VA claim guides

Submit an Intent to File to protect your effective date. You then have one year to submit the complete claim.

File a VA disability claim 180 to 90 days before you separate, so a rating decision can arrive close to your separation date.

Certain chronic conditions that show up within a year of discharge are presumed service-connected, and your effective date can go back to the day after…

There is no deadline to file a VA disability claim. After the first year most conditions lose the presumptive-period advantage, so you need evidence…

The Compensation & Pension exam produces the examiner's report VA weighs when it rates your condition. This guide covers what to do before, during and…

Service connection needs three things: a current diagnosis, an in-service event, and a medical nexus connecting them.

A nexus letter is a medical opinion that links your current condition to service. This guide covers when you need one, what it must say, and what it costs.

A fully developed claim means you submit all your evidence with the claim. A standard claim lets VA help gather it. This guide covers how to choose.

VA offers three decision review options after a denial: Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, and Board Appeal. This guide explains which fits which…

If a service-connected condition has gotten worse since your last rating, you can file for an increased rating at any time.

Ten mistakes that lead to denials or delays, from leaving conditions off the claim to missing the C&P exam.

The PACT Act (2022) added presumptive conditions for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. This guide covers who…

If a service-connected condition causes or aggravates another condition, that second condition can be service-connected too.

Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability pays at the 100% rate when your service-connected conditions prevent you from holding…

A statement from someone who served with you or saw your symptoms can support an in-service event, injury or onset. This guide covers who can write one…

Submit new and relevant evidence under 38 CFR § 3.2501 and VA reviews the issue again. File within one year of the decision to keep your effective date.

Military sexual trauma claims have unique evidentiary rules under 38 CFR § 3.304(f)(5). "Markers" can establish a stressor when official records are…

Living overseas does not cut you off from VA benefits. Pittsburgh handles most foreign claims, Houston handles Mexico, Central and South America and…

A proposed reduction is not a final decision. You have 60 days to submit evidence and 30 days to request a hearing. If you do nothing, the reduction…

Ratings gain protection with time. After 5 years VA must prove sustained improvement, after 10 years service connection cannot be severed, and after 20…

Total ratings have stricter reduction rules than schedular ratings. VA must show material improvement under ordinary conditions of life, and for TDIU,…

CUE is how you ask VA to revise a final decision that contained an undebatable error. There is no deadline to file, and a granted motion corrects the…

Every claimant has procedural rights at every stage: notice, a hearing, representation, the chance to submit evidence, and a decision based on the…

Permanent and Total (P&T) means a 100% or TDIU rating VA expects to last for life. Your decision letter rarely says it outright. This guide shows how…

A VSO is a VA-accredited representative who helps you file your claim for free. This guide covers what they do, what they do not do, when to get one,…

There is no single "SMC form". VA awards most SMC automatically when your disability qualifies. The exception is Aid and Attendance or Housebound (VA…

You can switch your VA claim representative at any time, with no permission and no reason needed. This guide covers VA Form 21-22, revoking your…

Why your claim sits, jumps backward, or comes back "deferred", plus the VA's 8 phases, realistic timing, what a deferral means, and the deadlines you…

The main application veterans file to claim VA disability compensation for a service-connected condition. File online at VA.gov for the fastest path…

Filing an intent to file locks in your effective date while you finish gathering evidence. You then have one year to submit the complete claim.

Use this form to appoint an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) to represent you on a VA claim or appeal at no cost.

Use this form to put your own words on the record about your service, your symptoms, or how a condition affects your daily life. It is also the form…

Sign this form to give the VA permission to request your records directly from a private doctor, hospital, or clinic. Pair it with 21-4142a, which…

Use this form to add a spouse, child, or dependent parent to your VA compensation, or to remove a dependent after a divorce, death, or a child aging…

File a Supplemental Claim when you have new and relevant evidence on an issue VA already decided. Submitting within one year of your decision letter…

Ask a senior adjudicator to review the same evidence already in your file for a clear error. No new evidence allowed. Must be filed within one year of…

Send your disagreement to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Pick one of three dockets: Direct Review, Evidence Submission, or…

A clinician-completed examination report used to claim the higher Aid and Attendance or Housebound rate on top of your monthly VA payment. The veteran…

The application for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability. If your service-connected conditions keep you from holding substantially…

Your written account of the in-service event that caused PTSD or another mental health condition. As of June 2024 this single form covers PTSD,…

VA discontinued Form 21-0781a on June 28, 2024. Claims tied to military sexual trauma or personal assault now go on VA Form 21-0781, and the…

Use VA Form 21-22a to appoint a single accredited attorney or claims agent (or a one-time non-accredited individual) to represent you before VA. It is…

File this to keep an 18-to-23-year-old child counted as a dependent on your VA compensation award while they are enrolled in an approved school. VA…

The structured form a buddy, spouse, or fellow service member uses to give VA a sworn firsthand account supporting your claim. It is the modern…

Need-based monthly pension for wartime veterans with limited income who are 65+, permanently and totally disabled, in a nursing home, or receiving…

Use this form to claim Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, Survivors Pension, or accrued benefits after a veteran's death. File within one year of…

The enrollment application for VA Health Care. This is separate from disability compensation, you can be enrolled in VA health care without a rating,…

VA Form 22-1990 is how you apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill (Active Duty and Selected Reserve), and related VA education programs.…

Use VA Form 28-1900 to apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31), counselor-driven training, education, or job-placement help for…

Use this form to claim VA burial allowance, plot or interment allowance, and transportation reimbursement after a veteran's death. A surviving spouse…

VA mails this form to your former employers to verify when you worked, how much you earned, and why you left, it's the employer-side companion to your…

File this when you're rated 30% or higher and want to add a parent (biological, step, or adoptive) as a dependent based on the parent's income and your…

If a service-connected disability cost you the use of a hand, foot, or your sight, or left you with a severe burn injury or ALS, you may qualify for a…

VA Form 26-1880 asks VA to issue your Certificate of Eligibility (COE), the document a lender needs to confirm you qualify for a VA-guaranteed home…

DD-214 is the DoD separation document that VA uses to confirm your service dates and character of discharge. Every VA disability claim leans on it, so…