VA Ready is a reference and calculation tool. It applies the VA's rating rules and combined-rating math to the conditions you enter and links every study to its source.
Seven steps from an eligibility check to the summary you bring to a VSO. The last column shows the plan for each.
| Step | What the app does | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Set your service profile | Record each period you served on its own, with its branch, component, dates and the MOS you held during it. If you went from Active Duty to Guard or served in two branches, add each period, because the VA applies different rules to Active, Reserve and Guard time under 38 CFR 3.6. Add every job you held: conditions merge across all your roles, and the same MOS can belong to more than one period. | Free |
| Build your claim list | Add conditions from the most-claimed list or search all 765 diagnostic codes. Rate each one yourself using the VA's plain-language estimate, or open the full 38 CFR criteria to match your exact symptoms. | Free. Full criteria: Pro |
| See your combined rating | Your combined rating updates using the VA's combined-rating math, which is not simple addition. The bilateral factor is detected automatically, pyramiding warnings appear before you add a condition, and TDIU and P&T are handled at the 100% pay rate. | Free |
| Map your service exposures | Add the bases you served at and the ships, aircraft and vehicles you worked on. The Exposure Calculator cross-references your service against the PACT Act, Camp Lejeune, AFFF / PFAS, K2 and Agent Orange and lists the presumptive conditions that apply, each linked to a primary source. | Free |
| Back it with peer-reviewed research | Open any condition to see the published studies linked to it, sourced from PubMed and the NIH, with key findings and a direct link to the paper. Export a one-condition evidence brief to hand to your examiner. | Pro |
| Get filing-ready | Use plain-language explainers for every VA form, in-depth filing guides, a personalized timeline from your separation date and a claim-readiness score. Keep a dated symptom log and a claim journal of every letter, exam and piece of evidence, and write your C&P exam answers before the appointment. The filing guides are also free to read on this site. How to document a claim → | Free. In-depth filing guides and C&P exam answers in the app: Pro |
| Find free accredited help | Search 8,957 Veterans Service Officer offices near you, sorted by distance, and read what other veterans thought. Then export your full claim summary as a PDF to bring to your appointment or use when you file on VA.gov. | Free. PDF export: Pro |
A wrong rating estimate sets the wrong expectations before you file. In VA Ready, every rating comes from the VA's published math, every criterion is the regulation text, and every study is a citation you can verify.
No. VA Ready is not a chatbot and does not generate answers. Your combined rating comes from the VA's own math, the criteria come from the actual text of 38 CFR, and the research citations are real studies indexed in public databases. Nothing is guessed or invented.
No. VA Ready never touches your claim money. There are no contingency fees and no cut of your retroactive pay. The app is free to use, with an optional flat-price Pro upgrade. Filing your own claim with the VA is always free.
No. VA Ready is an informational tool, not a representative. It does not file claims for you, does not provide legal or medical advice, and is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. For representation, the app helps you find a free VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer.
Your profile, claim list, and reminders stay on your device. There are no user accounts, no cloud sync of personal data, and nothing is sold. Reference content like rating criteria and benefits is fetched read-only over an encrypted connection.
They solve a different problem in a different way. Paid AI claim-prep services generally ask you to upload your service and medical records, then use AI plus staff review to draft a claim package, usually for a fee. VA Ready is a reference and calculation tool: it does not read your records, does not generate claim language with AI, and does not charge a fee tied to your claim. It gives you the VA's own combined-rating math, the actual text of the 38 CFR criteria, peer-reviewed studies, a back pay estimate, and a directory of free VA-accredited representatives, all without an account.
No single tool or service, AI-based or otherwise, should be your only source on a VA claim. Read the governing regulation, and get a free VA-accredited VSO in your corner before you file.
A retired Army Chief Warrant Officer who filed his own claim to 100% P&T built VA Ready. Read the story →
Free to download on iPhone and Android, with no account.