Closing entries will be recorded on NAVMED 6150/4. Entries will include the date of separation, title of servicing activity, and explanatory circumstances as may be indicated.
Upon final discharge or death, the medical and dental treatment records will be delivered to the command maintaining the member’s service record (no later than the day following separation) for inclusion in and transmittal with the member’s service record. In case of death, a copy of the death certificate will accompany the transmitted records.
When a member is being separated from the military, he or she should make a copy of the health record to present it to the Veterans Administration for their determination of eligibility for health benefits. The application for benefits is done on VA Form 21-526e, Veterans Application for Compensation. These forms are available at the local Veterans Administration Office. At the very least, the member will be provided with a copy of the separation physical examination recorded on the SF 88 and the most recent Report of Medical History, SF 93.
Before forwarding the health record, check each form for accuracy, completeness of name, grade or rate, and SSN. Make sure all health care forms are included.
Desertion
When a member is officially declared a deserter, an explanatory entry of this fact will be recorded on SF 600 and NAVMED 6150/4. The medical and dental treatment record will be delivered to the commanding officer for inclusion into the member’s service record. These records will be retained on board the parent unit (except deployed submarines) for 180 days. On the 181st day of absence, the deserter’s command will forward the service, pay, and medical and dental records to the Commander, Naval Military Personnel Command.
A deserter will be physically examined at the first activity assuming jurisdiction of the member following surrender or apprehension. A statement will be prepared by the medical examiner setting forth the purpose and findings of the examination. A specific opinion about the member’s physical fitness for confinement and ability to perform active duty at sea, on foreign service, or in the field, as appropriate, will be recorded on SF 600 for inclusion in the member’s health record.
Upon apprehension or surrender of a deserter, the commanding officer of the jurisdictional activity will submit a request for the member’s records to NAVMILPERSCOM or CMC, as appropriate. A separate request to NAVMEDCOM for the member’s health record is not required.
Former Members Retained in Naval Hospitals
When a patient in a naval hospital is separated from the naval service but retained in the hospital for further treatment and hospitalization, the health record will be closed on the effective date of the separation and forwarded to the command maintaining the member’s service record. In such cases, a new health record will not be prepared. However, a copy of the clinical summary, (SF 502 or 539) will be forwarded for inclusion in the health record upon the former member’s discharge from the hospital.
A copy of a clinical summary prepared incident to the hospitalization of a member whose name is carried on the Temporary Disability Retired List will be forwarded upon termination of hospitalization as follows: Navy—Naval Reserve Personnel Center, 4400 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, LA 70149; or Marine Corps— Headquarters Marine Corps (Code MMSR), Navy Department, Washington, DC 20380.
Disenrollment of Midshipmen or NROTC Members
When, for any reason, a midshipman’s or an NROTC member’s affiliation with the naval service is terminated, the member’s health record will be closed and retired to National Naval Personnel Records Center (MPR), GSA, St. Louis, MO 63132, in accordance with SECNAVINST 5212.5 series. This will also include midshipmen who graduate from the Naval Academy but do not receive a commission. For midshipmen and NROTC members who retain a status in the naval service after disenrollment, the health record will be forwarded to the member’s prospective commanding officer.
VERIFICATION OF THE HEALTH RECORD
As a minimum, the health record will be verified annually by medical personnel having custody of the record. When practical, the health record is verified at the same time as the service record and pay record. Verification is also accomplished upon reporting, at the time of physical