[20211020]IF11950_2019冠状病毒疾病对获取兵役记录的影响.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov October 20, 2021COVID-19 Impact on Access to Military Service RecordsServicemembers and other constituents may require access to military service records for many reasons, including providing proof of service to obtain government benefits. During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many federal agencies moved from on-site work to remote work status for the safety and health of employees. This shift impacted the workflows of the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the National Archives and Records Administrations (NARAs) National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), three agencies involved in processing veterans benefits claims. VA has continued to process benefits claims, albeit at a slower pace and with delays. The NPRC reported that its employees were often unable to retrieve materials due to the vast majority of records being in paper form and requiring in-person access. This challenge led to backlogs in processing various VA claims and also led veterans, Veterans Service Organizations, and many Members of Congress to push for the digitization of military service records. This In Focus provides informati