Service treatment records (STRs) are often required to support a VA disability claim, and where they are stored depends heavily on when you served and separated. If your treatment occurred before roughly 2004-2005, records are largely paper-based. If you separated before about 2014-2015, your paper file was typically sent to the National Archives (National Personnel Records Center, NPRC) in St. Louis. If you separated after that period, your paper file was generally scanned into the Department of Defense's Health Artifact and Image Management Solution (HAIMS) and can often be requested through your nearest military treatment facility (MTF).
Electronic records add another layer. From roughly 2004 to 2015, most MTFs used AHLTA to document outpatient care, though paper files were still used for entrance exams, flight physicals, and other handwritten forms. AHLTA has since been sunset for most facilities, but the underlying records were not deleted—they were archived and are still accessible to MTFs and were incorporated into HAIMS. Starting around 2015-2022 (with rollout varying by base), the Department of Defense transitioned to Genesis, the current electronic health record system, which service members can access through an online patient portal or by contacting their MTF.
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 |
Does your rating decision hold up under a real audit?
Upload your decision letter and C&P exams — VetAid's analyzer reads the full file, checks every examiner statement word-for-word against your records, and shows which arguments for a higher rating actually hold. Free, and we never take a cut of your back pay.
Analyze my claim free →If you cannot locate your records through these channels, you have a few options. You can submit a request directly to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) via a signed SF-180 form or through their online request system. You can also contact the VA directly and ask that they request your STRs as part of developing your claim—the VA has a duty to assist under 38 CFR 3.159 and will attempt to obtain federal records like STRs on your behalf. If you know you separated after 2015, calling the records office at the MTF where you last served is often the fastest path, since your file may be sitting in HAIMS. If you had a break in service, be aware that earlier records may have been retired separately and won't automatically be attached to your most recent period of service, so you may need to request records for each distinct period of service.
As a next step, before you assume records are lost, contact the medical records or patient administration office at your last MTF and ask them to check both AHLTA/Genesis and HAIMS; if that yields nothing, submit an SF-180 to the NPRC in St. Louis.
Need a deeper analysis?
Our AI checks your situation against outcome data from 1,900,000+ Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) decisions (1992–2025).
Analyze Your Claim FreeVetAid is a free veterans claims tool, not a VA-accredited representative — it does not file anything with VA for you, and it works alongside your accredited VSO, claims agent or attorney. About VetAid