It is not necessary for you to obtain your military records prior to filing a VA claim for benefits, however, your records may be available through one of the following sources:
Defense Personnel Records Information Retrieval System (DPRIS)
Records may be available online for those who were discharged, deceased, released from active duty or retired on or after the following dates:
- Air Force - October 1, 2004
- Army - October 1, 2002
- Marine Corps - January 1, 1999
- Navy - January 1, 1995
All prior records are archived at National Personnel Records Center.
State of TN Department of Military
If the Veteran enlisted or was separated from Active Duty service in the state of Tennessee, or served in the TN National Guard, their military records may be available at the TN Department of Military records repository.
Central state repositories
The Davidson County Office of Veterans Service has had some limited luck in obtaining hard to find records for Veterans who enlisted in or were separated from other states; not all states maintain a central repository.
National Archives at St. Louis
The National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records is the repository of millions of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century. (Records prior to WWI are in Washington, DC.) They also store medical treatment records of retirees from all services, as well as records for dependent and other persons treated at naval medical facilities. Information from the records is made available upon written request (with signature and date) to the extent allowed by law.
If you are a veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, you may request a copy of your military records. Due to COVID quarantine protocols, this location has been experiencing a significant delay is records retrieval.
VA Claims File (c-file)
If the Veteran has previously filed a claim for VA disability compensation, the probability is very high that your military service and treatment records were already obtained by the VA and they now maintain either a physical or electronic copy of these documents.
Alternate Sources
Buddy statements, letters, photographs, citations, ships' logs, combat records, troop movement reports...all these documents can be used as an alternative source of information. Anything that you can remember, to include dates, fellow service member's names, locations or mission details can help create a clearer picture of your service.
Please contact us and we will be happy to assist you in obtaining your military service or treatment records.