Mission Support Blog

Let’s Get Digital: Digitization and Long-Term Storage of Paper Health Records Update

By DCMS-5 Staff

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Lindsey Peters conducts duties as a health services technician at the Coast Guard Baltimore Clinic in Baltimore, Md., Nov. 8, 2013.

Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Annie R. B. Elis.

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Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Lindsey Peters conducts duties as a health services technician at the Coast Guard Baltimore Clinic in Baltimore, Md., Nov. 8, 2013. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Annie R. B. Elis.

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WASHINGTON, DC, May 15, 2025 —

Great news – the effort to digitize paper health records that began in November 2022 is now 40% complete! This work began in November 2022 when more than 45,000 paper health records were retrieved from clinics, sick bays, and Unit Record Custodians.

The records are being digitized and uploaded into the Department of Defense Health Artifact and Image Solution (HAIMS) application which makes the records viewable in MHS GENESIS and accessible by the Department of Veterans Affairs for benefits delivery.

The remaining paper health records are being processed for digitization, with efforts targeted to conclude before the end of FY27.

For more information on how to request copies of paper records and more, visit ALCOAST 191/25 (CAC required).

Coast Guard Workforce: ready to submit your content to Gear & Grit? Click here for the submission form (CAC required).

The U.S. Department of Defense is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended in 1998. DoD websites use the WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility standard.

For persons with disabilities experiencing difficulties accessing content on a particular website, please use the form DoD Section 508 Form. In this form, please indicate the nature of your accessibility issue/problem and your contact information so we can address your issue or question. If your issue involves log in access, password recovery, or other technical issues, contact the administrator for the website in question, or your local help desk.