.

How to Request Military Service Records

Cost: Military personnel and health record information is usually free for veterans, next-of-kin, and authorized representatives. If your request involves a service fee, you will be notified as soon as possible.

First step: Many HCVets won their claim by getting their service military personnel and medical files first. The records we ask for are "Undeleted and Complete" to include: vaccination, labs and x rays records.  By requesting the records first, it will delay the filing date by a few months or so until you do file the claim. This date is when payment begins if you win the claim, but we found valuable information to assist in showing the virus symptoms or exposure to transmission methods in these records.

Where to send military service medical records request
Send the requests certified mail return receipt requested.

• Make a request by mail for Personnel & Medical Records:
  Use the SF 180 form for all record request.  
  
  National Personnel Records Center
  Military Personnel Records
  9700 Page Ave.
  St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
  (don't forget to specify any medical or vaccination and lab records to be included)
   


Vets- Cover all bases, some records may have transferred-
• Make another request by mail for Medical Records:
  Most Iraq and Afghanistan medical records will be at the following location.
  Use the SF 180 form for all record request
   
  Dept. of Veterans Affairs,
  Service medical Records Management Center
  P O Box 5020
  4300 Goodfellow Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63120-1750
  (don't forget to specify vaccination and lab records)

  Please note that requests which are sent by Priority Mail, FedEx, UPS, or other "express" services will only arrive at the NPRC sooner. They will not be processed any faster than standard requests. See the section above on emergency requests and deadlines.

• Make the request online for only the National Personnel Records Center  http://vetrecs.archives.gov  http://vetrecs.archives.gov
  When you submit your request online, a signature form downloadable from the site can be sent to you for completion and submission.  The National Personnel Records Center will then send you an e-mail acknowledging your request. (don't forget to specify any medical or vaccination and lab records to be included)
   
• Veterans who can't find medical records should contact the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in order to determine if the records are already on file. The VA Toll Free # is: 1-800-827-1000 and will connect the caller to the nearest VA office.

   

Required Information

Your request must contain certain basic information for us to locate your service records. This information includes:

• The veteran's complete name used while in service
• Service number
• Social security number
• Branch of service
• Dates of service
• Date and place of birth (especially if the service number is not known).
• If you suspect your records may have been involved in the 1973 fire, also include:
  • Place of discharge
  • Last unit of assignment
  • Place of entry into the service, if known.
• All requests must be signed and dated by the veteran or next-of-kin.

On the message boards
Be sure to read  
"Ask NOD"
Guidance for filing VA Claims

On Delphi Forms

• Filing VA Claims and Info folder
• HOW TO GET YOUR VA MEDICAL RECORDS IN ONE EASY LESSON
  by Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland

Read through the forum for guidelines and more help with information to include in your claim. Post questions or concerns and we will try to help.

Response Time:

The National Personnel Records Center (NRPC) normally responds to requests for Separation Documents (such as DD Form 214) in ten (10) working days or less. However, requests that involve reconstruction efforts due to the 1973 fire or older records which require extensive search efforts may take much longer (such as requests for your complete OMPF). You will receive our response in writing by U.S. Mail.

Checking the Status of Your Request:

Once you have allowed sufficient time for us to receive and process your request (about 10 days), you can check the status of your request by phone:

NPRC Customer Service Line (this is a long-distance call for most customers):
314-801-0800

Note: Our peak calling times are weekdays between 10:00 am CST and 3:00 pm CST. Staff is available to take your call as early as 7:30 am and as late as 5:00 pm cst.

This number will allow you to hold until a technician is available to help you.

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Other Methods to Obtain your Military Service Records

Other potential methods to obtain your records include writing a letter, visiting the NPRC, contacting your state or county, or hiring an independent researcher. See Other Methods to Obtain your Military Service Records for more details.

NOTE: Some companies advertise DD Form 214 research services and will charge a fee for obtaining copies. This is provided as a free service by the National Archives and Records Administration.

IMPORTANT:
While waiting for the records, usually 3-6 mo or so, collect other medical records from private doctors and other private and military hospitals you visited. Not all medical reports and labs will be with your permanent military record.

In the lab reports, look for elevated liver enzymes like aspartate aminotransferase (AST or SGOT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT or SGPT). 
 
In the medical records, look for illness, such as, flu-like symptoms, bad cough (described as the worst ever by most) or low back pain, rashes or a diagnoses of Hepatitis. But remember, not everyone has symptoms that usually occur 2 weeks to 6 months after infection.

Write a statement that will be included in your claim, as to why you feel you contracted Hep C in the service. Support it with research. Contact our forum manager, Harry, for a package we've put together to help HCVets@aol.com.

Include any other info to support how you say you were infected. Get a letter from any VA doctor (specialist is best) that states, "It is his opinion that you are "at least as likely as not, or "more than likely than not" or likely" to have contracted this virus in service." The VA requires one of those three phrases in the nexus.

Here is a link to a standard VA Form Doctor's Form for Nexus Letter Let us know if you have any trouble doing this, we will help.

Example of The Nexus Letters- the "more than likely than not" letters needed to prove service connection.

Access to Military Records by the General Public

Limited information from Official Military Personnel Files is releasable to the general public without the consent of the veteran or the next-of-kin. You are considered a member of the general public if you are asking about a veteran who is no relation to you, or a veteran who is a relative but you are not the next-of-kin. Next-of-kin is defined as the unremarried widow or widower, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran.

See Access to Military Records by the General Public and Researchers for details on how to request service records.

COURTS AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

• U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• VA Publications
• VA Application Forms
• VA Web Automated Reference Materials System

VA Health Care Eligibility & Enrollment Home