VA Form 3288: How to Complete, Sign, and Submit the Release

VA Form 3288 is the written consent that authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to release your records to a person or organization you name. You download the one-page PDF from VA.gov, fill in who should receive which records, sign it, and send it to the VA office that holds your file.¹ Without this signed authorization, federal law treats your VA records as confidential and the agency cannot share them with anyone outside the VA, including your attorney, your private doctor, or a Veterans Service Organization working your claim.²

What to Have Ready Before You Start

The form is short, but a few missing details are what get submissions sent back. Have these in front of you:

Your full legal name, exactly as it appears in your VA records. A missing middle name or a maiden-versus-married-name mismatch can stall processing.
Your Social Security number. This is the primary identifier the VA uses to pull your file.
Your VA file number, if you have one, with its prefix (for example, “C” for compensation). If you don’t know your file number, your Social Security number alone will work for most requests.³
The recipient’s full name and mailing address. A phone number is not enough. For a law firm, VSO, or medical practice, include a specific department or contact person.
A description of the records you want released. Know the specific record types (claims folder, medical treatment records, benefit payment history) and the date ranges involved before you start typing.

One point worth noting: the form does not ask for your date of birth. Your name, Social Security number, and VA file number are the identifiers the VA uses to locate your records.³

How to Complete Each Section

The form opens with a “TO” field at the top. This is where you direct the request to the specific VA office that holds the records. For medical records, that’s the VA Medical Center where you were treated. For your claims file, it’s the VA Regional Office handling your benefits. Form 3288 doesn’t go through a single national intake center, so this field matters.

Below the “TO” field, fill in your name, VA file number with prefix if known, and Social Security number. Check every digit. A single wrong number in your SSN can route the request to another veteran’s file or trigger a rejection.

The next block asks for the name and full mailing address of the person or organization that should receive the records. If you’re authorizing release to your private attorney, list the attorney’s name and office address. For a Veterans Service Organization, include the local office address and a point of contact so the documents don’t sit in a mailroom.

The “Information Requested” section is the heart of the form. Number each item and include the date range covered by each.³ For example: “(1) Complete claims folder, 2018 to present” or “(2) Mental health treatment records from [specific VA Medical Center], January 2022 to June 2024.” Being specific about the record type and time period helps the VA pull exactly what you need and prevents sending more than you intended to a third party.

Below that, state the purpose. This does not need to be long. “To support pending disability compensation claim,” “for legal representation,” or “for continuity of medical care” is enough. The VA uses this to confirm the disclosure is consistent with its privacy regulations.⁴

Sign and date the form at the bottom. The VA compares your signature against what it already has on file, so use your usual signature. An unsigned or undated form will not be processed, and this is where a surprising number of submissions fail.

Sensitive Medical Records Need Explicit Consent

If your VA records include treatment for drug abuse, alcohol abuse, HIV, or sickle cell anemia, those records carry heightened federal protection under a separate statute. Even with a signed Form 3288, the VA cannot release these specific records unless your written consent explicitly covers them.⁵

A general authorization like “release all my medical records” may not be enough to include records tied to those four conditions. When filling out the Information Requested section, name the specific type of treatment records you want released if they fall into any of those categories. Vague language gives the VA a reason to withhold them, even if you intended them to be included. The law also prohibits the VA from telling the recipient that additional consent would be needed to release more, so the recipient may never know something was held back.⁵

Signing on Behalf of Another Person

Someone other than the veteran can sign Form 3288, but only with documentation proving legal authority. The signature block specifically calls for this: “Attach authority to sign, e.g., POA.”³ If you hold a power of attorney, are a court-appointed guardian, or serve as a VA-recognized fiduciary, attach a copy of the document establishing your authority. Submitting the form without it is one of the fastest ways to get it returned.

Deceased Veterans

The Privacy Act does not apply to deceased individuals, which changes how records requests work.⁶ Next of kin (a surviving spouse who has not remarried, a parent, a child, or a sibling) can request military service records through the National Archives (National Personnel Records Center) online, by mail, by fax, or in person. You will need to provide a death certificate, another public record of the veteran’s death, or a letter from a funeral home.⁷

For VA benefit records rather than military service records stored at the NPRC, contact the VA Regional Office that handled the veteran’s claims and ask what documentation is required. Expect to provide proof of your relationship to the veteran and proof of death.

