2016-03-05 Request An Inspector General Investigation – Failure To Release Medical Records

Several dozen people from George AFB have told me that the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) is NOT releasing their military and medical records.

Parents have NOT been able to get their children’s medical records from George AFB Hospital, and this includes autopsy reports and death certificates from the NPRC.

Adults who were born at or grew up on George AFB have not been able to get their medical records from the NPRC.

Since 1974, my service officers, the VA regional office, my Senators and Congressmen, my attorney, and I have requested numerous times a complete copy of my medical records. As of today, the NPRC has sent some of my medical records but not all.

A few years ago, I hired a law firm to get a copy of my complete military records, including my medical records for a correction of discharge (Honorable to Medical) with Air Force Board for the Correction of Military Records (BCMR).  Three years and several thousand dollars later, the AF/NPRC are still refusing to release my complete records.  It turns out that the Air Force is the owner of the records, and NPRC is the only the custodian of the records, and the Air Force has been blocking the NPRC from releasing MY complete records to me, my service officers, the VA regional office, SSDI, and my attorney.

Friday, I contacted Sean McCaney with the Office of Inspector General (IG) for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and explained to him the problem that we are having with getting our Air Force medical records from the NPRC. I also explained that when the AF/NPRC blocks the release of our medical records, they are effectively defrauding us of our Military pension, VA pension, SSDI, and medical care because without our complete medical records (evidence) we cannot ever hope of winning our cases.

Sean McCaney, OIG NARA, requested that anyone having difficulty obtaining their or their children’s records please contact him. He requested that you DO NOT send any records. Please just email him your contact information and a BRIEF description of the problem that you have had with getting your records.
Sean McCaney, NARA OIG, [email protected]

I would also recommend filing the same complaint with the DOD IG because the Air Force appears to be partly responsible for the problem with the release of OUR records.
http://www.dodig.mil/Hotline/documents/DoDHotlineFWAComplaintFormSelf.pdf

To keep everybody honest, please post your complaints in the comments section of this page. DO NOT publish personal information.

Thank you,
Frank Vera
www.BaseFamilyHousing.Info
www.GeorgeAFB.Info
PO Box 1313
Jamestown, CA, 95327-1313
Phone: 209-782-4541

I am not a doctor, Veterans Service Officer (VSO), or attorney; therefore, I cannot provide medical or legal advice.

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Fair Use Notice   |   Release to one is release to all 

2 Comments

    • In the last 42 years since I was discharged, I’ve met about 1,000 veterans who cannot get a complete copy of their military records, and spoken to dozens of Veteran Service Officers that state that they cannot get a complete copy of their veteran’s medical records. In the last eight years that I operated http://www.GeorgeAFB.Info I have spoken to about 100 veterans, their spouses, or children who cannot get their medical records including their spouses or child’ death certificate and autopsy results.

      To win a VA C&P or SSDI claim for disability, we need our Air Force administrative and medical records (evidence of our injuries).

      The problem: While the NPRC is the physical custodian of our records, the DOD/AF are the legal custodians (the legal owner of our records).

      In my case, the DOD/AF blocked the NPRC from releasing my records for over 40 years. I was forced to spend $6,500 to find out that the DOD was blocking the release of my records. Furthermore, the NPRC compounded the problem because it never notified me until 2013 that my records were being withheld, never gave me copies of the redacted records, or gave me my appellate rights on how to get my records released. For over 40 years, the Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Administration Regional Office (VA RO), Social Security; my Service Officers, attorneys, Congresspersons and Senators and I were repeatedly told by the NPRC that ALL of my military records had been released. For over 40 years the VA and SSDI made decisions WITHOUT my the vast majority of my medical records (evidence of my injuries.)

      The DOD IG complaint: Because our military and medical records (potential court evidence) are being improperly withheld; we are being defrauded of our medical care and compensation for our injuries.

      The NPRC IG complaint: While the NPRC has legal grounds for withholding our records they MUST notify us that records are being withheld, they MUST give us copies of the redacted records, and they MUST give us our appellate rights on how to get our records released. Because the NPRC did not, they defrauded us of our medical care and compensation for our injuries. For many veterans, this denial of our disability claims resulted in being homeless for decades. I think that this betrail is the main cause of the high suicide rate among veterans.

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