On July 20, 2021, the Veterans and Military Liaison for Senator Sherrod Brown, Anthony Eliopoulos, provided me with an update letter from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) concerning the excessive backlog of requests for veterans’ records.
The NPRC update correspondence provides welcomed news because over 500,000 veterans were waiting for their requests for military records to be processed and forwarded to them. Without their personnel and medical records, these veterans could not apply for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation that they earned for their service.
On December 9, 2020, The Clermont Sun first published a story concerning the backlog of requests at the NPRC. This was followed by an article published in the April 25, 2021 issue of The Sunday Sun, indicating the backlog of requests at the NPRC had now reached 500,000.
Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson contacted the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter #63 (Clermont County) and indicated that “there was very little progress in eliminating the backlog of military personnel and medical record requests.”
DAV Chapter #63 had previously contacted all Ohio Senators and Representatives requesting assistance for our disabled veterans in obtaining their military records.
According to Military Liaison Anthony Eliopoulos, the Number One goal for the NPRC is to concentrate on DD 214 (official military discharge) requests and eliminate that portion of the backlog by the end of the year.
DD 214 requests comprise sixty (60%) of the total backlog at the NPRC. The NPRC is aiming to have the entire backlog of over 500,000 requests eliminated by the end of calendar year 2022.
The NPRC anticipates attaining it’s goal by already adding 100 new staff members and doubling the number of supporting contractors on site.
The NPRC has allowed the temporary loan of original records to the VA to determine disability claims in an expeditious manner. They are servicing up to 10,000 such requests each week. In addition to the requests from the VA, the NPRC services over 12,000 correspondence requests per week –as compared to 3,000 requests per week earlier in 2021.
According to Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, the NPRC works emergency cases first, and has resumed servicing requests involving employment opportunities, home loans and other benefits. If electronic records are available and the requester has provided an email address, the records request is answered immediately.
The NPRC has fielded over 3,000 records requests from Members of Congress in this pandemic period, which is over three times the volume serviced during the previous year. On May 10, 2021, the NPRC established a remote call center that is responding to over 4,000 telephone inquiries per week.
There is no doubt that progress has been made in reducing the backlog of record requests since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The NPRC has responded to over 640,000 requests from veterans since the start of the Covid virus. Currently, the NPRC is operating two daily shifts at their facility, including weekends and holidays.
The Department of Defense (DoD) has made inquiries concerning the NPRC’s request for assistance in processing records requests. However, the NPRC is still awaiting the DoD’s formal response.
My Opinion: The first step in solving a problem is to admit/recognize that a problem exists. In April of 2021, the NPRC confessed that it had a backlog of over 500,000 military records requests pending. According to Rep. Davidson, they “have not articulated any plan to increase (NPRC) staffing.”
The Clermont Sun should be commended for first publishing the NPRC backlog story on December 9, 2020, and making veterans and our elected representatives aware of the situation. When made aware of the situation our Senators, like Senator Sherrod Brown, and Representatives, like Congressman Warren Davidson, shined a bright spotlight on the problem.
Lastly, the disabled veterans, who are patiently awaiting their records from the NPRC, should be commended for contacting their elected officials and surfacing their concerns. The 3,000 requests to the NPRC from Members of Congress proved and justified their efforts.
While on active duty, I had the opportunity to visit the massive NPRC facility in St. Louis and to talk with staff concerning the records request process. The NPRC building was constructed in 1956 and measures over 1.2 million square feet.
In addition to processing requests from veterans, they were also engaged in restoring and reconstructing records that were lost or damaged in the massive fire that occurred in July of 1973.
There is no doubt in my mind that significant progress has been made by the NPRC administration and staff. An operational plan is now in place and goals and objectives have been established to eliminate the backlog of requests by the end of calendar year 2022.
The individuals that are recipients of all the positive efforts made by the NPRC are the disabled veterans, who need their military records to verify their disability compensation claims.
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio will be sending a personal “thank you” letter to Archivist David Ferriero (for forwarding to the NPRC) and also the Ohio Senators and Representatives for their efforts in having the backlog reduced (and hopefully eliminated.)
A special DAV “thank you” will also be sent to Veterans and Military Liaison Anthony Eliopoulos, from Senator Sherrod Brown’s Office, for notifying me of the NPRC backlog update of July 20, 2021.
John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army Veteran, who is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Benefits Protection Team Leader for the DAV Department of Ohio. He is also the DAV Adjutant of Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at: [email protected]