UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 192157Z AUG 14 PSN 490095K27
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC
TO NAVADMIN
BT
UNCLAS

NAVADMIN 187/14

SUBJ/CORRECTED PROPER TRANSFER OF HEALTH SERVICE TREATMENT RECORDS (STRS) OF 
TRANSITIONING SERVICE MEMBERS TO THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION// 

MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS/AUG// TRANSITIONING SERVICE MEMBERS TO 
THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION//
REF/A/DOC/DOD/28OCT2010//
REF/B/DOC/BUMED/7APR2014//
REF/C/DOC/DOD/10JUN2004//
REF/D/DOC/SECVA/8JUL2014//
NARR/REF A IS DODI 6040.45, SERVICE TREATMENT RECORD AND NON-SERVICE 
TREATMENT RECORD LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT.  REF B IS MANUAL OF THE MEDICAL 
DEPARTMENT, CHAPTER 16.  REF C IS DODI 6040.43, CUSTODY AND CONTROL OF 
OUTPATIENT MEDICAL RECORDS.  REF D IS SECRETARY OF VETERAN AFFAIRS LTR OF 8 
JULY 2014.//

RMKS/1. The purpose of this NAVADMIN is to outline proper transfer of health 
service treatment records (STR?s) of transitioning members to the Department 
of Veterans Affairs (VA).

2. Background. STRs are an integral part of a member's transition from 
service following completion of duty or retirement.  DoD standards require 
STRs be transferred to the VA within 45 days of separation to ensure VA 
benefits may be administered in a timely manner.

3. STR Submission. It is of utmost importance that the Department of the Navy 
significantly reduce processing time in making separating active/reserve 
Service members' STRs available to the VA.
A complete STR includes: Service provided medical and dental documentation, 
civilian provided medical and dental documentation, Armed Forces Health 
Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) Web Print (AWP), and Service 
Treatment Record Certification (DD2963).

4.  This NAVADMIN applies equally to all active and reserve Navy commands and 
establishes requirements for disposition and transfer of STRs to the VA. All 
Commanders, Commanding Officers, and Officers-In-Charge shall ensure 
compliance with the requirements contained in this NAVADMIN.
All commands shall comply with STR processing timelines in order to enable 
transfer of STRs to the VA no later than 45 business days from either the 
date a Service member is separated from the Navy or from the Navy or from the 
date a Reserve Component member who is not separating files a claim with the 
VA.

5. STR Handling.  Per references (a) through (c), medical and dental records 
are the property of Department of Defense (DoD).  Their availability to 
cognizant medical and dental departments is critical to provision of 
appropriate medical care and administrative processing, including successful 
VA claims processing.  Service members shall not hand carry original copies 
of their medical and dental records unless authorized by their unit 
Commander.  When authorized to hand carry their original medical/dental 
records, Service members shall protect the integrity of these records and 
promptly provide them to the appropriate DoD authority as directed.

6.  Responsibilities.  All unit Commanders shall immediately notify their 
personnel that, unless otherwise authorized, medical and dental records shall 
be returned to the appropriate medical/dental departments.

7.  100 Percent STR Review.  All medical and dental departments shall 
complete a 100 percent record review within the next 90 days to inventory 
medical and dental records currently in their possession.
The departments shall take the following actions:
   a.  Retain the records if Service members remain assigned onboard.
b.  Transfer the records of Service members no longer assigned onboard to the 
supporting medical/dental department of the Service member?s current duty 
station.  Units shall work with Navy Personnel Command (NPC) Customer Service 
Center (1-866-827-5672/DSN: 882-5672, email: UASKNPC (at)navy.mil), for 
validation of location.
   c.  Forward the record to the Navy Medicine Records Activity (NMRA) STR 
central cell if Service members have separated. All Commanders, Commanding 
Officers and Officers-In-Charge, shall report completion of this review to 
their echelon II level command within 14 business days.  Echelon II commands 
shall submit a consolidated report to Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) 
within 14 business days.  BUMED shall consolidate and report this information 
to ASN M&RA.

