VETERAN CLAIMS GUIDE
VA Disability Guide Library
Find detailed guides to eligibility, service connection, evidence, VA ratings, applications, exams, decisions and appeals.
Browse A Focused Learning Path
40 guides
Adding And Updating Your Dependents
Learn when dependents can affect disability compensation, what records to prepare, and which family changes to report.
5 Min ReadEvidenceAsk for a Buddy Statement That Adds Useful Facts
A witness statement can explain what another person saw during service or in your daily life. Choose witnesses for their firsthand knowledge and give them room to write an independent, accurate account.
4 Min ReadConditionsBack, neck, and joint claims: explain movement, flare-ups, and function
Organize the history of an affected body area and document ordinary limitations, repeated-use effects, and flare-ups without trying to perform your own rating examination.
5 Min ReadAppealsBuild a Focused Supplemental Claim
Address a prior decision with new and relevant evidence, protect important dates, and avoid confusing a review request with an increase claim.
4 Min ReadConditionsBuild A VA Toxic Exposure Claim
Organize service locations, exposure details, diagnoses, and prior decisions into a claim that addresses the right VA requirements.
4 Min ReadEvidenceBuild an Evidence Packet That Answers the Claim Questions
Organize records by what they establish: qualifying service, a current condition, the connection, and severity. A usable evidence packet is more than a large stack of medical pages.
4 Min ReadEvidenceBuild Evidence for a Secondary Disability Claim
A secondary claim asks whether a service-connected condition caused or aggravated another disability. Learn what to identify, what medical evidence can clarify, and how to avoid confusing a new condition with an increase request.
4 Min ReadDecisionsCheck Your VA Claim Status Without Missing a Request
Use the status tool to track practical tasks, understand changes in processing stage, and find the decision when it is ready.
4 Min ReadAppealsChoose and Prepare a Board Appeal
Compare the three Board options, preserve the right evidence window, and keep Board review separate from an appeal to federal court.
4 Min ReadGetting StartedCould You Qualify for VA Disability Compensation?
Begin with your service history, current condition, and possible connection to service. A missing record or a diagnosis years after separation deserves a closer look, not an automatic assumption that you cannot apply.
4 Min ReadApplyingFile Your First VA Disability Claim With a Clear Plan
Move from a list of health concerns to an actual VA application. This guide explains the filing form, evidence choices, submission checks, and the follow-through that matters after you apply.
4 Min ReadRatingsFind and Check Your VA Compensation Rate
Use the official rate tables with the correct rating, dependents, and payment period, then investigate differences without guessing.
4 Min ReadGetting HelpFind Qualified Help With a VA Disability Claim
Choose assistance based on verified VA accreditation, a clear scope of work, and understandable fees. Learn how to find, appoint, and communicate with a representative without handing over control of your personal accounts.
4 Min ReadConditionsGulf War Illness And VA Disability Claims
Understand undiagnosed illness, medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness, qualifying service, and the evidence that helps VA distinguish them.
4 Min ReadGetting StartedHow to Explain a Condition’s Connection to Service
A useful claim connects the current condition to relevant service facts. Learn how direct, presumptive, preexisting, and secondary conditions call for different evidence without relying on a generic claim script.
4 Min ReadRatingsHow VA Combines Multiple Disability Ratings
Follow a worked example, understand final rounding, and check why an additional rating may leave your combined percentage unchanged.
4 Min ReadApplyingIntent to File: Protect a Potential Date and Finish the Claim
An intent to file can preserve a potential starting date while you prepare. Know how to establish it, what confirmation to keep, and why the completed claim still matters.
4 Min ReadConditionsMigraine claims: document episodes and their real-life effects
Build a clear record of headache history, episode frequency, recovery, and work disruption without assuming a symptom count guarantees a VA rating.
5 Min ReadConditionsMST-related claims: care, evidence, and support at your pace
Understand the difference between treatment and compensation, the evidence options for assault-related PTSD, and ways to get help without sharing your experience publicly.
