FOIA Requests – SITREP
I figured I would give you all an update on the situation of the 500K backlogged FOIA requests at NPRC, over 200 of which are ours.
I couldn’t say much because I didn’t know anything. The big question was whether they would start fresh or start addressing the ones from early 2020, which is when COVID work reduction kicked in at NRPC.
Well, they are starting to trickle back. In the last three months we have gotten three back that were submitted over two years ago, and another one back submitted over 18 months ago. It does make me feel assured that it was a good thing to keep submitting, even if they were on a reduced work schedule and they were not sending results back to us.
I simply never had confidence they were going into a queue.
Oddly enough, a few came back saying we needed permission and signature of the veteran in question. I gulped hard, thinking this may be how they are going to address the backlog, and they will unwittingly open things up for rampant embellishment.
Thankfully, we received other results back that were full results, so the signature requirement of the veteran was probably an exception rather than a rule, although it was stated as policy. The nuances of individual archive technicians vary.
The one that came back today was from March 2020, but there was no evidence that the individual was making the claim in the first place. NPRC results combined with US Army Resource Command results was enough for the wife/GF to confront him about it. He came clean and they are now figuring out how to move on from here.
These are typical cases. Maybe one out of 6-7 are actionable and result in something we can publish a case with. The rest is more military verification since there is no hard evidence he/she is making the claims in the first place other than word of mouth.
So, things are appearing hopeful. One FOIA result last week and two this week, so things are looking up from the standpoint of a document flow.
The Navy, the Army and the Marine Corps all continue to supply us with FOIA results depending on when the member served. Not many USAF requests, but the few we submitted were denied citing national security.
NPRC is the catch-all basket for WWII-Korea-Vietnam, etc. claims when the service wasn’t recent.
Category: None, Stolen Valor
My estate docs include a signed SF-180.
*I also… and a copy of my DD-214.
Thanks for the sitrep, Steve. We will wait (im)patiently for them to get off their asses and DO THEIR DAMN JOB. Wondering if this site and others may be a victim of success in that so many Valor Thieves have been outed and the word is out. Sometimes the threat of researching someones claims causes the despicables to back off of their claims, at least publically. I know of a few cases locally where those POSes started washing their Fake Book claims and quit their BS. Some break ups when the significant other confronted them with their lies and asked, “Well what else have you been lying about?”
Keep up the good work. It is muchly appreciated by us.
Dropped a copy at the Town Hall with the records department.
Not sure where I picked up that advice but it did knock some Grand List ducats off the property tax computation.
YMMV, IIRC, Check applicable state and local laws, not a lawer.
I followed the instructions given during my ETS out-processings and have copies of my first two DD214’s archived at the East Hog Flats County courthouse in Hoosierville and all three are now (for the past 30 years) in the Shit-Kicker’s County records in downtown Colorado Springs.
She can stand on the bucket after you kick it! (^___^)
Thanks Steve.
I put in for my own DD-214, still pending 8 months.
Well, the progs are running everything federal, and for them all forms of fraud are a good thing, since mendacity is a positive trait and skill.
Last year I finally acted on an exchange of e-mails I had with Jonn before he died and requested the records of the fellow who’s name appears on my father’s birth certificate as being his father (my paternal grandfather) when my Dad was born at Walter Reed.
To the TAH admins, thank you for doing what you do.