Military and health records
Identify the record holder and request only the relevant record types.
Make a document inventory
A document inventory can record filenames, sources, dates, document types and page counts. Dates in a packet do not establish complete coverage.
Recognize incomplete collections
A packet containing a visit note, imaging report and follow-up contains three document types; it may still be only part of a medical history.
Military inpatient records
Military inpatient records may be stored separately. Record locations depend on the branch and dates of service.
Example
Fictional example: Taylor needs a DD214, a VA clinic note and a VA claim file. Taylor uses military, health-facility and VBA instructions separately because those records have different custodians.