5 Min ReadGetting StartedPACT Act Claims: Match the Condition, Service, and Evidence
The PACT Act expanded benefits and health care for toxic-exposed Veterans. A useful starting point is your diagnosis and service history, followed by the correct new-claim or review process.
4 Min ReadApplyingPlan Your Benefits Delivery at Discharge Claim
BDD can let eligible service members begin the disability process before separation. Plan around the filing window, examination availability, health assessment, and the practical demands of moving to civilian life.
4 Min ReadRatingsPrepare a Claim for an Increased VA Rating
Document what has changed in an already service-connected condition and distinguish a new increase claim from review of an earlier decision.
4 Min ReadConditionsPrepare An Agent Orange Disability Claim
Match the exact service location and medical condition to Agent Orange rules, organize supporting records, and check how a prior denial affects your next step.
4 Min ReadExamsPrepare for a C&P Exam Without Guessing What to Say
A compensation and pension examination helps VA evaluate a claim. Prepare the facts, confirm the logistics, and describe your actual experience without treating the appointment as a performance or a treatment visit.
4 Min ReadAppealsPrepare for a Higher-Level Review
Use the existing record to identify a factual or legal error, organize an optional conference, and understand what a duty-to-assist return means.
4 Min ReadConditionsPTSD and mental health claims: show the connection and daily impact
Understand what supports a mental health claim, how PTSD evidence differs, and how to describe everyday limitations without turning your experience into a checklist.
5 Min ReadDecisionsRead Your VA Decision Letter and Plan the Next Step
Turn a long decision packet into an issue-by-issue action list, with the reasons, evidence gaps, and deadlines kept together.
4 Min ReadDecisionsRespond To A Proposed VA Rating Reduction
Separate proposed and final actions, identify qualified 30- and 60-day protections, and organize evidence about improvement and protected ratings.
5 Min ReadConditionsSleep apnea claims: diagnosis, service connection, and treatment evidence
Understand what a sleep study establishes, what a CPAP prescription does not establish, and how direct and secondary service connection differ.
5 Min ReadRatingsTDIU: When Service-Connected Disabilities Prevent Work
Understand the work-capacity standard, rating thresholds, marginal employment, and the evidence needed for an Individual Unemployability claim.
4 Min ReadConditionsTinnitus and hearing loss: two conditions, different evidence
Separate ringing or other perceived sounds from measured hearing loss, understand VA’s testing requirements, and organize a useful noise-exposure history.
5 Min ReadRatingsUnderstand Effective Dates and Back Pay
Build a dated record of your claim, evidence, and decisions so you can check when an award should begin and what periods VA paid.
4 Min ReadRatingsUnderstand Permanent and Total Disability Status
Separate a total rating from permanence, verify what VA actually decided, and check family benefits without assuming automatic eligibility.
4 Min ReadLiving With BenefitsUnderstand Special Monthly Compensation
Learn how SMC differs from a 100% rating, which daily-care and functional evidence matters, and where to get help checking eligibility.
4 Min ReadRatingsUnderstanding Your VA Disability Rating
Learn what a rating measures, what a 0% award means, and how to check the evidence behind the percentage.
4 Min ReadLiving With BenefitsVA Caregiver And Family Support Options
Compare general caregiver support, PCAFC assistance, dependent compensation, and practical steps for documenting care needs and applying.
5 Min ReadLiving With BenefitsVA Disability And Social Security Disability
Learn why VA and Social Security make separate decisions, how the programs differ, and what veterans should prepare.
5 Min ReadLiving With BenefitsVA Health Care And Disability Compensation
Understand how health care enrollment differs from a compensation claim, and how to check care eligibility without waiting for a rating.
5 Min ReadLiving With BenefitsWorking While Receiving VA Disability Benefits
Separate standard compensation, TDIU, employment support, and Social Security rules before making a work decision.
5 Min ReadEvidenceWrite a Personal Statement That Explains Your Experience
Use your own words to connect dates, symptoms, and daily limitations. A clear personal statement can fill factual gaps without pretending to be a medical opinion or using scripted disability language.
4 Min Read