Rep. Barry Moore joins letter to Demand National Personnel Records Center Fully Reopen for Veterans’ Access to Benefits

Washington, D.C. — Rep. Barry Moore (AL-02) joined 112 of his colleagues in sending a letter to the Director of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requesting that the NPRC send a full report on plans to combat the backlog of veterans’ record requests. This comes after the NPRC announced that as of January 6th, its on-site staffing will be reduced to 25 percent of its pre-pandemic level.

“We are entering year three of the pandemic, and the NPRC continues to work unacceptably below the capacity needed to efficiently help our veterans and their families. Many veterans in the Wiregrass and across the nation are waiting up to 18 months to receive the records they need to demonstrate their military services. It is time for the NPRC to do its job and provide our veterans the service they deserve,” said Rep. Barry Moore.

Background:

The NPRC is an agency of National Archives and Records Administration, which is responsible for maintaining records, such as DD-214 forms, for veterans to demonstrate military service. The NPRC claims that its reduced staffing is sufficient to resume servicing these routine requests, yet veterans still report an inability to access these forms. Despite numerous calls from Members of Congress to reopen the NPRC and address backlog, the NPRC has remained at minimal capacity since March 2020. This letter asks the NPRC to schedule a briefing for Members of Congress regarding their plan to fully reopen no later than February 7, 2022. The letter, led by Ranking Member Bost, Rep. Bentz, and Rep. Keller, was signed by a total of 113 Members of Congress.