Central South Dakota News

The backlog of requests for military service records at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has been eliminated, thanks to the efforts of U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), member and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The NPRC, operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), holds military service records that veterans rely on to access their earned Department of Veterans Affairs-administered (VA) programs, including health care, education, disability, pension, and burial benefits.

In 2022, Senator Rounds introduced the bipartisan Access for Veterans to Records Act, which was passed into law as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation provided NARA with additional resources to clear the backlog of hundreds of thousands of records requests.

“Our men and women in uniform have sacrificed so much to protect our freedom,” said Rounds. “While the NPRC’s backlog was unacceptable, I am pleased it has been remediated so veterans can acquire their records in a timely manner. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make certain our veterans have access to the services and benefits they have earned.”

Senator Tester also emphasized the importance of timely access to military service records for veterans. He said, “Veterans need to be able to quickly access their military service records to apply for the VA care and benefits they earned. These men and women should never have to wait months on end to access these critical records, and I’m glad NPRC staff worked overtime to tackle this backlog for veterans seeking their hard-earned benefits. This is a step in the right direction, and I’ll keep working with my colleagues to make sure the NPRC has the support it needs to deliver for veterans in a timely manner.”

The backlog of requests for military service records at the NPRC grew to over 600,000 pending requests from veterans due to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 through March 2022. To address this backlog, the NPRC took various measures, including implementing technology improvements, hiring additional staff, and expanding its contract labor.

Thanks to the combined efforts of Senators Rounds and Tester, along with the hard work of the NPRC staff, the backlog of requests for military service records has been successfully eliminated. Veterans can now acquire their records in a timely manner, ensuring that they have access to the services and benefits they have earned. This achievement marks a significant step forward in supporting and honoring our veterans.