WASHINGTON, D.C. – On January 24, 2022, Congressman Jason Smith joined House Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mike Bost (IL-12) and more than 100 of his House Republican colleagues in writing the Director of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) demanding the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis fully reopen their offices.
The NPRC is the federal agency that keeps all military service records, and to obtain federal benefits – including burials, emergency medical treatments, or homeless assistance – the NPRC must verify a veteran’s service record.
The members charge the NPRC says on its own website the agency is operating at an on-site staffing level of 25 percent of its pre-pandemic level.
In their letter, the members state the most glaring discrepancy is the neglect of the NPRC in processing critical request for copies of DD-214 forms, a service member’s discharge certificate. DD-214s are essential for a myriad of critical services.
The letter states, “While the NPRC employees have yet to miss a paycheck, the veterans they serve have been denied access to documents that have a significant impact on their financial livelihood.”
The letter asks for the Director of the Archives to present a plan to re-open the NPRC no later than February 7.