Lawmakers Tell National Archives to Use Tech Modernization Funding to Fix Veterans’ Backlog Maxxa_Satori/iStock.com email July 26, 2021 02:40 PM ET Congressional oversight chiefs want the National Archives to apply for funding through the Technology Modernization Fund. A bipartisan cadre of Congressional oversight leaders Monday urged the National Archives and Records Administration to apply for funding through the Technology Modernization Fund to reduce a backlog veterans’ requests. The letter asks Archivist of the United States David Ferriero to seek funding through TMF to help clear a backlog of approximately 500,000 unprocessed veteran requests for records at the National Personnel Records Center. The NPRC houses a variety of paper-based and other records necessary for veterans to receive certain benefits, including medical treatment, unemployment assistance and home loans and student loans. Workplace restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic further complicated the agency’s existing issues, according to the lawmakers, but the agency should be digitizing its records processes anyway.