Senator Sherrod Brown

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today urged the administration to release military personnel files for veterans for free. Under current rules, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) charges veterans and their families fees of up to $50 to access their individual Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). In a letter to Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, Brown asked that the fees be waived for any veteran or family member seeking to obtain their personnel file.

“Charging veterans for a copy of their personnel records is an outrage,” Brown said. “Particularly when you consider that our nation has yet to fully fund the benefits these veterans earned with their service to our country. These records are a symbol of the sacrifice veterans and their families have made. They are meaningful to veterans, they are meaningful to their families, and they should be free.”

While the NARA waives fees for veterans or immediate family members seeking to validate a benefit or entitlement, Brown believes this exemption is too narrow and charging any fee to any veteran or family member is unjustifiable. He is concerned that many veterans who served in World War II will be unable to afford the fees to acquire their records.

“We must honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans. Providing veterans and their family members unfettered access to desired military records is the very least we can do,” Brown wrote today.