Louisiana Free Medical Records for a Disability Claim, Once Per Veteran
From August 1, 2026 no Louisiana provider may charge for records requested to support a VA or state disability claim. The state veterans agency calls it once per facility; the statute says once per veteran.
Also called: medical records, health records, Act 558, HB 609, R.S. 40:1165.1, records fee, disability claim, once per veteran, August 1 2026.
Assembling medical evidence is one of the real costs of filing a disability claim, and Louisiana just removed it, once.
Act 558 of the 2026 Regular Session, from House Bill 609 by Representative Chassion, enacted R.S. 40:1165.1(D). It took effect August 1, 2026. No healthcare provider, healthcare facility, or custodian of healthcare information may charge any fee for the preparation, reproduction, handling, or transmission of medical records when the records are requested by or on behalf of a veteran for the sole purpose of submitting a claim for disability benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs.
Note the scope of what is waived: preparation, reproduction, handling, and transmission. Providers commonly bill all four as separate line items, and all four are covered.
Now the limit, and it is the reason to read the statute rather than the summary. Paragraph (3) says the exemption "shall apply only once per veteran and shall not apply to any subsequent request for medical records regardless of purpose." Once per veteran. Not once per provider, and not once per claim.
The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs described this in its own July 16, 2026 legislative release as "providing a one-time-per-facility fee exemption." That is more generous than what passed. A veteran gathering records from a hospital, an orthopedist, and a mental health provider does not get three free requests; the first one used is the only one. Anyone relying on the department's wording will plan the claim wrong.
The practical consequence is a sequencing decision. Find out what each custodian would charge before you request anything, then spend the single exemption on the largest bill. A decades-long hospital chart is usually the expensive one, and a short specialist record is usually cheap enough to pay for.
Two administrative points. A provider or custodian may require reasonable documentation establishing veteran status and that the request is connected to a disability benefits claim, so bring the DD-214 and something showing the claim. And "veteran" here takes the definition in R.S. 13:5364, which is broad: a former or current member of the United States Armed Forces or the organized militia of the several states and territories, including the National Guard, Air National Guard, Reserves, and State Guard, and commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That definition carries no discharge characterization and no minimum service, so it reaches people the usual state definitions exclude.
A parish veterans assistance counselor can make the request on the veteran's behalf, which the statute contemplates with the phrase "by or on behalf of a veteran."
Thresholds
Thresholds for Louisiana Free Medical Records for a Disability Claim, Once Per Veteran
Gate
Rule
Once per veteran, not once per facility
The exemption applies only once per veteran and does not apply to any subsequent request for medical records regardless of purpose. The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs describes it as once per facility, which the enacted statute does not support. No disability rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.
Records must be for the sole purpose of a VA or LDVA disability claim
The request must be for the sole purpose of submitting a claim for disability benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. The provider may require reasonable documentation of veteran status and of the claim connection.
A broad definition of veteran
Veteran takes the R.S. 13:5364 definition: a former or current member of the U.S. Armed Forces or the organized militia of the several states and territories, including the National Guard, Air National Guard, Reserves, and State Guard, with no discharge characterization or minimum service named.
▲Expands benefitsBars any fee for the medical records a veteran requests for a disability claim.
No provider, facility, or custodian of healthcare information may charge any fee for preparing, reproducing, handling, or transmitting medical records requested by or for a veteran for the sole purpose of a disability claim. The Department of Veterans Affairs legislative release described it as a per-facility waiver; the enrolled act says once per veteran.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.