VA Claim Guides
Plain-language help for filing your VA disability claim — and unlike a static explainer, every guide ends in a free tool that turns the reading into action. No download. No account.
Filing Your Claim
Common Mistakes That Get VA Claims Denied
A large share of initial VA claims are denied — and most denials are preventable. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them before you file.
How Long Does a VA Disability Claim Take?
Why your claim sits, jumps backward, or comes back "deferred" — the VA's 8 phases explained in plain English, and the short list of things that actually need your attention.
Intent to File — Protect Your Effective Date First
Submitting an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) before anything else locks in your effective date while you gather evidence — and it can be worth thousands in back pay.
Secondary Service Connection — Conditions Your Disability Caused
If a service-connected condition causes or aggravates another condition, that second condition is itself service-connected under 38 CFR 3.310. Most veterans leave these claims on the table.
Evidence
Buddy Statements — How to Write One That Actually Helps
A well-written buddy statement can establish an in-service event, a witnessed injury, or when symptoms started. A vague one gets ignored. Here's the difference.
Building Your Evidence Package — The Three Pillars
Every successful VA claim rests on three pillars — a current diagnosis, an in-service event, and a medical nexus connecting them. Here's how to find the gaps before the VA does.
How to Check a Nexus Letter You Paid For (Before You File It)
The VA is now screening private medical opinions for template language, distant providers, and near-identical letters. Here's how to check the nexus letter you bought — before it hurts your claim instead of helping it.
How to Prepare for Your C&P Exam
The Compensation & Pension exam often determines your rating more than any other factor. How you prepare — and what you must never do — can make or break your claim.
Nexus Letters — What They Are and How to Get a Strong One
A strong nexus letter from a qualified provider is often the difference between approval and denial — especially for claims filed years after service. Here's what makes one work.
The VA Is Screening DBQs Now — Here's What It Checks
The VA has started screening Disability Benefits Questionnaires for template language, internal contradictions, and boxes checked without supporting findings. Here's what the screening looks at, and how to check a DBQ before you file it.
Why Template Nexus Letters Get Flagged — and What a Rater Weighs
Mass-produced "fill-in-the-blank" nexus letters are being flagged — for boilerplate language, absent treating relationships, and citations that don't check out. Here's what actually gives a medical opinion weight, and how to get one built right.
Presumptives & Exposure
Appeals & Errors
Clear and Unmistakable Error (CUE) — Revising a Final Decision
CUE is how you undo a final VA decision that contained an undebatable error. There's no deadline to file, and if granted, the corrected decision goes back to the original date — often with significant back pay.
Denied? Your Three Appeal Options Explained
A denial is not the end. Under the Appeals Modernization Act you have three lanes — Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, and Board Appeal. The reason on your denial decides which one. Here's how to choose, and the mistakes that cost veterans six months.
Ratings & Money
Filing for an Increased Rating
If a service-connected condition has gotten worse since your last rating, you can file for an increase at any time. Here's how to document the worsening so it sticks.
TDIU — Getting Paid at the 100% Rate Without a 100% Rating
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) pays at the 100% rate when your service-connected conditions keep you from holding steady work — even if your combined rating is below 100%.
VA Forms
DD Form 214, Explained — Your Separation Document
The DD-214 is the DoD separation document the VA uses to confirm your service dates and character of discharge. Nearly every VA disability claim leans on it — so get a clean copy first.
VA Form 10-10EZ, Explained — VA Health Care Enrollment
VA Form 10-10EZ is the application for VA health care. It's separate from disability compensation — you can enroll in VA health care without a disability rating.
VA Form 10182, Explained — Board Appeal
VA Form 10182 sends your disagreement to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. You pick one of three dockets — Direct Review, Evidence Submission, or Hearing.
VA Form 20-0995, Explained — Supplemental Claim
File VA Form 20-0995 to open a Supplemental Claim when you have new and relevant evidence on an issue the VA already decided. Filing within one year of your decision protects your effective date.
VA Form 20-0996, Explained — Higher-Level Review
File VA Form 20-0996 to ask a senior reviewer to take a fresh look at the same evidence already in your file for a clear error. No new evidence allowed. File within one year.
