First of all are you requesting records from care provided while you were in the military from a military treatment facility or from the VA after you were release from the military. It seems silly but there is a big difference and the two systems do not talk to each other.

If you are looking for records from when you were in military services you can contact NPRC (National Personel Records Center) in Saint Louis. They will have your records if you were released from active duty prior to about January 2012. Their address and the form you need to send can be found at http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/. Please keep in mind they are a government run office and they receive thousands of requests for medical records each day and they also receive thousands of files and boxes of loose paperwork everyday from military clinics around the world. It may take awhile to get a response. But keep bugging them with phone calls and followup letters and eventually they will respond.

If you left active duty after about January 2012 then your records would have been sent to the new medical records repository in San Antonio. I don’t know what their address or contact information is, but if you visit any military clinic they will be able to tell you.

If you are looking for medical records since retiring from the military (i.e. records from any VA visits) they are also stored at NPRC, but in a different office. You can request copies of them via this site http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/other-medical-records.html. According to their site they can provide a status update of when you will receive the files by sending an email. When requesting anything from the NPRC it is best to provide a list of places both hospital and clinic that you were seen because they fill paperwork based on the last place you were seen.

If you are concerned that you are not receiving all of your records I would call the VA Customer Service number (866-272-6272) and discuss this with them. They may be able to put in additional information about you or submit a request for more information on your behalf so that a more extensive search for records is conducted. It maybe that your file was misplaced and more searching is necessary to find it.

Don’t give up, keep calling and requesting it until you are satisfied. Since nothing is ever thrown away or shredded in these places it is very unlikely that it is gone forever. It just has to be located. Constant hounding and requests is the only way that is going to happen. If all else fails, and you have some time, you can contact the NPRC and tell them you want to set up a research visit. You may be able to find it yourself before someone that works there is able to. Good luck.

Go to www.TADPGS.com, click on the “Looking for People” tab, then view “Veterans Solutions” to see more for information on our Veterans Solutions for Employers. Please join our LinkedIn group, Veterans Hiring Solutions for Veterans and Companies at http://linkd.in/Sg346w. If you have specific questions about hiring veterans or the incentives for doing so, contact me at Ben.Marich@Adeccona.com.