You can review and download available VA treatment records through My HealtheVet on VA.gov. If you need a fuller copy or a record that is not available online, contact the Release of Information office at the VA facility that treated you.
Your VA medical record is not the same thing as your claims file, or C-file. Private treatment records and service treatment records may also require separate requests. Start by identifying which record you need and who holds it.
Choose the right records request
| What you need | Where to start | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Available VA treatment notes, tests, and care summaries | My HealtheVet on VA.gov | Check the dates and record types included in your download |
| A complete copy or a VA treatment record missing from the portal | The treating facility's Release of Information office | Specify the facility, dates, and records needed |
| Private treatment records | The civilian provider, or VA's authorized records-request process for a claim | VA does not automatically hold every outside record |
| Service treatment records | The appropriate military or federal records process | These are separate from post-service VA healthcare records |
| Your VA claims file or final C&P report | VA's benefits-record request process | A healthcare download is not a complete copy of the benefits file |
For a claims-file or exam-report request, review VA Form 20-10206. VA's claim exam guidance explains how to request a final exam report. An exam provider cannot simply hand you the final report as part of the appointment.
Download your available VA health records
Open VA's medical-records page, sign in, and select the records and date range you need. VA says the tool can include lab and test results, vaccine and allergy records, and care summaries and notes.
Save the original downloaded file before creating highlights or a summary. Check the beginning and end dates and whether a specific visit or test is actually present. A file named “health summary” may not contain every note you expected.
If something is missing, contact the facility rather than treating absence from one download as proof that the record never existed. Protect downloaded medical information on your device and when sharing it.
Request a copy from Release of Information
VA's health-record request guide distinguishes a request for your own information from authorization to send information to someone else. For your own copy, it identifies VA Form 10-5345a. Authorizing disclosure to another person generally uses the applicable release process, including VA Form 10-5345 where appropriate.
Confirm the recipient, form, and current submission method with the facility's Release of Information office. Ask for the actual records and dates needed rather than using “everything” when you are trying to locate one particular examination or treatment period.
Keep a request log
| Source | Record and dates requested | Request sent | Response or receipt | What is still missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [VA facility] | [Visit notes, date range] | [Date and method] | [Confirmation or file received] | [Specific gap] |
| [Private provider] | [Diagnosis or test report] | [Date and method] | [Response] | [Specific gap] |
| [Benefits records office] | [C-file or final exam report] | [Date and form] | [Confirmation] | [Pending item] |
This log helps you follow up without sending the same request repeatedly. It also distinguishes “requested” from “received” and “received by me” from “submitted to VA for my claim.” Those are separate events.
Read the records before using them in a claim
For each important record, note the date, author or facility, and what it actually establishes. Separate a confirmed diagnosis from a suspected diagnosis, and a clinician's finding from a history you reported.
A note that says a condition is “stable” does not automatically mean symptom-free. Read the surrounding description and the period it addresses. If you believe a note contains an error, contact the provider or records office about the correction process and explain the specific concern. Do not silently alter the original document.
Likewise, a missing reference to a symptom in one visit does not prove that the symptom was absent. The visit's purpose and surrounding records matter. An accurate summary can identify that uncertainty without deciding the medical question.
Your next step
Collect the records relevant to the question you are trying to answer. If you want help organizing what those documents show and what may still be missing, review Claim Raven's claim readiness tool. Check its supported files and current access details before uploading.
Keep the originals and submission receipts. A tool's summary does not prove that VA received a document, and waiting for a records request does not automatically pause a claim-review deadline.
Sources and limits
Reviewed September 8, 2026: VA's online medical records guidance, VA's health-record request guide, and VA claim exam guidance. The request log is an organizational aid. It does not establish that a particular download or claims file contains every relevant record.
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