Service treatment records (STRs) are the military medical records generated while you were on active duty, and they are often critical evidence for a VA disability claim because they can show an in-service injury, illness, or event. Not everyone was given a personal copy when they separated, and paper or digital copies from decades ago are sometimes lost, destroyed, or simply never issued, so it is common for veterans not to have them even though the records still exist somewhere in a government system.
If you do not have your own copy, the first step is to request your official military personnel file and service treatment records through the National Archives National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. This can be done online through the eVetRecs system on archives.gov, by mail using Standard Form 180, or in some cases through a request submitted directly by the VA on your behalf when you file a claim.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →If you are already working with the VA, you generally do not have to track down the records yourself before filing. When you submit a disability claim, VA has a duty to assist under 38 CFR 3.159, which means VA is required to make reasonable efforts to obtain relevant federal records, including your STRs, and any VA treatment or examination records, once you identify that they exist. You can support this by listing your service dates, branch, and any known duty stations on your claim so VA's records requests are as specific as possible.
For records from Guard or Reserve service, or for older records affected by the 1973 NPRC fire in St. Louis, the process can be more involved, and VA may need to request records from the state Adjutant General's office, retirement points documentation, or morning reports and unit records as secondary evidence when the original STRs cannot be located.
It is also worth requesting your VA claims file (C-file) separately through a Freedom of Information Act request or through eBenefits/VA.gov, since VA may already hold copies of service records obtained during a prior claim, discharge physical, or C&P exam, even if you personally never received them.
As a next step, submit a Standard Form 180 or use eVetRecs to request your complete service treatment and personnel file from the National Personnel Records Center, and if you already have a pending or planned claim, ask your VA regional office or accredited representative to formally request the same records under VA's duty to assist.
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