Besides the DD214, what military records should I keep or scan for VA disability claims?

The DD214 proves service dates, discharge character, and awards, but it rarely contains the medical detail VA needs to grant a disability rating. The most valuable documents to keep are your service treatment records (STRs) and any service personnel records (SPRs) from your Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). STRs include sick call visits, physical exam entrance and exit reports (especially the separation physical, DD Form 2807/2808), immunization records, and any specialist referrals. These are the backbone of direct-service-connection claims under 38 CFR 3.303 and 3.159, since VA needs an in-service event, injury, or diagnosis to link to a current condition.

Also retain orders showing deployments, unit locations, and dates, since these can support presumptive exposure claims (Agent Orange, burn pits/PACT Act, Gulf War undiagnosed illness) without needing to prove an in-service injury directly. Performance evaluations (NCOERs/OERs/EPRs) and any counseling statements can be useful for secondary conditions like mental health claims, since they sometimes show behavioral or performance changes correlating with symptom onset. Line of duty investigations, incident reports, or any documentation of a specific injury event (car accidents, training injuries, combat incidents) are also important, as are any buddy statements or witness statements gathered at the time.

Keep copies of any award citations that specify circumstances (e.g., a Purple Heart citation, or a combat action badge order), since these can sometimes serve as evidence of an in-service stressor for PTSD claims under 38 CFR 3.304(f). If you had a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) or Physical Evaluation Board (PEB), those packets are extremely valuable because they already contain military medical opinions on your conditions and their severity, which can carry weight in a VA claim.

Finally, retain your final separation health assessment and any post-deployment health assessments (PDHA/PDHRA), as these are often the first place a condition gets documented near separation. Scanning and backing these up digitally (with a physical copy stored separately) protects against fire, flood, or loss, since the National Personnel Records Center can take significant time to respond to record requests.

As a next step, request a complete copy of your STRs and OMPF now through the National Archives or your service branch before disposing of any paperwork, so you have both physical and digital backups for any future claims.