Change Date May 18, 2015 a. Definition: STRs Service treatment records (STRs) are the in-service health records that service departments collect for each service member. (For many they were referred to as service medical records (SMRs)). Original, paper versions of STRs in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) possession belong to the Department of Defense (DoD) and are only on loan to VA. They are subject to recall by entities within DoD, to include Reserve and National Guard units. Note: STRs are typically recalled when a Veteran returns to active duty, or begins actively serving in a Reserve or National Guard unit. Reference: For more information about handling requests for the return of original STRs, see M21-1, Part III, Subpart iii, 2.A.7.a. b. Types of Records Included in STRs The table below contains a list of the types of records that are and are not included in a service member’s STRs. STRs include … STRs do not include … physical examination reports, including reports from entrance and discharge physical examinations, if performed the service member’s medical history all dental examination reports and records clinical record cover sheets and summaries outpatient medical and dental treatment records physical profiles medical proceedings, and prescriptions for eyeglasses and orthopedic footwear inpatient treatment records (clinical records) finance records mental health records, or the Military Personnel Record Jacket (MPRJ), may contain physical profiles and medical board proceedings Note: If a service member obtains treatment “off-base” at a civilian facility, any medical or mental health records created during the course of treatment are not automatically associated with the service member’s STRs. Furthermore, these records are never forwarded for long-term storage to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). Rather, they are destroyed after a period of inactivity (five years for mental health records). References: For more information on
unit. The personnel records of these service members remain with their respective units. f. How Records Are Filed at the NPRC The NPRC maintains a registry of most of the service records in its custody. These records are filed by the former service member’s name and Social Security number, or service number. Clinical records are filed by hospital name or number, then chronologically by year, or month and year, of treatment. Note: The MTF that provided treatment creates and maintains clinical records, and normally retires its records to the NPRC when there has been no treatment for a certain number of years. Reference: For more information on the distinction between STRs and clinical records, and the number of years military hospitals and medical facilities retain clinical records before retiring them to the NPRC, see M21-1, Part III, Subpart iii, 2.B.3. g. NPRC’s Records Reconstruction Unit NPRC’s Records Reconstruction Unit relies on unit records and alternative documents to reconstruct records destroyed in the 1973 fire at NPRC. Reference: For more information on records destroyed by fire at the NPRC, see M21-1, Part III, Subpart iii, 2.E.1. h. Using PIES to Request Service Records PIES is the primary means ROs use to request STRs and personnel records from the NPRC. Such requests are electronically matched against NPRC’s registry holdings to determine whether the NPRC has custody of the record an RO is requesting. Notes: Use PIES request code O50 when requesting the STRs of a former service member whose claim for VA benefits is being processed in VBMS. The VALO, shares office space with the NPRC, processes PIES requests electronically. Reference: For more information on PIES, see M21-1, Part III, Subpart iii, 2.D, and the .
a. How the RMC Stores STRs Before the deployment of HAIMS on January 1, 2014, when a service department transferred a former service member’s STRs to the RMC, it sent the STRs in either a single or multiple STR jackets. Each jacket bore the former service member’s name and SSN. The RMC leaves the STRs in the jackets in which they arrived and files them in sequential order by SSN. If a former service member has multiple STR jackets, and the RMC receives a request for transfer of his/her STRs to an RO, the RMC is responsible for sending all of the former service member’s STR jackets to the RO. Exception: If an RO requests STRs for a Veteran who has an eFolder in VBMS, the RMC does not send the STRs to the RO. Instead, it sends the STRs to a vendor for scanning and to upload into the Veteran’s eFolder. Reference: For more information about HAIMS, see M21-1, Part III, Subpart iii, 2.A.5.c. b. SMRTS Prior to the deployment of HAIMS, the RMC received STRs from service departments and recorded their receipt in the Service Medical Records Tracking System (SMRTS). Note: The RMC continues to receive STRs from the Coast Guard, Public Health Service (PHS), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and record the receipt of STRs from these Federal entities in SMRTS. SMRTS interfaces with Share and continues to provide the RMC with a uniform method for managing and tracking the movement of STRs into and out of the RMC. c. Interaction Between SMRTS, Share, and COVERS The table below contains a description of the interaction between SMRTS, Share, and the Control of Veterans Records System (COVERS). When … And if the former service member had/has … Then … the RMC received a former service member’s STRs from his/her service department (prior to the deployment of HAIMS), or a VA claims folder that was/is in an RO’s possession the RMC transferred/transfers the STRs to the RO. This action triggered/triggers an update to the fields on the BIRLS FOLDER LOCATION tab in Share to show the STRs were/are in transit.