Birls
Provides a free, searchable index of deceased US veterans' biographical data, enabling FOIA requests for full claims files.
The BIRLS Database is a free, publicly searchable index of over 19.5 million deceased US veterans, originally maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It solves the problem of inaccessible veteran records by providing basic biographical information and enabling FOIA requests for full claims files. It is aimed at historians, journalists, genealogists, and the general public, as well as government and nonprofit researchers. The data is delivered as an open, downloadable dataset, made available through a successful FOIA lawsuit by Reclaim The Records.
Key features
- Search by name, including nicknames and misspellings
- Search by middle name and surname
- Optional fields for all search criteria
- Downloadable open data
- Free FOIA request guidance
- Updates with new records
- No social media activity within the last 30 days
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ICP
- Government public sector
- Nonprofits ngos
- Consumers general