Reclaim The Records is a non-profit organization that successfully obtained and made available the BIRLS database online, including data on more than 18 million deceased American veterans who received veterans benefits. The VA initially denied their FOIA requests for privacy reasons, but after a lengthy legal battle, the data was finally released in 2022. Notably, the BIRLS database can be used to request full VA claims files for veterans, allowing access to valuable historical information. This resource fills a significant gap in accessing records of veterans from various conflicts, highlighting the importance of public access to historical data.
https://www.birls.org