Retiree Activities Office - Medical Records Storage

Under an agreement between the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs, medical records of all military members retiring starting 1 May 1994 are transferred directly to the Department of Veterans Affairs rather than the National Personnel Records Center. If an individual initiates a claim during out-processing through the Military Personnel Flight of the Base, their medical records are transferred directly to the Veterans Affairs Regional Office, nearest their future address.

For those not initiating a claim, medical records are transferred directly to the Department of Veterans Affairs Service Medical Records Center (Veterans Affairs-SMRC), St. Louis, Missouri. Officials stress that the above is applicable ONLY to members who retired after the effective date 1 May 1994 and effects only medical records. It does not affect those other records stored at the National Personnel Records Centers, located in St. Louis and "IT DOES NOT AFFECT THE MEDICAL RECORDS OF INDIVIDUAL WHO RETIRED OR SEPARATED BEFORE 1 MAY 1994". Persons who desire copies of their medical records from Veterans Affairs-SMRC, need to write to:

Veterans Affairs-SMRC
P. O. Box 150950
St. Louis, MO 63115-8960

You can inquire by telephone to determine the location of your records by calling (314) 801-0800; HOWEVER, RECORDS CANNOT BE FORWARDED AS A RESULT OF A PHONE CALL. REQUEST MUST BE IN WRITING. In dealing with any request for record information, officials emphasized that individuals always include their Social Security Number. Without a Social Security Number, locating records is always more difficult and sometimes impossible.

Retirees' dependents' medical records are forwarded to a National Personnel Records Center depository at 111 Winnebago Street., Saint Louis, MO 63118-4126, two years after the sponsor retires. Until then, they are retained by the Military Personnel Center providing services. (If you move, request dependent records be forwarded to the Department of Defense medical facility nearest your new address.)