8.  Separation Processing.  Prior to release from the Navy, individual 
Service members, and their Commanding Officers, and Officers-In -Charge are 
responsible for ensuring that the Service member's STR submission process is 
complete.  Medical and dental record personnel must work together to assemble 
a complete STR.
Definition of Completion includes: transfer of a Service member's STR to the 
central cell; or medical/dental indicating they have located the STR and will 
forward it to the central cell; or (as required) creation of replacement 
medical or dental record and forwarding the recreated STR to the central 
cell.
   a.  Command Check-Out Sheets.  Command separation check-out sheets shall 
be modified to reflect that Service members shall return any medical and 
dental records in their possession to the appropriate medical and dental 
departments.  The check-out sheet will also identify the Service members?
duty stations for the past 5 years.  The medical and dental department will 
annotate the Command check-out sheet to indicate the STR submission process 
is complete by checking a preprinted box indicating that either: 1) the 
medical record is in the possession of the appropriate medical or dental 
department or 2) the medical record is not in the possession of the 
appropriate medical or dental department, but information has been obtained 
to initiate the search of the past 5 years? duty stations and the Service 
member has signed an SF600 indicating that their STR is not in their 
possession, 3) an additional block indicating the Service member?s actual 
separation date will be completed by the Service member's command.  A copy of 
the Command Check-out sheet with this information will be provided to the 
separating personnel office.
Commanding Officers and Officers-In-Charge must ensure this process is 
initiated in sufficient time to ensure its completion prior to the Service 
member's release from active duty. Unit commanders may hold temporary duty 
and terminal leave in abeyance as deemed necessary to facilitate completion 
of the STR submission process prior to separation of a Service member.  
Service members may not be retained on active duty beyond the expiration of 
their active duty service obligation unless specifically provided for by 
applicable law and policy.

9.  STR Disposition Process.  BUMED has established the NMRA STR central cell 
to perform all DON scanning into Health Artifact and Imaging Management 
Solution (HAIMS) and quality assurance review of STRs.
Effective immediately, all medical and dental departments are required to 
send the STR as soon as possible (and NLT two weeks after a Service member's 
release date for separating active/reserve Service members) to the NMRA STR 
central cell at the following address:

Navy Medicine Records Activity (NMRA)
BUMED Detachment St. Louis
4300 Goodfellow Blvd, Bldg. 103
St. Louis, MO 63120

Commanders of remote units are responsible for mailing STRs to the BUMED STR 
central cell when the Active Duty Service member is enrolled with a civilian 
Primary Care Manager and must maintain the STR themselves or at their unit.
Commanding Officers of medical and dental departments will utilize the BUMED 
STR automated tracking system where the command has IT capability.

10.  Reserve Personnel.  Reserve component personnel leaving active duty and 
returning to drill status are not considered separating for purposes of the 
STR disposition process.
If a reserve member is not separating, but is filing a claim with the VA, the 
Reserve component will send a clear and accurate copy of the STR to the NMRA 
address. Navy 311 will supply COMNAVRESFOR with a weekly list of all VA 
requests.
STRs shall not be mailed to the VA. The medical and dental paper records 
should be mailed together as a bundle to the NMRA STR central cell whenever 
possible. STR bundles of more than one Service member?s records may be 
combined into a single shipment. STR?s shall be forwarded within one week.

11.  Reporting Requirements.
a. Commanders, Commanding Officers and Officers-In-Charge.  On a quarterly 
basis, Commanders, Commanding Officers and Officer-In-Charge shall report to 
their echelon II command, the number of personnel who have separated or 
retired the previous quarter and the number of records for which the STR 
submission process has been completed. This report will include a detailed 
explanation for complete STRs not provided to the appropriate medical/dental 
department or other appropriate authority by the Service member's 
separation/retirement date.
Echelon II Commanders.  Echelon II commands shall submit a consolidated 
report of this information to BUMED.
BUMED.  BUMED will provide the consolidated information to ASN M&RA.
The initial report to ASN(M&RA) will begin in October 2014.  BUMED will 
report HAIMS upload data to ASN (M&RA) on a weekly basis to include STR 
timeline compliance.

