The Joint Services Records Research Center is the agency the VA turns to for verification of a veteran's claims, particularly service aboard a certain ship, plan or with a certain unit. Particularly in the case of post Vietnam War C-123 veterans, you'd better hope they have it right...but they probably don't! At least, not in the three instances I was able to examine.
In each request, the VA asked JSRRC simply to confirm the veteran's service with particular airplanes which VA knew to be contaminated.
In one case, the JSRRC responded they couldn't confirm the exposure of the veteran to Agent Orange and referred the VA back to the VA's own publications! The other two cases the JSRRC simply said they had no information available. The JSRRC couldn't have doomed these veterans' hopes for VA benefits any worse if they'd tried!
The problem is a negative response from JSRRC can sink your VA disability claim. While the VA's rating officer might look deeper for more information, they meet the law's requirement by the JSRRC inquiry and can stop there, even if you have ample documentation. It would take a fairly inquisitive, and thorough, RO to delve much deeper, even in the face of obviously erroneous JSRRC responses.
I'm disappointed that, after the first negative response regarding available C-123 information in 2011, JSRRC continued to respond in the negative even though the information requested is commonly available on the internet and even though I provided their director, Mr. Dominic Bonito, a 300-page collection of official documents about the C-123 contamination issue. Attempts to alert the JSRRC's oversight IG only brought their dismissal that the IG doesn't involve itself in veterans' claims.
I think it is best for every veteran to request the necessary information about your C-123 experience, which you can do yourself. Then you'll know what the JSRRC is feeding the VA, and you'll have a chance to correct the story at both ends. Click HERE to download their PDF for requesting your data.
Here's their page:
JOINT SERVICES RECORDS RESEARCH CENTER
JSRRC serves as Secretary of the Army's action agent for direct support of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran service organizations, and individual Veterans to accomplish this mission regarding Agent Orange.
MISSION
Our mission is to research military unit records in support of Veterans’ disability claims for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Agent Orange exposure submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs
- The JSRRC has been responding to Veterans’ claims and initiatives since 1980.
- JSRRC has completed research on over 65,000 claims submitted by America’s veterans.
- Army’s action agent for the development and maintenance of the DoD Persian Gulf Registry, a database that contains the names of 758,000 personnel and over 900,000 daily locations of units to which these personnel were assigned while in the Persian Gulf.
- PTSD, Agent Orange and DoD Persian Gulf programs have high Congressional interest and visibility.
PROGRAMS
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Agent Orange Research and Information
- DoD Persian Gulf Registry
RELATED INFORMATION
- To obtain a copy of your Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) write theNational Personnel Records Center(NPRC), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63138. Your OMPF will provide medical records, unit assignments, DD214 forms, and orders of personnel actions such as promotions and awards/commendation.
- To request U.S. Air Force unit histories, write to the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), 600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 36112.
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