Lawmakers urge National Archives to digitize records, clear backlog of veterans’ requests

Leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform urged the National Archives this week to digitize its records to help with a large backlog of records requests from veterans who need personnel information to secure government benefits.

Leaders of the National Archives and Records Administration told lawmakers last month that they were struggling with a backlog of about 500,000 records requests from veterans who need military personnel information from the archives when applying for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and health care. They estimated the backlog would not be eliminated until the end of 2022.

The records requests grew during the coronavirus pandemic when most employees at the National Personnel Records Center were not permitted to work on site. Workers could not access records while working remotely. The center is working to digitize its records, but it’s not happening fast enough, lawmakers said.

In a letter Monday, six members of the House committee urged David Ferriero, the archivist for the United States, to apply for funding through the Technology Modernization Fund to help with the digitization efforts. The fund is intended to help federal agencies with technological challenges.

“It is critical that [the National Archives] use any and all available tools to ensure we can uphold our commitments to our nation’s veterans,” the lawmakers wrote.