Service treatment records and your C-file

Which file is which

A service treatment record, often called an STR, is care you got while you served. Outpatient visits, dental care, mental health visits, induction exams, and separation exams can be in it. Hospital stays were often filed separately. VA clinic notes from after service are not the STR. Those are VA medical records.

A C-file is the claims file VA keeps for benefits. People also say claims file or cfile. It is not the personnel file, and it is not the STR, even if copies of those papers were added to it later.

Your personnel file, including a DD214, is on the service records page.

Service and personnel records · VA medical records

Sources: National Archives: Veterans' medical and health records (reviewed July 20, 2026) · VA Form 20-10206 PDF

Where service treatment records are

The National Archives says the services stopped retiring health records to the personnel center in the 1990s. The Army started sending most former members' health records to VA in 1992. The other services followed. In 2014 the services stopped sending those records to VA. The chart below is from the Archives medical-records page, reviewed July 20, 2026.

The Archives also says that if you file a VA claim, VA requests the health record the personnel center has, so you do not have to order that copy yourself for the claim. That sentence does not cover every year. The same page shows later records at VA's Records Management Center or at a service medical office. If you want your own copy, you still ask the office that has it. We do not file, and we do not request the record.

DPRIS says health records are rarely in that system. From the early 1990s, many went to VA's Records Management Center. The DPRIS FAQ lists (314) 538-4500 and (888) 533-4558 for that center. If VA cannot find the record, DPRIS says it may still be at the last duty station's hospital or clinic. Check with your branch or VSO before you assume a portal has it.

• Army, discharged, retired, or separated, October 16, 1992 to December 31, 2013: Department of VA, Records Management Center. On or after January 1, 2014: AMEDD Record Processing Center.
• Navy, January 31, 1994 to December 31, 2013: Department of VA, Records Management Center. On or after January 1, 2014: BUMED Navy Medicine Records Activity.
• Air Force and Space Force, May 1, 1994 to December 31, 2013: Department of VA, Records Management Center. On or after January 1, 2014: AF STR Processing Center. The same split, starting June 1, 1994, is listed for Air Force or Space Force Reserve or National Guard members who were discharged or retired.
• Marine Corps, May 1, 1994 to December 31, 2013: Department of VA, Records Management Center. On or after January 1, 2014: BUMED Navy Medicine Records Activity.
• Coast Guard, discharged, retired, or separated from active duty, and reservists with 90 days of active duty for training: April 1, 1998 to September 30, 2014 at the Department of VA, Records Management Center. On or after October 1, 2014: USCG HSWL SC Medical Administration.

National Archives: Veterans' medical and health records (reviewed July 20, 2026) · Service and personnel records

Sources: National Archives: Veterans' medical and health records (reviewed July 20, 2026) · milConnect: DPRIS questions and cutoff dates

VA Form 20-10206

The form name is Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA) Request. The VA form page, updated July 7, 2026, lists the revision date as August 2023. It says you can submit the request online instead of mailing the paper form.

The paper PDF lists these record types in the compensation and pension section: claims file (C-file), service treatment records / military treatment records, DD Form 214, disability examinations (C&P exams), pension benefit documents, Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), and other.

The paper PDF shows an expiration date of August 31, 2026. VA's online request is another option.

VA's Privacy Act page says a request for compensation and pension records goes to the Centralized Support Division. You can send the full VA Form 20-10206, use the online form, or send a signed written request. The mailing address on that page is Department of Veterans Affairs, Evidence Intake Center, P.O. Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. Questions about access to records: 1-800-827-1000.

The form instructions say it must be signed by you, or by someone you authorized. For a request about yourself, the form asks for your name, date of birth, place of birth, and current mailing address. A Social Security number or VA file number can help VA find the file. We do not fill this out and we do not send it.

VA's FOIA handbook says that sending a FOIA request when you want your own records (a Privacy Act request) can slow the reply. The same handbook has a Veterans Benefits Administration path for a C-file, service records, and C&P exams. It also says service treatment records, the personnel file, medals, and a DD214 can be requested through the National Archives. If you are not sure which office has the copy you want, you can ask both, or check with your branch or VSO.

VA.gov: Request personal records online · VA Form 20-10206 (form page updated July 7, 2026) · VA Form 20-10206 PDF · VA.gov: Privacy Act requests · VA.gov: Freedom of Information Act handbook · National Archives: Request military service records (reviewed September 14, 2026)

Sources: VA Form 20-10206 (form page updated July 7, 2026) · VA Form 20-10206 PDF · VA.gov: Privacy Act requests · VA.gov: Freedom of Information Act handbook · National Archives: Veterans' medical and health records (reviewed July 20, 2026)

Keep a copy you already have

When the file is in your hands, you can store it in My Records. Storing it does not send it to VA and does not file a claim.

Add a copy you already have to My Records

Questions

Are service treatment records the same as my C-file?

No. Service treatment records are medical records from your time in service. The C-file is VA's claims file. VA Form 20-10206 lists both. The National Archives also takes requests for many service treatment records.

Do you download a C-file from VA?

No. You request it yourself with VA Form 20-10206, or an accredited representative you choose can help. We do not sign in to VA.gov, we do not download a C-file, and we do not file.

What this page is not

• Education only. Not legal advice. Not medical advice. Not a VA decision.
• We do not request records. We do not sign in to VA.gov, milConnect, or the National Archives for you. We do not file.
• We are not an accredited representative, and this page does not appoint one.
• A link is not a promise that a record exists, that an office still uses the same menu, or that VA will grant a claim.
• As of October 14, 2026. If a page does not match what you see, check with your branch or VSO.

How to get your records · VA medical records · Service and personnel records · Sort a C-file you already have · Add a copy you already have to My Records