Wow! Reclaim the Records Got BIRLS Files for Us for Free

Reclaim the Records, that terrific nonprofit fighting to make public records public, won a lawsuit that makes a huge US military veterans' database available to all for the very first time--at no charge. And they didn't stop there. 

Reclaim the Records created not just a neat searchable website for finding US veterans in the BIRLS (Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem), it built in a super-easy, super-convenient process for asking for Veterans Affairs records via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with just a few clicks and an electronic signature.

Read the fine print on the BIRLS site (birls.org) to see what documentation is included in these veterans' records. Also note that you don't have to be a relative or prove any connection to request the records. And be aware there may be a small charge for the records you ultimately want to receive.

In less than 5 minutes, I searched for a cousin's name in the database, found him, checked the details to verify, and submitted a FOIA request. This process ordinarily means writing a request, signing the document, and faxing it to the VA. (In fact, I used the old-fashioned "write a letter and fax" process just a few weeks ago.) Now, thanks to Reclaim the Records, those different steps are automatically built into the streamlined process right on birls.org. 

Today's request through the Reclaim extra-convenient process is the first of many I intend to submit. No doubt the VA will initially be overwhelmed by a tsunami of requests. But it will eventually catch up and oh boy I can barely wait to see what info I get that will become part of family history!