In 1973 ,a fire at the National Personnel Records Center NPRC in St. Louis , Missouri , destroyed the records held for Veterans who were discharged from the Army and Air Force during certain periods of time .You can find out if your records may have been destroyed in this fire , and how to reconstruct your records to support a VA disability compensation claim.
Do you know if your records were destroyed in the 1973 NPRC fire in St. Louis?
yes, I was in the Army and I think they are gone but not sure.
Your records may have been destroyed in the fire if you were discharged from the Army between November 1 , 1912 , and January 1 , 1960 .The fire destroyed 80% of the records held for Veterans discharged from the Army during this time period .
How will you reconstruct my records if I need them for a claim?
We start by submitting a specific request to the NPRC for any additional service records they may have or can find for you .
So you do a search at the other Army offices?
the NPRC searches for documents that may help to reconstruct your records .They may also reach out to other government agencies .
are you doing all records again or do I have to ask for them so you get them?
You will need to fill out a Request for Information Needed to Reconstruct Medical Data NA Form 13055 . We 'll use this form as our request to the NPRC to reconstruct your records .
and the NPRC records which may not be complete will help with my claim?
We 'll also look at other records or documents called supplemental records to help decide your claim .You can provide these records or ask us to help you find them .
what if I have documents that can help with my claim?