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Plan Your VA Claim

Six steps, in order, from understanding a claim to getting free help. Every step opens a page that explains it in plain language and links to VA.

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Your six steps1Learn how claims work2Check how ratings combine3Estimate your pay4Build your evidence5After the decision6Get free accredited help
The six steps, in order. You can start at any step.

Where are you right now?

Pick the closest match and start with those pages. You can come back to the six steps below at any time.

I have not filed yetHow a VA disability claim works
How to help your own claim move
What good claim evidence looks like
I filed and I am waitingHow to help your own claim move
Preparing for your C&P exam
Get a copy of your VA claims file
I got a decisionTen reasons claims get denied, and how to fix each
Appealing a VA decision
Effective dates and back pay
I want an increaseWhen to ask VA for a rating increase
Why 50% + 50% is not 100%
Secondary conditions
STEP 1

Learn how a claim works

Start with the basics: the intent to file, the form, the evidence VA must gather and the evidence you must gather, and how ratings are set.

STEP 2

Check how your ratings combine

VA does not add ratings together. It combines them using a table and rounds once, at the end. Knowing this helps you spot a mistake in a decision.

STEP 3

Estimate your pay

See VA's monthly rates for your rating and family, or use the free calculator. It is an estimate, and VA makes the final decision.

STEP 4

Build your evidence

A vague statement is hard for VA to rate. Learn what good evidence looks like, how a secondary condition is claimed, what the VA exam is, and how to get your own file.

STEP 5

After the decision

If the decision is not what you expected, you have options and deadlines. Check the effective date, because it controls where back pay starts.

STEP 6

Get free, accredited help

VA says Veterans Service Organization representatives' help with benefit claims is always free, and that accredited attorneys and claims agents can charge fees. VA's page explains how to find and appoint one.

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