If a specialist asks you to bring your VA MRI, call the office and ask, “Do you need the radiologist’s written report, the scan images, or both?” The report explains what the radiologist saw. The images let the specialist look through the scan. A printed report can tell the office that the MRI was done while still leaving it without the pictures it needs for your visit.
Start with the office that needs the scan
Give the scheduler the type of scan, the body part, the approximate date and the VA facility where it was done. Ask whether the office already has the images and can open them. If it still needs a copy, ask how it accepts diagnostic images and when it needs them. Write down the answer. An office that accepts a secure electronic transfer may give you different instructions than one that asks you to bring a disc.
Look up the study in your VA records
Sign in through VA’s medical records page and look under lab and test results for the imaging study. Match the date and body part, especially if you’ve had the same area scanned more than once. Download the report if the office needs it. Where the study offers an image request, request the images as well. VA explains that some studies have an online report even when the images themselves are unavailable online.
VA calls the diagnostic image files DICOM. Its explanation of imaging files and reports describes a downloadable ZIP file for available studies. A screenshot of a thumbnail gives the specialist far less to work with. Ask whether the office wants the original download and how to deliver it securely. You can also use VA’s medical records notification settings to be alerted when requested images are ready.
If you can see the report but can’t get the images
Contact the Release of Information office for the VA facility that holds the record. Through VA secure messaging, choose the team with “Release of Information” in its name if one is available. For a copy for yourself, VA also accepts Form 10-5345a by mail, fax or in person. If you want the facility to send images directly to another provider, ask what authorization and destination details it needs. Use VA’s facility records instructions to find the right office and form.
Here’s a request you can adapt: “I need the images and written report for my left knee MRI from [month and year] at [facility]. My appointment is [date]. What’s the quickest available way for the specialist to receive the full study?” If a community imaging center performed the scan, ask that center where its images are held. Tell the specialist if the appointment is close and confirm whether to keep it while the files are on their way.
Confirm the handoff before you travel
Ask the receiving office to confirm that it can open the study for the correct date. Use its approved transfer method and a private device for downloads. Keep the records out of public posts and resource-directory forms. If you also need help paying for travel to a VA-approved community visit, check FTVA’s appointment travel guide. For a separation document, use the separate DD214 request guide.
Freedom Through Veteran Assistance checked the linked VA instructions on November 13, 2026.