The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) makes it easy to review your patient records with My HealtheVet, the VA's online records and communication platform.
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) spells out specific procedures for veterans to request a correction, called an amendment by VHA. The procedures also assign responsibility for making corrections to specific VHA personnel.
Step #1. According to VA, you should send a letter: ... stating explicitly what information is in contention and why, i.e., inaccurate or erroneous, irrelevant, untimely, or incomplete.
Medical Records Storage
Step #2. If possible, include with your letter a printed copy of the doctor's note (or whatever the record is), and circle or highlight the sentence, paragraph, or other aspect of the record that is not correct.
Step #4. If for some reason you cannot include a printed copy of the medical record, be as specific as possible describing the specific medical record with the mistake, such as the ...
SAMPLE envelope addressed to a VA HCS Privacy Officer. The name and address does *not* represent an actual person. The veteran's name and address is *fictitious*.
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Step #7. Address your letter to ATTN: Privacy Officer, followed by the mailing address for your local VA Medical Center (VAMC) or VAHCS (VA Health Care System).
Every CBOC is attached to a VAMC or VAHCS. You need to mail your letter to the VAMC or VAHCS affiliated with your CBOC.
If you do not know to which VAMC or VAHCS your CBOC is attached, search for the name of your CBOC and you should be able to figure it out. (Or call the CBOC to ask.)
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You can try to find the Privacy Officer's name and an exact mailing address for him or her, but that often turns out to be an exercise in futility.
Thus, address your letter to ATTN: Privacy Officer at your medical center's mailing address. (If you search Google for VA medical center you will usually find the mailing address. Add the name of the city if needed.)
Step #9. If you can, use a PRINTER to print the address on an envelope, so that the address is clear and easy to read.
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But if it will take a long time to find a printer, just hand-address the envelope with neat handwriting. It will still get there.
If you are not sure how to do that, go to the Post Office at a time when it is less busy and ask the clerk for help. You might tell the clerk you are a veteran as most folks like to help veterans, and many U.S. Postal Service employees are veterans too.
The image immediately below is a SAMPLE letter. It is not a genuine letter —I made up the name and the doctor's note. To emphasize: the letter below is entirely concocted; I invented the name and address of the fictitious veteran .
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Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. Here is an example of proper attribution:
If you post one or more of these Letter Templates on a website or blog—which I encourage you to do—here is HTML markup (code) you can copy-and-paste into your web page for the attribution:
→ Note: Feel free to share these letter templates with other veterans. If you post these templates, please link back to this web page or otherwise acknowledge the source for the template(s). CC BY 4.0
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Ο I printed three copies of the doctor's note (or whatever the record is), and I circled or highlighted the sentence, paragraph, or other aspect of the record that is not correct.
ΟI know the mailing address for my local VA Medical Center (VAMC), sometimes called a VA Health Care System (VAHCS). (If I go to a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), I have the mailing address for the VAMC or VAHCS to which the CBOC is attached.)
Ο I have addressed two envelopes, both to be mailed to my local VAMC or VAHCS, the original signed letter to be mailed to ATTN: Privacy Officer and a copy of the signed letter to Chief, Health Information Management Services.
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Ο I plan to mail both letters at a U.S. Post Office where I send them First Class, Certified Mail, Return Receipt. I understand this will cost about $6.40 for each letter.
You should regularly review your Department of Veterans Affairs medical record for at least these seven reasons. Remember that the VA makes it easy to review your patient records with My HealtheVet.
: Did the pharmacy type this correctly on the label: 'Take two tablets twice a day, and then three tablets once a day'?
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: My private psychologist asked me the name of the new antidepressant I'm taking. I don't have my prescription bottle with me, but I can look it up on MyHealtheVet!
: I started getting depressed after I was diagnosed with cancer - even before I started radiation treatments and chemotherapy. When did the my doctor get the results of that biopsy back? Was last November or even earlier?
7. To double check notes entered into your medical records by VA nurses, psychologists, physicians, and other clinicians to make sure everything is accurate.
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: I had an intake interview with a VA psychologist. He wrote down that I had been clean and sober for six weeks, but it's actually been six
. He did not write down that I attend AA and NA meetings 5 days a week; talk with my sponsor at least twice a week; and that I finished my 5th Step two weeks ago. I think that information is important!
Manage Your Health Records with My HealtheVet and Blue Button - Helps you understand the different types of reports you can download with Blue Button.
Step By Step Guide On How To Request Your Medical Records
If you don't have a computer or don't like to use them... Go to your local library's Reference Desk, and ask for help from a reference librarian!
Most libraries have computers you can use and the librarian can help you if you have any trouble using the computer or finding what you need.
Click here to open a Google Maps search for find local libraries. It works amazingly well, although you might need to expand or contract the map depending on your locale.
Free Veterans Affairs Request For And Authorization To Release Medical Records Or Health Information (va Form 10 5345)
Or, if you're going to be going to your VA medical center anyway, stop by the My HealtheVet office where they usually have computers you can use, and they'll teach you what you need to know.
4. VHA Handbook 1907.01 § 26, pt. b, no. 4, subpt. a (Amendment is the alteration of health information by modification, correction, addition or deletion at the request of the patient or Veteran. A request to amend any data contained in VA health records must be submitted in writing to the facility Privacy Officer, or designee, by the patient or Veteran stating explicitly what information is in contention and why, i.e., inaccurate or erroneous, irrelevant, untimely, or incomplete.)
6. In my experience, VA medical center websites do not provide much information, and the search engine on all va.gov sites is abysmal. Another option is to try calling the VA medical center main phone number to see if the operator can find the Privacy Officer's name and exact mailing address. (I realize that it's hard to get through on the phone at some VAMCs.)
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If you would like to comment, ask questions, or offer suggestions about this page, please feel free to do so. Of course, keep it clean and courteous.Whether you are seeking treatment for a service-connected injury or dealing with a chronic medical condition, having access to your medical records is crucial to ensuring that you receive the best possible care.
The department of veterans affairs has a “duty to assist” veterans or, in other words, help them obtain their medical records to support their VA disability claim.
Even though the VA has a duty to assist, it is the veteran’s responsibility to provide any and all health information that they wish to submit to the VA to help support their claim.
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Medical Records can be vital to your VADisability Claim. If you have been treated at a VA Medical Center, the medical records can be requested directly from the VA Medical Center by using VA Form 10-5345a or by visiting your local VA Medical Center. When using this VA Form 10-5345a, it is important that you are using the most updated form available. Do not use an out-of-date form. An out-of-date form may cause the VA to deny your request for your records.
Another way to access your VA medical records is through an online portal called My HealtheVet. This website allows veterans to create an online account where they can access their VA health care records.
With this online account, there are three kinds of accounts available: a basic account which provides limited access to features available and is usually self-entered, an advanced account, and a premium my healthevet account which gives the highest level of access to all of the site’s features.
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The VA also offers the health information exchange that allows military personnel and medical professionals to easily access your health-related military service records to assist in determining your medical history for your VA claim.
The privacy act requires private facilities to
