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Personnel center adds new mission; helps veterans, VA

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Kat Bailey
  • Air Force Personnel Center
Air Force officials announced an added mission for the Air Force Personnel Center here beginning Oct. 30 to improve the accountability of medical records and aid in the timely processing of veterans' disability claims.

Starting with Randolph AFB as the test base, AFPC will collect and then transfer Health Treatment Records (medical and dental records forwarded together) to the servicing Department of Veterans Affairs location of retired and separated Airmen who left the Air Force after Sept. 1, 2008.

The new mission, directed by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense,
will capitalize on a policy announced in 2007 to hold medical and dental
records at medical treatment facilities 30 days past an Airman's date of
separation to capture documentation from medical appointments and procedures
toward the end of a member's service. The policy directs all services to
transfer medical and dental records from a "centralized personnel
out-processing location."

Since the Air Force does not have a centralized personnel out-processing
location, Air Force officials chose to give the mission to the Air Force Personnel
Center.

"This is not a scanning or storage operation like unit personnel records, but an initiative to ensure complete Health Treatment Records and any late-flowing documents are sent to the VA," said Barbara Duggan, AFPC Records Branch Quality Assurance.

In the case of a late flowing document, if such a late-flowing medical document is forwarded to AFPC by an MTF, the Center can confirm the record was, or was not, already sent to the DVA by annotating a form letter to help ensure a complete record for our Airmen.

"We've worked with the VA to ensure expeditious processing of these late-flowing documents," Ms. Duggan said. "This could be the one document an Airman needs that is holding up their VA disability claim."

Airmen do not have to wait until after they separate or retire to file a disability claim with the DVA. They can file up to six months in advance providing they can be available for DVA medical appointments. In these cases, Airmen can request a copy of their records from their servicing MTF to provide to the DVA. Then, following the new guidelines, the Airman's MTF holds the original record until 30 days after separation or retirement when it is sent to the AFPC Health Treatment Records Central Cell.

"Although the medical records mission is an accountability and transfer function versus scanning, we are confident we will provide a valuable service to the member and to the VA," said Sharon Hogue, Master Personnel Records Branch chief. "When Airmen's medical records are transferred by the Air Force Personnel Center, we will be their advocate if the records are misrouted at some point in the transfer process."

AFPC's new Total Force mission will soon provide accountability for medical and dental records for all retired or separated Airmen - active, Guard and Reserve. The effective start date for members of the Guard and Reserve will be announced later this fall.
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