Templates

Your records request letters, already written

Four requests return four different records: the DD-214 proves what you did, service treatment records show what was noticed at the time, VA records show what has been treated since, and the C-file is what a rater reads. This builder fills the letter for each one and tells you where to send it.

Your details

Tell the letters who you are

Everything you type here stays in this browser. It is not sent to us, not saved to an account, and not stored on this device. Anything you leave blank prints as a blank line you can fill in with a pen.

Name

First name

Middle name (optional)

Last name

Any other name used during service (optional)

Name changes are common. The agencies index on the name that was on the record at the time, so put that name here if it is different.

Date of birth

Month, day, year. For example 04 12 1979.

Service

Branch of service

Component

Service start

Start month

Start year

Four digits.

Service end

End month

End year

Four digits.

Service number or last four of your SSN (optional)

Leave this blank if you would rather not type it. The letter prints a blank line there and you can write it in by hand. Nothing you type in this form is sent anywhere, and there is no field here for a full Social Security number.

Where the reply goes

Street address

City

State

ZIP code

Phone (optional)

Email address (optional)

Which records to request

Pick every one that applies. Each checked box becomes its own letter.

DD-214, the separation documentThe DD-214 records dates of service, character of service and the units served with.

Service treatment recordsStandard Form 180 defines these as "the chronology of medical, mental health, and dental care received by service members during their military career (does not include records of treatment while hospitalized)". That parenthetical is a real limit: an inpatient stay is filed separately.

VA medical recordsVA medical records show what has been treated since separation.

Private provider recordsPrivate records cover care given outside the VA system, which no VA request will return.

The claims fileThe claims file is the set of documents a rater reads when a claim is decided.

A correction to the military recordA correction request asks the reviewing board to change something the record states wrongly. It is a different route from a discharge review: DD Form 293 goes to a Discharge Review Board and must be filed within 15 years of discharge. DD Form 149 covers a record past that window, and it covers a discharge or dismissal by sentence of a general court-martial, which a Discharge Review Board has no authority over at any age. That last limit is about the court-martial, not about the characterization, so a bad-conduct discharge adjudged by a general court-martial falls under it too.

The one part you cannot do alone

Help with a VA claim is free from a VSO or an accredited representative. Your health is a separate question.

VHN Membership starts with a Clinical Baseline: every record we can find, and a full evaluation of your physical and mental health. Then a Care Advocate helps you navigate your care.

VA claims are separate from membership. Membership fees pay for healthcare coordination and advocacy, never for help with a VA claim.

Veterans

A free call about your health, your records and what membership would do for you.

First name

Last name

Email address

Submitting this form asks VHN to contact you. Your private tool entries are not included.

Sources

SF-180, Request Pertaining to Military Records (National Archives)
VA Form 10-5345a, Individuals' Request for a Copy of Their Own Health Information (rev. July 2021) (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
VA Form 10-5345, Request for and Authorization to Release Health Information (rev. May 2026, third-party release) (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
VA Form 20-10206, Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act Request (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
DD Form 149, Application for Correction of Military Record (U.S. Department of Defense)

Accuracy

Last checked 2026-08-23. Reviewed on a quarterly cycle and maintained by Veteran Health Network's compliance team, who are accountable for what is on this page. Written and reviewed under Veteran Health Network's institutional review process.

Your records request letters, already written

Tell the letters who you are

Help with a VA claim is free from a VSO or an accredited representative. Your health is a separate question.

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Sources

Accuracy