How to Get Army & Military Medical Records (Standard Form 180 / NPRC & MHS GENESIS Guide)
Exact routing matrix by military branch and separation date for retrieving Service Treatment Records (STRs), inpatient clinical files, and military immunization logs via Standard Form 180 (SF-180), NPRC St. Louis, VA DPC, or MHS GENESIS.
Quick-Reference Facts: Army & Military Medical Records (SF-180)
- Official Federal Form
- Standard Form 180 (SF-180), 'Request Pertaining to Military Records' (veterans may always submit SF-180 directly to the government for free).
- Archive Routing Shift
- Starting in the mid-1990s through October 2013, branches transitioned Service Treatment Records (STRs) from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO to the Department of Veterans Affairs Records Management Center (VA RMC / DPC).
- Active Duty & Recent Separations
- Managed via the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal (https://myaccess.dmdc.osd.mil) and local Military Treatment Facility (MTF) Outpatient Medical Records Clinics.
- Inpatient Hospital Charts
- Clinical inpatient charts from Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) are stored separately from the outpatient STR jacket at NPRC!
Official U.S. Military Service Treatment Record (STR) Custodian Routing by Branch & Discharge Date
| Military Branch | Discharged Before 1990s Transition | Discharged 1990s – Oct 15, 2013 | Discharged On or After Oct 16, 2013 / Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Army (Active, Reserve, NG) | NPRC (St. Louis, MO) — Discharged before Oct 16, 1992 | VA Records Management Center (RMC) / Janesville Intake (Oct 16, 1992 – Oct 15, 2013) | HAIMS / MHS GENESIS / VA Digital Repository (Oct 16, 2013 – Present) |
| U.S. Navy & Marine Corps | NPRC (St. Louis, MO) — Discharged before Jan 31, 1994 | VA Records Management Center (RMC) (Jan 31, 1994 – Oct 15, 2013) | HAIMS / MHS GENESIS / VA Digital Repository (Oct 16, 2013 – Present) |
| U.S. Air Force | NPRC (St. Louis, MO) — Discharged before May 1, 1994 | VA Records Management Center (RMC) (May 1, 1994 – Oct 15, 2013) | HAIMS / MHS GENESIS / VA Digital Repository (Oct 16, 2013 – Present) |
| U.S. Coast Guard | NPRC (St. Louis, MO) — Discharged before Apr 1, 1998 | VA Records Management Center (RMC) (Apr 1, 1998 – Oct 15, 2013) | Coast Guard HSWL / VA Digital Repository |
Free Direct Government Filing (SF-180 / eVetRecs) vs. Managed Disability Packet Retrieval
Important Notice: Any veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran can request military Service Treatment Records (STRs) directly from the National Archives (NPRC) via eVetRecs (archives.gov/veterans) or by mailing Standard Form 180 (SF-180) at $0 government cost. However, veterans and disability attorneys frequently encounter two hurdles: (1) sending an SF-180 to NPRC St. Louis when the veteran's STRs were actually transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs Records Management Center (which applies to Army discharges after October 16, 1992, Navy/Marines after January 31, 1994, and Air Force after May 1, 1994), and (2) failing to separately request inpatient Military Treatment Facility (MTF) hospital charts (such as Walter Reed, Brooke Army Medical Center, or Landstuhl), which were retired to NPRC separately from the outpatient STR jacket. If you prefer professional assistance preparing, routing, and combining your military STRs with off-base civilian hospital records for a VA disability, SSDI, or toxic exposure claim, you can dispatch a managed order via /order.
Priority Hospital System, Pharmacy & Lab ROI Hubs
Select a major health system or laboratory below to view its 3-department routing architecture (Clinical HIM, UB-04 Billing, and Radiology PACS):