VA Form 21-0781, Explained — Mental Health Stressor Statement
VA Form 21-0781 is your written account of the in-service event behind PTSD or another mental health condition. As of June 2024 this single form also covers military sexual trauma claims.
VA Form 21-0966, Explained — Intent to File
VA Form 21-0966 is how you file an Intent to File. It locks in your effective date while you finish gathering evidence — and you then have one year to submit the complete claim.
VA Form 21-10210, Explained — Lay/Witness Statement
VA Form 21-10210 is the structured form a buddy, spouse, or fellow service member uses to give the VA a sworn firsthand account supporting your claim — the modern buddy statement.
VA Form 21-22, Explained — Appoint a VSO
Use VA Form 21-22 to appoint an accredited Veterans Service Organization to represent you on a VA claim or appeal — at no cost. Here's what it does and how it differs from 21-22a.
VA Form 21-22a, Explained — Appoint an Attorney or Claims Agent
VA Form 21-22a appoints an accredited attorney or claims agent to represent you before the VA. Here's how it differs from 21-22, and when fees are and aren't allowed.
VA Form 21-2680, Explained — Aid and Attendance / Housebound Exam
VA Form 21-2680 is a clinician-completed exam report used to claim the higher Aid and Attendance or Housebound rate on top of your monthly VA payment.
VA Form 21-4138, Explained — Statement in Support of Claim
VA Form 21-4138 is the form you use to put your own words on the record — your service, your symptoms, or how a condition affects your daily life.
VA Form 21-4142, Explained — Authorization to Release Records
Sign VA Form 21-4142 to let the VA request your records directly from a private doctor, hospital, or clinic. Pair it with 21-4142a, which lists the providers.
VA Form 21-4192, Explained — Employer Information for TDIU
VA Form 21-4192 is sent to your former employers to verify when you worked, what you earned, and why you left — the employer-side companion to a TDIU (unemployability) claim.
VA Form 21-4502, Explained — Automobile Allowance & Adaptive Equipment
If a service-connected disability cost you the use of a hand, foot, or your sight — or caused a severe burn or ALS — VA Form 21-4502 applies for the automobile allowance and adaptive equipment.
VA Form 21-526EZ, Explained
VA Form 21-526EZ is the main application for VA disability compensation. Here's what it is, when to use it, and how to file it for the fastest path to a decision.
VA Form 21-674, Explained — School Attendance for a Child
VA Form 21-674 keeps an 18-to-23-year-old child counted as a dependent on your VA compensation while they're enrolled in an approved school — which keeps the added payment coming.
VA Form 21-686c, Explained — Add or Remove Dependents
Use VA Form 21-686c to add a spouse or child to your VA compensation, or to remove a dependent after a divorce, death, or a child aging out. Dependents can raise your monthly payment.
VA Form 21-8940, Explained — TDIU Application
VA Form 21-8940 is the application for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) — paying at the 100% rate when service-connected conditions keep you from holding steady work.
VA Form 21P-534EZ, Explained — DIC and Survivors Benefits
Survivors use VA Form 21P-534EZ to claim Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), Survivors Pension, or accrued benefits after a veteran's death.
VA Form 22-1990, Explained — Apply for the GI Bill
VA Form 22-1990 is how you apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill, and related VA education programs.
VA Form 26-1880 — Certificate of Eligibility, Explained
VA Form 26-1880 requests your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) — the document a lender needs to confirm you qualify for a VA-guaranteed home loan.
Learn the basics
The 8-step VA claims process
What happens between filing and a decision — and where claims stall.
ReadWhat each rating level means
VA disability benefits at every rating percentage, in plain language.
ReadThe 3 records that decide claims
STRs, your C-file, and C&P exam results — what each one is and why it matters.
ReadThe PACT Act, explained
The biggest expansion of presumptive conditions in decades — who it covers.
ReadThese guides are educational information about the VA claims system — not legal or medical advice, and they do not predict or promise any claim outcome. Regulations and procedures change; always verify current requirements at VA.gov and consult a VA-accredited representative for help with your specific claim.