How to get your VA records — medical records, claims file (C-file), claim exam reports, decision letters and your DD-214
Most VA records are available online: medical records through My HealtheVet on VA.gov, decision letters and claim evidence in the claim status tool, and benefit letters under My VA. For records that are not online — your complete claims file (C-file), claim exam (C&P) reports, official military personnel file and pension or other benefit records — file a Privacy Act request on VA Form 20-10206, online or on paper. Paper copies of VA health records come from your facility's Release of Information office on VA Form 10-5345a. Your DD-214 and service records come from the National Archives (eVetRecs or Standard Form 180) or, for recent separations, from DoD's milConnect.
What you'll need
- A verified VA.gov sign-in (Login.gov or ID.me)
- VA Form 20-10206 (Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act Request) — online or PDF
- VA Form 10-5345a (Individuals' Request for a Copy of Their Own Health Information)
- Standard Form 180 or the National Archives eVetRecs tool, or a milConnect account, for military service records
Step-by-step
Step 1: Medical records — My HealtheVet on VA.gov
If you are enrolled in VA health care and registered as a patient at a VA facility, sign in at VA.gov/my-health to find, review, print and download your VA medical records: lab and test results, vaccine and allergy records, medications, and care summaries and notes. CHAMPVA beneficiaries enrolled in Meds by Mail can review medication records. For paper copies, or for records not shown online, submit VA Form 10-5345a to the Release of Information office at the VA facility where you were treated.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/health-care/review-medical-records/
Step 2: Decision letters, claim evidence and benefit letters
The claim status tool at VA.gov/claim-or-appeal-status lists your claims, decision reviews and appeals, shows the evidence you filed online and the evidence VA requested, and lets you download decision letters for many claim types. Benefit summary and award letters are under My VA → Letters. Documents you mailed, faxed or delivered in person do not appear in the tool.
Step 3: Claims file, claim exam reports and other benefit records — VA Form 20-10206
For your complete claims file (C-file), claim exam reports, official military personnel file, pension documents, and education, home loan, life insurance, fiduciary or vocational rehabilitation records, file a Privacy Act request on VA Form 20-10206. The fastest route is the online form at VA.gov; a PDF is also available. You must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident to request your own records under the Privacy Act, and the form is only for your own records — someone else's records are requested through VA's FOIA Public Access Link.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/records/request-personal-records-form-20-10206/
Step 4: DD-214 and military service records
Request your DD-214, duty stations, awards and service treatment records from the National Archives online through eVetRecs (with an identity-verified ID.me account) or by mailing or faxing Standard Form 180 to the address on the form. If you separated recently — Air Force after October 1, 2004, Army after October 1, 2002, Marine Corps after January 1, 1999, Navy after January 1, 1995 — you can also download them from DoD's milConnect. If you are applying for VA benefits, VA requests your DD-214 for you.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/
Step 5: Use the records for a decision review
Claim exam reports and the "evidence" and "reasons for decision" sections of a rating decision show what VA relied on. For a Higher-Level Review you cannot add evidence, so the C-file is your map of what is already there; for a Supplemental Claim it shows what new and relevant evidence would help. An accredited representative with your signed VA Form 21-22 or 21-22a can access your VA records on your behalf.
Critical tips
- VA does not publish a fixed turnaround for 20-10206 or paper record requests; the online form gives you a confirmation and lets you follow the request.
- VA Form 10-5345a asks you to specify which record types to include, including sensitive categories such as mental health notes — check what you need.
- Army personnel discharged 1912–1960 and Air Force personnel discharged 1947–1964 may have lost records in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire; NPRC can often reconstruct service from other sources.
- A county veterans service officer can request and read your C-file with you for free: warriorsfund.org/find-cvso.
- In crisis: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.