Putting your records in order, from your DD214 to treatment records.
We help you work out which records your claim needs, where each one is, and how to get it. Some of it you already have, and the VA gathers some of it for you. What is left, we help you request and put in order, so the file reads from front to back.
What goes in the folder.
DD214
Your separation papers: character of discharge, dates, duty stations, awards.
Decision letters
Every rating or decision letter the VA has sent you. The date on each one matters.
Service treatment records
The medical record from your time in service. The VA reviews it with your claim.
Current treatment records
From the VA and private doctors who treat you now, with their names and the dates.
Statements
Written accounts from you, family, or people you served with.
Your own notes
When the condition started, how it has changed, and how it affects your work and your days.
Getting your DD214.
There are four ways, and the last one costs you no effort at all.
- Online, through the National Archives. Request it with eVetRecs and sign in with an identity-verified ID.me account.
- Through milConnect. The Defense Department's site has it if you separated from the Army after October 1, 2002, the Navy after January 1, 1995, the Marine Corps after January 1, 1999, or the Air Force after October 1, 2004.
- By mail or fax. Standard Form 180 goes to the address or fax number on its last page, which depends on your branch, when you separated, and the record you need.
- Let the VA ask for it. If you apply for VA benefits, the VA requests your DD214 for you.
Records from your own doctors.
The VA can gather records from VA medical centers, other federal facilities, and private doctors. VA Form 21-4142 gives it permission to ask a private provider. It needs the name of each facility and the dates you were treated there, and we help you put that list together.
Questions veterans ask.
Do I need my DD214 before I contact you?
No. Start with what you have. If you apply for VA benefits, the VA requests your DD214 for you, and we can help you request a copy for your own records.
I lost my DD214. What now?
Request a new copy from the National Archives through eVetRecs online, or by mail or fax with Standard Form 180. If you separated recently enough, milConnect has it too.
What should I keep?
Every letter the VA sends you, especially decision letters. The date printed on a decision starts the one-year clock for every review option, so keep the letter itself, not just the news in it.
Is what I tell you kept safe?
Everything you enter in the intake form is encrypted before it is stored, and it is read only by Hollie Robinson through a password-protected portal. If you would rather not type sensitive details into a website, call and give them over the phone instead.
More of what we help with.
Start with a private intake.
MVAC reviews each submission and follows up directly, within 2 business days, Monday thru Thursday. Sensitive details are stored encrypted and viewed only through the protected admin.