A Veterans Service Officer is a VA-accredited representative who prepares and files your disability claim for free, including your first one. We list 8,957 offices across 56 states and territories. Pick your state to see offices, phone numbers and directions.
New to VSOs? Read what a VSO is, what they do, and how to avoid claim sharks →
Accreditation is not tied to where you live, so a VSO in your home state can represent you while you are stationed or living abroad. Pick the state you claim as your residence and work with them by phone and email; plenty of vets file their whole claim that way from Germany, Japan, Korea, or the Philippines.
Two things worth knowing if you file from outside the United States. Federal Benefits Units at U.S. embassies and consulates handle VA benefits questions overseas and can point you at the right office. And VA can arrange an exam abroad through the Foreign Medical Program, so being OCONUS does not stop a claim from moving.
Filing from outside the U.S.? Read VA benefits while abroad: foreign claims, FMP, overseas exams, and international direct deposit →
Yes. A VA-accredited VSO prepares and files your claim at no cost, including your very first claim. Nobody may legally charge you a fee to file an original claim, and only accredited attorneys, claims agents, and VSO representatives may charge a fee at all, and only after VA has issued a decision.
A VSO is accredited and free. An unaccredited consultant is neither, and typically wants a percentage of your back pay. Fees on a VA claim may only ever come out of past-due benefits, which is why fee-seekers concentrate on that lump sum.
The VSO finder is free in VA Ready for iOS, Vet Ready for Android and VA Ready for Windows, along with the combined-rating calculator and claim list; Pro adds Claim Intel and the in-depth filing guides.