VBA Generally Helped Veterans Obtain Damaged or Destroyed Records

In July 1973, a fire damaged or destroyed up to 18 million Army and Air Force official military personnel files at the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. This disaster makes it difficult for affected veterans—those who served in the Army or Air Force prior to 1960 or 1964, respectively—to obtain required records when filing claims for benefits. If a veteran’s records cannot be located because they were destroyed in the fire, a veterans service representative requests reconstruction of medical treatment records, military service records, or both, depending on the veteran’s needs.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2023 requires the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) to report on the extent to which Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) personnel follow the Adjudication Procedures Manual when assisting veterans with obtaining or reconstructing service records and medical information that were damaged or destroyed during the fire. The OIG therefore conducted this audit to assess VBA’s assistance to these veterans with obtaining damaged or destroyed records. The OIG found that VBA staff did not always follow procedures in a timely manner or in the order outlined in the Adjudication Procedures Manual and did not always complete required follow up procedures. The OIG made three recommendations: to establish a process to identify and track veterans’ records that have been determined to be fire damaged or destroyed, to train VBA staff on the process for requesting service treatment and military service records for fire related records and provide more specific guidance on information required for the NPRC to locate veterans’ records, and to ensure VBA staff follow steps as outlined in the manual for when to send required forms and conduct follow-up.