Veteran's Post - Requesting Records is Easier Now

Requesting your records from the VA used to be a nightmare requiring you to wade through text and instructions that were difficult to understand.

FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests required you to understand the layout of government agencies and know in advance who specifically had the information you sought before you even started your request. Too often your request for one type of information could end up in a pile in the wrong office, which meant delays.

Now the whole process has been redesigned and requests that go astray have been reduced by 90%, which helps everyone from office staff who handle all the requests to the veterans who are waiting on their information. Everybody, in various departments across the VA, participated in creating the new request page to be sure it works well for all.

If you need to make an FOIA request, go to department.va.gov/foia. Scroll down the page and read the sample info for each VA department. Each has a long list of types of information you can get from that department.

For example, if you want to know about home loans, click on the submit button for Veterans Benefits Administration. If you need to replace medals or a DD214, click on the submit button for Military Service Records and Next of Kin Requests.

There is a note on the page: "Submitting a FOIA request to obtain personal records could delay overall processing." Instead, locate the appropriate department on the page and use the link provided.

Additionally, at the bottom of the page is a drop-down menu of sample questions you might be asking, like "How do I appeal my FOIA response if I disagree with the results?" or "How do I get an employment verification from the VA?"

If you need it, there's a button called "Learn About Whistleblower Protection." The link goes to department.va.gov/accountability. Or call the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection at 855-429-6669.

(c) 2026 King Features Synd., Inc.