The Official Voice of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ®
An organization chartered by the U.S. Congress
FYI FROM THE VA As a federal agency, according to the Privacy Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs is obliged to protect the privacy of veterans' personal information. Therefore, the VA cannot release personal information about a veteran from its records system without the person's permission. The VA can, however, forward a message to the veteran, providing the veteran has filed a claim with VA and the agency has an address on record.
Please write your message and place it in an unsealed, stamped envelope. Also include a note to VA explaining whom you are trying to reach and add as much identifying information as you can. Place all of this in another envelope addressed to the nearest U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office (you can find the addresses at http://www.va.gov/sta/guide/division.asp?divisionId=3 or in the blue pages of the telephone book).
If the veteran is in the VA records, the message will be sealed and the envelope sent to the address the VA has on file for the veteran. It is then up to the veteran to contact the letter-writer. If you have any questions, you can reach the regional VA office at 800-827-1000. This process is designed to protect the privacy of veterans as required by law.