Personnel records to stay at AFPC

  • Published
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Airmen who retire or separate don't have to wait several months to receive requested copies of certain records because of a recent change in how the Air Force maintains personnel records.

The 49-year-old practice of sending nearly 5,500 personnel records each month to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis ended in February as part of an effort to save money and give Airmen better access to their records, officials said.

"People usually have a lengthy wait before receiving copies of their records from the NPRC, and it costs the Air Force around $8 million a year to maintain records there," said Jo Hogue, chief of master personnel records at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "That price tag would keep increasing if we sent more records to the NPRC, and our customers wouldn't have the accessibility we'll be able to provide."

"(AFPC Airmen are) committed to providing state of the art, convenient, leading-edge service, and this is another step in the effort to make Air Force personnel records available online anytime," said Maj. Gen. Anthony F. Przybyslawski, AFPC commander. "We hope to be able to offer that capability to our active-duty customers sometime in the next few of years."

In the meantime, former active-duty Airmen who retired or separated on or after Oct. 1, 2004, can request copies of records by writing to AFPC/DPFFCMP, 550 C St. W., Suite 19, Randolph AFB, TX 78150 or faxing (210) 565-4021 or DSN 665-4021.

People requesting their own records need to send a signed note that includes their name, Social Security number, contact information and specific record requested. Those requesting a relative's record also need to provide their relationship to the former Airman.

Former Guard and Reserve Airmen who retired or separated on or after Oct. 1, 2004, can write to HQ ARPC/PSDC, 6760 E. Irvington Place, Suite 4000, Denver, CO 80280 or fax (303) 676-7071 or DSN 926-7071.

Those who retired or separated before Oct. 1, 2004 can visit the NPRC Web site for record request instructions.

This change does not affect the disposition of medical and dental records, Mrs. Hogue said. They still will be stored permanently at the NPRC.

"From now on, all Air Force personnel records will be scanned for permanent electronic storage here in the Automated Records Management System, and the records that are already at the NPRC will stay there," Mrs. Hogue said. "Converting the records from paper to electronic also provides an additional backup version of each record."

Before this change, the paper copy that went to the NPRC was the only copy of a person's record; now there are two electronic versions in separate locations, Mrs. Hogue said. The new system's backups are approved by the National Archivist, the head of the National Archives and Records Administration, the federal agency responsible for preserving our nation's history.

The new backup systems allow the Air Force to again eliminate paper versions of records. From 1971 to 1994, AFPC destroyed the original copies of individual master personnel records because a microfilm copy was attached to the Unit Personnel Record Group that was forwarded to the NPRC, Mrs. Hogue said. When the first electronic record storage system started in 1995, AFPC began storing paper copies of master personnel records again because the new system did not provide a backup like the microfilm did.

Those who served or are currently serving on active duty can call the Air Force Personnel Contact Center more information at (800) 616-3775, commercial (210) 565-5000 or DSN 665-5000. Those who served or are serving in the Air National Guard or Reserve can call the Air Reserve Personnel Center at (800)525-0102.