Retreiving Your Military Medical Records: Sometimes the Impossible Dream!

You have served your country and fought for it's freedom. You have learned everything offered by the military to further your career. As a soldier you excelled at each new challenge because you loved your job and were devoted to your country. You did your best and gave your most, but something went wrong. You need proof through your medical records and you don't have them. What now?

You were treated with the best medical available at the time, but something just doesn't seem right. You aren't at your best anymore. The pain, the headaches, the memory loss, the bleeding, the unwanted visions, the fear or depression just won't go away. You know something happened during your stay and treatment by the military and you need a copy of the records so doctors can investigate the cause and provide a better treatment.

You continue to seek medical help within the military system and in your civilian life while wondering how to get a copy of the original records. You know something is wrong, but there seems to be no solution or diagnosis for the continuing problems. Your family doctor on the economy suggest you had a reaction to a treatment on your first medical visit in the field hospital. He asks you to bring in your medical records so he can better understand the original problem.

As you search your own copies you remember they were to be sent to your duty station by your superior. Since you were too injured or sick they were handed over to your next in command. You return to your unit and ask for a copy of the records you are missing, but they aren't in your file and no one will claim responsibility for their transportation from the field hospital. What are you going to do next?

Missing military medical records has been a problem within the military medical system for decades. When it is important to your health or there seems to be no answer to the medical mystery for your symptoms it can be a long fight to retrieve your records in question. Sometimes the records are easily found, but many times you will have to fight the chain of command to get the original copy. In this case prepare for a long fight and keep a copy of everything you get in writing.

Your first step is to always carry the copy of you record yourself. Trust no one! Not the next in command in your unit, the hospital and not even your best friend. YOU are the only one you can trust with a copy of the record! Keep it close to you at all times until you are home and can add a copy to the records you keep separate from the military.

Next you begin your request through chain of command. Your wait may be long and it is not always possible to get your answer in writing, but you must always request a written follow up for your own records. It is your right! Do NOT let anyone of higher rank bully you when it comes to your medical care. Keep a written log of any problems arising from your request and who is causing it. This will be very important later on.

Your first request must be through your own company to the first sergeant or platoon leader. For every visit to military medical facility your personal file is supposed to have a copy. You may have to file a written request with your unit in order to obtain it, but it is important to follow through with whatever it takes to get the copy from your file. If your request is granted open the envelop and check the copy to make sure it is the correct item you need.

If it is not the correct copy then fill out another request stating you received the wrong copy and request the correct copy again. Give dates, place and time of treatment so there is no more misunderstanding. You will have to wait again through the process to get your information. If it seems to be taking too long then ask for an update every week or every few days until you have an answer or your information.

If you are not able to retrieve the copy from your unit your next step is to go through military human resources. Each branch of the service is different so you need to check through your company for the information or go online and type in (army) human resources for the information for your next request. If you are a marine then you will replace the word army with the word marine or whichever branch of the military you were in when the illness or injury occurred.

You will receive a notice with a time estimate for your records arrival. It can be from two weeks to as long as six months. Keep checking back for updates each month until you have your information. You will receive your copy of the record you request or you will receive a denial. If you receive a denial then you will move on to the next step.

The I.G. The feared I.G. is the Inspector General of the military and they can find almost anything. The I.G. will search every corner and hole the military is able to misplace something. He will interview everyone involved and listen to your story. It will all be recorded for further investigation. But sometimes even the I.G. won't be able to find the records. He will send you a written statement regarding his search and interviews and the final evaluation. If the records cannot be found you will move on to the next step.

Take your request to your local Congressman! Once Congress is involved the progress will move much quicker. They have special departments to deal with anything the military is out of line on. You will be asked for your information, what you are trying to retrieve or achieve and they will request the information. Once they request the information it is usually a 30day response time.

They may request you go through the local V.A. or the Nation Military Personnel department for your next request. You will inform them you have pursued the information with your local Congressman . Each time you receive anything in writing from the military file it away and save it. Do not throw out anything dealing with your situation.

You may be asked to make copies of all correspondence with a letter of explanation for the Congressman's office. With this information and a request of their own they will begin an investigation. This may be your last and final step. If the information still remains unattainable and you continue to have medical problems you will have to make a choice. You can chose not to pursue the issue with the military anymore and do the best you can for the rest of your life or you can take it public.

If you take it public and continue to pursue the issue you are going to be investigated by the media. You will quickly learn there are many other soldiers with the same problems. This is an overwhelming problem within the military and until there are major shake up's that become public information not much will be done.

There are many soldier's from the 60's and 70's still fighting the effects of war and Agent Orange as well as many other medical problems and mysteries. This is why it can be a very long fight dragging on for years and sometimes there will never be a solution.

In today's society your credit is the deciding factor on much of your life. If you are having medical problems that become overwhelming due to a possible illness or injury from your military duty the bills can mount to a point you are not able to keep up with them. This will go onto your credit record making it hard to get insurance at a reasonable rate. You will not be able to buy a home for your family and even renting an apartment will become a challenge, because they base it on your credit record. Depending on the type of work you are trained for most places base their hiring on your credit record so even low pay jobs are hard to get.

Most bank tellers that work for low wages cannot get the job if their credit is bad. Even some department stores will not hire you as a low wage cashier due to credit problems. You cannot build credit unless you have a credit card and you cannot get a credit card unless you pay for it! This is an expensive way to build credit.

You will have to pay off all bad credit with any low paying job you can get. There will be no loans for homes, car's, school or emergencies. It will be difficult to get a job with a wage affording you the chance to pay off the medical bills that have ruined your credit because of your mystery illness during your service to your country.

The only way to truly solve this problem is going to be with long term change through our government and the way credit is used as a deciding factor throughout the next decade. At some point it will have to change due to medical expenses and identity theft. Bad credit decisions are a personal choice, but illness, injury or identity theft are unforeseen problems for many in this country. This is the main reason you need to trust only yourself to retrieve, carry and maintain ALL of your military medical records. It will be a deciding factor in your life for the future you want.