Becoming your own historian is one of the highest-value things you can do for a claim — and most veterans have never heard of these specific records by name. This app builds the timeline for you as you log your service, but here's what backs it up on paper.
Your service treatment record
The single most important document. It's held by different offices depending on your branch and when you separated — check the National Archives' published routing for veterans' service records to find yours.
Deck logs and unit deployment history
For Navy and Marine Corps service, deck logs from your ship can establish exactly where you were on a given date. For any branch, your unit's deployment history and command chronology can place you at a specific installation or operation even when your own memory of the exact dates has faded. Request these through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or your branch's official history office.
The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry
Since a 1 August 2024 redesign, there is no separate questionnaire to fill out — VA and DoD now auto-include eligible veterans based on service records. Ask your VA Environmental Health Coordinator whether a registry evaluation is available to you, rather than looking for a form to fill in yourself.
Your own logged record
List where and when you served and what you were exposed to, beside your symptoms in the order they arrived. Bring that one page to every appointment — this app builds it for you as you go, and your own words on each check-in are often the strongest evidence you have.
Log where you served →This page documents where records live — it doesn't file anything or determine what applies to you. Bring what you gather to an accredited VSO.
← Exposure library