12. Missing/Lost STRs.  If a medical or dental record cannot be located, a 
replacement record shall be created per the guidance of the Manual of the 
Medical Department (MANMED) Chapter 16 and documentation of the attempt to 
retrieve the medical/dental record from the member?s previous duty stations 
(last five years) shall be submitted with the replacement record.  Medical 
and dental departments shall annotate validation of contact with previous 
duty stations in the comment section of the DD2963 and also retain a copy of 
the annotated check-out sheet.
   a.  If a dental record cannot be located, a replacement dental
   record
shall be created using the separating T2 Exam. Per reference (d), at this 
time the submission of the medical record to the NMRA STR central cell shall 
not be delayed due to the unavailability of the dental record.  However, when 
the dental record becomes available, or a replacement dental record is 
created, it shall be forwarded to the NMRA STR central cell to ensure a 
complete STR is available to the VA.
Medical departments are not required to print AHLTA notes. AHLTA has the 
HAIMS feature to electronically transmit the record. The responsible medical 
department will use the AWP feature to transfer AHLTA notes to HAIMS prior to 
mailing paper STRs. If a medical department does not have AHLTA, contact the 
closest medical facility with AHLTA access to perform the AWP. All AHLTA 
notes must be removed prior to sending to the NMRA STR central cell, such 
notes will be uploaded as part of the AWP push.
For reserve components, contact the NMRA STR central cell to request AWP push 
into HAIMS.
   b.  Projected Separations.  On a monthly basis, Commanders, Commanding
Officers or Senior Civilian Leaders, and Officers-In-Charge will provide a 
report of projected separations (projected loss list) for the next 45 days 
(e.g. information available in NSIPS, EDVR, ODCR, CIMS) to the appropriate 
medical and dental departments. Data to be included in the report should be 
encrypted to follow Personal Identifying Information (PII)
guidelines: full name, SSN, command name, UIC, Service, component (with 
category, if Reserve), and separation/retirement date. Bureau of Naval 
Personnel (BUPERS) shall provide BUMED Medical Operations (M3) the loss list 
data set for the period 1 January 2014 to present. The loss list will be 
provided to BUMED weekly thereafter.
   c.  Previous Separations.  All medical and dental record departments must 
initiate the STR submission process for Service members who have previously 
separated from 01 January 2014 through 30 June 2014 and whose STR is not in 
HAIMS. This list will be provided by BUMED to echelon II Commands for 
appropriate distribution to all Commanding Officers and Officers-In -Charge.
Additionally, the STR process must be initiated for any Service member, 
regardless of separation date, who is on the VA list as having filed a claim 
and whose STR is not in HAIMS.  This list will be provided weekly by ASN 
(M&RA).  A reasonable search to locate and retrieve the STR must be 
conducted.  If prior duty stations are unknown, the responsible Navy medical 
and dental records department shall contact NPC Customer Service Center (1-
866-827-5672/DSN: 882-5672, email: uasknpc@navy.mil).
If the record cannot be located, see previous guidance for creating a 
replacement record.

13.  Unit Commanders and Officers-In-Charge are directed to take all 
appropriate actions to identify records processing issues well in advance of 
the separation of Service members and coordinate as necessary with their 
respective chains of command, NPC, and BUMED to ensure the requirements of 
this NAVADMIN are met.

14.  Ensuring that Service members experience an orderly transition to 
civilian life is of paramount importance to the Department of the Navy.  An 
important enabler of this transition is the timely transfer of the separating 
or retiring Service member?s STR to the VA.

15. Released by Vice Admiral S. H. Swift, Director, Navy Staff.//

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