Welcome to the Veterans Re-Entry Search Services

Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) - Terms and Conditions of Use

This secure Web site enables correctional and other criminal justice system entities to identify inmates or defendants who have served in the United States (U.S.) military. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) makes this service available to facilitate its own direct outreach to these Veterans, and to inform the development of Veteran-specific programs in the criminal justice system. VA has authorized your access to this site because you represent a correctional or other criminal justice system entity that seeks to identify Veterans in its inmate or defendant population. To use the site, you will provide the following information on the individuals whose history of military service you wish to inquire about:

1. Name
2. Social Security Number
3. Date of Birth
4. Gender
5. Prisoner/Defendant ID number
6. Cell Location
7. Facility/Court Name
8. Facility/Court ZIP Code
9. Facility/Court State
10. Parole Date
11. Release or Hearing Date

VA will use the information you provide to identify individuals for whom it has a record of military service. Once this process of identification is complete (please allow at least 24 hours), you will be able to access on this secure Web site a list of the booking numbers or prison ID numbers of individuals with a record of military service. VA will also provide its outreach staff with sufficient information to locate and contact individuals identified through this process.

VA makes the following assurances about its use and handling of such data:

1. Data Protection and System Security: VA will protect PII on the VRSS in accordance with all applicable federal laws and regulations, VA policies and procedures, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requirements and guidelines, including, but not limited to, the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a), the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA, 44 U.S.C. §§ 3541-49), 38 U.S.C. § 5701, and VA Directive and Handbook 6500.
2. Breach Notification. VA complies with federal statutes and regulations in reporting data breach and loss of PII, in particular 38 U.S.C. §§ 5721-27.
3. Administrative Safeguards. VA will restrict access to the data transmitted to it via this Web site to only those authorized employees and officials who need it to perform their official duties in connection with the uses of the information described above.
4. Limited Use. VA will use data transmitted to it via this Web site to identify individuals for whom it has a record of military service, and for no other purpose. VA will not use the information in any determination of benefits nor will the PII be added to a Privacy Act system of records.
5. Disposition of Data. VA may retain data pertaining to your use of the VRSS for lawful purposes, such as to perform tests and to conduct and facilitate audits of the use of the VRSS portal.

VA will dispose of PII and data pertaining to your use of the the VRSS portal in accordance with NARA approved records control schedules.