MREC-14 · MILITARY RECORDS LIBRARY
Claims, Benefits, Decisions & Appeals
MREC-14: The decision-history file for applications, claims, evidence development, notices, reasons, effective dates, payments, reconsideration, appeal, correction, and later review.
What this record can establish
What was claimed; evidence submitted; what the decision-maker decided; reasons; effective date; payment; review lane; later modification or finality.
What it does not establish automatically
A portal status or payment alone may not show the legal basis, issue scope, evidence considered, or available review rights. Different claims must not be merged into one history.
Preservation package
Application; evidence packet; submission receipt; development requests; exams; decision notice; reasons; payment; representative correspondence; review/appeal record.
Minimum source metadata
- Stable source ID and record class
- Creator or issuing office
- Document date and covered period
- Subject identifiers
- Repository and exact locator
- Provenance or acquisition note
- Proposition supported and express limits
- Evidence-status code and derivative/OCR/transcription lineage
Evidence testing
- Identity: Is the record tied to the correct person, unit, platform, or event?
- Chronology: Separate document date, effective date, event date, and covered period.
- Institutional purpose: Understand why the record was created and what it was designed to record.
- Corroboration: Seek independent records; copies and derivatives from one source do not create independence.
Evidence status key: D1 direct primary; D2 corroborated primary; S1 authoritative secondary; S2 credible secondary; I inference; C conflict; U unverified; N negative research result.
Connected Life Record chapters
- MLR-04 — Compensation & Financial Record
- MLR-05 — Education
- MLR-08 — Medical, Injury & Disability
- MLR-11 — Separation & Transition
- MLR-12 — Retirement
- MLR-13 — Veteran Lifetime
- MLR-14 — Death
- MLR-15 — Survivors
Related navigation guides
Retrieval and authority status
This page defines the evidence family and preservation method. Repository-specific access rules, privacy limits, request forms, retention schedules, service/era differences, and governing authorities must be verified for the particular record before treating retrieval instructions as final. Start with current official repositories and the linked Navigation Guides.
