How to Request VA Medical Records by Fax

You can request your own VA medical records by fax, but the request must go to the Release of Information office at the facility that maintains them. There is no single national fax number for every VA medical-records request.

Before faxing, check whether the records are already available through VA.gov. The VA also allows requests through secure messaging when the facility has a Release of Information care team listed.

Choose the correct VA form

Use VA Form 10-5345a when you are requesting a copy of your own health information for yourself. The form asks for the VA facility, your identifying information, the records you want, the delivery format, your signature, and the date.

Use VA Form 10-5345 when you are authorizing the VA to release health information to a non-VA person or organization. That includes sending records to an outside provider, lawyer, insurer, or another third party. These two forms are not interchangeable.

For your own request, select the specific records and date range you need. The current 10-5345a includes choices such as a health summary, discharge summary, progress notes, laboratory results, radiology reports, medications, and other named records. A focused request is easier for the office to identify than a vague description.

Find the facility’s fax number

Use the VA’s facility finder to open the website for the facility where you received care. On that facility website, go to Other services, select Access your health records, and use the contact information shown for the medical records or Release of Information office.

If you received care at a Community Based Outpatient Clinic or Outpatient Clinic, call the medical-records office first. The VA says the records may be maintained by a larger health facility instead of the clinic.

Do not use a VA disability-claims fax number for this request. Benefits evidence and requests for copies of health records follow different routes.

How to request your own VA medical records by fax

1. Download the current VA Form 10-5345a from VA.gov.
2. Enter the name and location of the VA facility that maintains the records.
3. Provide the identifying information requested on the form.
4. Select the records, clinics, providers, and date ranges you need.
5. Choose how the copy should be delivered to you.
6. Sign and date the form.
7. Confirm the facility’s Release of Information fax number.
8. Fax the completed form and keep the delivery confirmation securely.

Use a cover sheet only if the facility requests one or you need to identify the receiving office. Do not add medical details or other sensitive information that the office does not need.

How long the request may take

The VA says records stored in an online system may take up to 30 calendar days, while records stored on paper may take up to 60 calendar days. If the request will take longer, the VA says it will send a letter. Its current guidance recommends contacting the facility’s medical-records office if you have not received that letter within 20 calendar days.

A fax confirmation proves that the transmission reached the destination endpoint. It does not prove that the VA accepted the form as complete or finished the request.

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