Civilian Personnel Records, Services for Federal Agencies
- Requesting Official Personnel Folders (OPF)
- Requesting Employee Medical Folders (EMF)
- Requesting X-Rays
- General Information
- Archives and Records Centers Information System (ARCIS)
The following information is for authorized representatives of Federal agencies to request records from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). All requests for information should be mailed to the address below, unless stated otherwise:
National Personnel Records Center, Annex
1411 Boulder Boulevard
Valmeyer, IL 62295
Requesting Official Personnel Folders:
When requesting an Official Personnel Folder (OPF), submit in duplicate the Standard Form 127, Request for Official Personnel Folder. Use of the SF 127 is restricted to authorized representatives of Federal personnel offices. Please submit a separate SF 127 for each folder requested.
Specify on the SF 127:
- Current and former name of employee
- Name of the agency (or agencies) of employment
- Dates of employment for which the records are desired
- Social Security Number for a United States citizen
- For foreign nationals, enter FNO in place of Social Security Number
- Date of birth
- Identify requesting agency's full name for billing purposes
- Requesting agency's name and contact number
If the form is incomplete, we will return it and request more information.
Please note:
- If an employee has been separated for less than 120 days, submit your request to the last place of Federal employment.
- As the requesting Human Resources agency, your agency will be billed for the cost of pulling and shipping the OPF.
- Prior to December 1976, OPFs were not always maintained for temporary Christmas postal employees. For these temporary employees, the NPRC will furnish a statement showing the number of days and hours actually worked.
Requesting Employee Medical Folders (EMFs):
When requesting an Employee Medical Folder (EMF), submit in duplicate the Standard Form 184, Request for Employee Medical Folder. Use of the SF 184 is restricted to authorized agency medical offices and requires a signature of an agency medical officer. Please submit a separate SF 184 for each folder requested.
Specify on the SF 184:
- Current and former name of employee
- Name of agency (or agencies)
- Dates of employment for which records are desired
- Social Security Number for a United States citizen
- For foreign nationals, enter FNO in place of Social Security Number
- Date of birth
- Identify requesting agency's full name for billing purposes
- Requesting agency's name and contact number
If the form is incomplete, we will return it and request more information.
Please note:
- Employee medical records may only be requested 30 days after an individual's appointment to a position, unless the position has specific physical requirements.
- As the requesting Human Resources agency, your agency will be billed for the cost of pulling and shipping the EMF.
- The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) maintains strict control over its own version of the EMF, known as the PSIN 067, Postal Service Employee Medical Folder. The NPRC cannot release folders or information from them to any requester, including Federal agencies. When the NPRC receives a request for a Postal Service medical folder, it forwards any located records, along with the request, to the USPS National Medical Director's office. Information from these records is obtained only through the:
National Medical Director
Office of Safety and Health
Employee Relations Department
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20260-4261
Requesting X-Rays:
When requesting an x-ray,
- authorized representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs submit VA Form 3101, Department of Veterans Affairs Request for Information
- authorized Department of Defense (DOD) medical offices submit Form DD 877, Request for Medical/Dental Records or Information
If the form is incomplete, we will return it and request more information.
Please note:
X-rays stored at the NPRC are the property of the Department of Veterans Affairs, even though they may have been taken at a military base or installation.
General Information:
Requests from Federal Investigators: The NPRC maintains a list of Federal investigators authorized by their agencies to review personnel records. Investigators not listed will not be given access to records. Investigators on the list should contact the facility in advance to request records.
Investigators who plan visits without prior coordination may experience delays in receiving requested information. Please plan your visit in advance so that we may accommodate your needs.
Interfile Materials: To avoid loss of documents during transit and to enable accurate and expeditious handling and storage when received at the facility, we ask that you follow the procedures outlined in this section.
Interfile materials, or late flowing documents, are items which are received subsequent to the retirement of the original record. We require the following information in order to place these documents in the appropriate record:
- Federal Employee Documents:
- Complete name of employee
- Social Security Number
- Date of Birth
- Identify requesting agency's full name for billing purposes
- Requesting agency's name and contact number
Please note: As the requesting Human Resources agency, your agency will be billed for the cost of pulling and shipping the OPF
- Dependent Medical Records:
- Patient's name
- Sponsor's name
- Sponsor's Social Security Number
- Accession number
- Box number
- Shelf location
- Veteran Claim Folders:
- Retirement date of folder
- Accession number, if known
- Claim number
Without this information, the original folder may not be located, and the documents will be returned.
Please note: If interfile materials are more than 10% of the original accession, there will not be enough space to store the interfile material with the original accession; therefore, you should submit paperwork required for processing a new accession, instructions are located in the Records Retirement section.