Rep. Israel calls for service record revamp

Bill San Antonio

Rep. Steve Israel is calling on the Department of Defense to develop alternative methods of authenticating a veteran’s military service in situations in which the official record is unavailable or no longer exists.

At a news conference Friday in Sea Cliff, Israel (D-Huntington) said many veterans and their families whose records were destroyed by the July 12, 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in Missouri are now being denied benefits.

“Instead of being forced to sit in bureaucratic limbo, a new common-sense system must be put in place so that a combination of unofficial evidence can be used to confirm a veteran’s service record,” said Israel, who announced he had written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about the issue. “It is long past time that these men and women receive the benefits they deserve.”

Israel was joined by Sea Cliff Mayor Bruce Kennedy and Linda Parsons, the widow of former Sea Cliff Mayor Norm Parsons, who served in the Army from 1954 to 1956 and died in 2013.

Linda said after his death, she tried to obtain her husband’s discharge papers so that she may receive benefits from his military service, but learned they were destroyed in the fire. 

Though she submitted alternative documents to authenticate his records, she was denied benefits because his service could not be verified.

“It is heartbreaking that because of a devastating fire, Norm’s service to his country has been erased from physical record,” Linda said. “It is wrong that one piece of paper can determine whether or not I can obtain benefits that my late husband earned and was guaranteed. I know that there are hundreds or thousands of other military families going through this same ordeal and I hope that every effort possible is made to right this wrong.”

Added Kennedy: “Linda and the Parsons family deserve the benefits they are entitled to from Norm’s service without the barriers of bureaucratic red tape. I thank Congressman Israel for his leadership in ensuring that this long-standing problem is corrected.”

In his letter to Hagel, Israel suggested the defense department work with the service branches to establish a system in which unofficial records could be used to prove a veteran’s service.

“Our nation’s veterans should not suffer due to an accident that was beyond their control, yet many of these impacted individuals are still facing unnecessary and unacceptable difficulties,” he wrote. “Applying for benefits should not be a stressful or difficult task, especially for those who have sacrificed so much for their country.” 

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