Where and How to Submit It

Form 3288 goes to the VA office you addressed it to in the “TO” field, not to a single national processing center. If you’re requesting release of medical records from a specific VA Medical Center, send it to that facility’s Release of Information office. If you want your claims folder released, send it to your VA Regional Office.

You have several delivery options:

Mail. Standard mail works. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof the VA received it.
Fax. Call the office you’re sending it to and ask for its fax number. Faxing creates a transmission confirmation and is usually faster than mail.
In person. You can bring the form to a VA Regional Office or VA Medical Center. Ask staff to date-stamp a copy for your records.
QuickSubmit. The VA’s online upload tool, available through the AccessVA portal, lets you scan and submit the signed form digitally. You’ll need a DS Logon, ID.me, or Login.gov account.⁸

Whichever method you use, keep a copy of the completed, signed form. If the VA later says it never arrived, you’ll be able to resubmit immediately.

What Happens After You Submit

The VA verifies your identity by comparing the signature and identifiers on the form against what it has on file. If something doesn’t match, a name spelling, an SSN digit, a missing authority-to-sign document, the form comes back for correction. Processing times vary with the type and volume of records requested, the workload at the particular VA office, and whether any records fall under the heightened protections of 38 U.S.C. § 7332. Narrowly scoped requests move faster than requests for a full claims folder spanning decades.

Once the VA approves the release, it sends the documents directly to the recipient named on the form, not back to you (unless you listed yourself as the recipient).

When a Different Form Is the Right One

Form 3288 is a consent-to-release form: you’re telling the VA it’s okay to share your records with a third party. It’s not the only route, and picking the wrong form wastes time.

VA Form 10-5345 (Request for and Authorization to Release Protected Health Information). Use this instead of Form 3288 when you specifically need VA health information released to a non-VA provider, insurer, or other third party. It’s tailored to HIPAA-covered health data and is the form VA medical centers typically expect for medical record releases.⁹
Privacy Act request. If you want copies of your own records for yourself, not released to a third party, a Privacy Act request through the VA’s FOIA/Privacy Act Officers is the appropriate route.⁶
FOIA request. A Freedom of Information Act request works for VA records that aren’t in a Privacy Act system of records, or when someone other than the veteran (and not an authorized representative) is seeking agency information.

The distinction that trips people up: Form 3288 authorizes the VA to send your records to someone else. If you just want your own records sent to you, a Privacy Act request or a direct request through your VA.gov account is simpler.

Common Reasons the Form Gets Returned

The VA sends back submissions that are incomplete or unclear. The most frequent problems:

Missing or mismatched identifying information. A wrong Social Security number, a name that doesn’t match your VA file, or a missing VA file number prefix.
No signature or no date. The form is a legal consent document. Without both, the VA treats it as if you never submitted it.
Vague record descriptions. Writing “all records” with no record type or date range can trigger a request for clarification rather than a release.
Incomplete recipient information. A name without a mailing address, or an organization name without a department or contact person.
Signing for someone else without proof of authority. If you’re not the veteran, you must attach a power of attorney, guardianship order, or other documentation.
Sending the form to the wrong VA office. A form addressed to a Regional Office but mailed to a Medical Center (or the reverse) can bounce around internally or come back.

Most of these are avoidable by reading the completed form once before sending it, confirming every field has an entry, and checking that the “TO” address matches where you’re actually mailing or faxing the form.

1
Veterans Affairs. About VA Form VA3288
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 U.S. Code 5701 – Confidential Nature of Claims
3
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Request for and Consent to Release of Information from Individuals Records
4
eCFR. 38 CFR 1.526 – Copies of Records and Papers
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 7332 – Confidentiality of Certain Medical Records
6
Department of Veterans Affairs. Privacy Act Requests
7
Veterans Affairs. Request Your Military Service Records Including DD214
8
Veterans Affairs. Upload Evidence To Support Your Disability Claim
9
Veterans Affairs. VA Form 10-5345