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1 1 (May 12, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedgq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional SResearch Service VA, HHS to Vaccinate NARA National Personnel Records Center Staff May 12, 2021 The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) reached an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health and Human Services for supply and administration of coronavirus vaccine to protect NARAemployees involved in the processing of military personnel records. This agreement is designed to help NARA staff enter the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) and retrieve physical documents involved in verifying veteran and military benefits claims. As of March 8, 2021, the NPRC reports that its backlog of records requests was more than 480,000. This Insight explains the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on records access fromthe NPRC; the typical means of servicemember and constituent access to records; and efforts at NARA, the Department of Defense (DOD), and VAto digitize records to improve remote accessibility to information. It concludes with policy options for Congress to address the records request backlog. Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic on Records Access The NPRC, which is part of NARA, is the central repository for the federal government's military and civil service personnel-related records. The NPRC holds more than 4 million cubic feet of records and stores these documents permanently in accordance with the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. Chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33). NARA manages an individual's records 62 years after the servicemember's separation from the military. Prior to that, records are under the purview of DOD and VA. Due to the pandemic, all NARA research rooms, libraries, and museums have been closed to the public. The NPRC continues to service only urgent records requests related to homeless veterans, medical emergencies, and funerals. NARAhas suspended reproduction and digitization services due to the pandemic until further notice. NARA notes, The biggest obstacle to returning NPRC's performance to its pre-pandemic level lies in the reality that the majority of NPRC's holdings and reference activity involve paper records that can be accessed only by on-site staff. The NPRC announced it would be expanding its on-site workforce to 20 percent at its location in St. Louis, MO, in light of improving local conditions. While this figure is less than NPRC's pre-pandemic capacity, it reflects an increase in personnel from its early pandemic reduction. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11668 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Membersand Committeesof Congress

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