How to Find My VA Records for Treatment

By Marci Sothern

The Veterans Administration (VA) runs an extensive health care system around the country. This agency was established at the beginning of the Great Depression to provide health care to U.S. military veterans. Each individual facility maintains medical records for each veteran they treat. Veterans who receive medical treatment at any of these facilities have the right to request copies of documents relating to their medical treatment.

Find your VA medical records at the facility or facilities where you received treatment. The VA website has a facility locator page where you may search for the address of a center by ZIP code or by clicking on a state in the interactive state map.

Call the institution to find out if they require any specific forms to be filled out. Each facility may have different procedures for requesting medical records.

Mail a signed, written request for a copy of your records directly to the facility that holds your records. You must indicate the records you want as well as the reason for requesting them. In addition, you must specify to whom the records may be released.

Wait for the response to your request. It can take anywhere between two to four weeks, depending on the particular treatment center.

http://www.lenderva.com