How do I get my VA medical records corrected to show 'Combat Veteran: Yes' instead of 'No'?

The combat veteran indicator in VA's electronic health record (CPRS/VistA, now moving to the federal EHR) is a data field, not a legal determination of service connection. For many veterans, especially those who served after November 11, 1998, this field also drives the 5-year enhanced enrollment eligibility under 38 U.S.C. 1710(e) and 38 CFR 17.36. For Vietnam-era veterans, the field is less tied to eligibility rules and functions mainly as a record of service history, but it is still supposed to be accurate, and getting it wrong does affect how clinicians and administrative staff perceive your service.

The data populating this field typically comes from DoD personnel records transmitted through DEERS/VADIR, or from information entered during VA enrollment using your DD-214. If your DD-214 or separation documents clearly show service in a combat theater, campaign participation, or combat awards such as the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, or Combat Infantryman Badge, that is strong documentary proof the indicator is wrong and should be corrected.

The right path is administrative, not a disability claim. Start with the Enrollment and Eligibility (sometimes called Health Administration Service, HAS) office at your VA medical center, not the clinical staff or your rotating primary care doctor. Bring or upload a copy of your DD-214 (or DD-215 if it was amended) and any award orders or citations showing the Purple Hearts. Ask specifically that the 'period of service' and 'combat veteran' fields in your VA enrollment record be corrected to match your service history, and ask that the update propagate to your medical record. A patient advocate at the facility can also route this request if the enrollment office is unresponsive, since advocates are specifically tasked with resolving administrative, non-clinical complaints.

If the local facility cannot or will not fix it, the next escalation point is the Health Eligibility Center (HEC) in Atlanta, which maintains the master enrollment database that feeds these fields nationally. You can also raise it through the VA's enrollment update process on VA.gov under your profile's military service information, though corrections to historic combat flags often still require a human review using your DD-214.

This correction does not change your disability rating or compensation, and it is separate from any disability claim, but accurate combat service documentation can matter later if you ever need the relaxed evidentiary standard under 38 U.S.C. 1154(b) for combat-related claims. The concrete next step is to contact the Enrollment and Eligibility office or patient advocate at your VA medical center directly, in person or by secure message, with your DD-214 and Purple Heart citations in hand, and formally request correction of the combat veteran field.