How Do I Become a VA-Accredited Claims Agent?

To become a VA-accredited claims agent, you apply to VA's Office of the General Counsel on VA Form 21a, receive an affirmative character and fitness determination, and then score 75 percent or more on VA's written claims agent examination (38 C.F.R. § 14.629(b)). Once accredited, you must complete 3 hours of qualifying continuing legal education within 12 months and certify your admissions and good standing to VA every year.

Accreditation is what allows you to help claimants prepare, present, and prosecute VA benefits claims as an agent. It is decided by VA's Office of the General Counsel, and the regulation, not any outside program, sets the requirements.

Who needs accreditation, and which kind

Under 38 C.F.R. § 14.629(b)(1), no individual may assist claimants in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of VA benefits claims as an agent or attorney without first being accredited by VA. There are three paths:

Agents and attorneys may charge fees under the rules in 38 C.F.R. § 14.636; representatives acting for a recognized organization may not. See VA fee agreements.

Step 1: Apply on VA Form 21a

The application goes to the Office of the General Counsel. The regulation's address is Office of the General Counsel (022D), 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420 (§ 14.629(b)(2)). VA's accreditation page says the form may also be faxed to OGC or sent as a PDF by email to the accreditation mailbox, and links the current form.

Under § 14.629(b)(2), the application asks for:

• Your full name and home and business addresses.
• Military and civilian employment history, including character of discharge if applicable.
• Representation you have provided before any federal department, agency, or bureau.
• Any criminal background.
• Whether you have been found mentally incompetent, hospitalized for a mental disease or disability, or are under current treatment for one.
• Whether you were previously accredited through a veterans service organization and whether that accreditation was terminated or suspended.
• Your education and academic history.
• The names, addresses, and phone numbers of three character references.
• For agents, any physical limitation that would interfere with completing the written examination.
• A certification that you meet the accreditation standards and will abide by the standards of conduct in § 14.632.

You also self-certify every court, bar, or federal or state agency where you are admitted to practice, with identification numbers, and that you are in good standing in each (§ 14.629(b)(4)).

Step 2: Character and fitness

You must show that you are of good character and reputation, qualified to render valuable assistance to claimants, and otherwise competent to advise and assist them (§ 14.629(b)(2)). The regulation lists evidence of a lack of good character, including:

• A felony conviction, or a misdemeanor conviction involving fraud, bribery, deceit, theft, or misappropriation.
• Suspension or disbarment from a court, bar, or federal or state agency on ethical grounds.
• Resigning from a court, bar, or agency while under investigation to avoid sanction (§ 14.629(b)(3)).

VA will not accredit someone who is suspended by a court, bar, or agency and not reinstated (§ 14.629(b)(5)).

Character references. VA's accreditation page says OGC now waits to request any outstanding character references until after the applicant passes the examination, and encourages applicants to collect responses from three professional references themselves and submit them with the 21a.

Step 3: The written examination

After an affirmative character and fitness determination, an agent applicant must score 75 percent or more on a written examination administered by VA. No applicant may sit for it more than twice in any 6-month period (§ 14.629(b)(6)).

VA's accreditation page says:

• OGC offers the examination online to applicants approved to sit for it, several times a year on pre-set dates. As of this guide's update, the next listed date is January 26, 2027, marked tentative; check the page for current dates.
• Topics may include compensation and pension programs, claim procedures, appeals, agents' fees, and waiver of indebtedness.
• OGC recommends studying title 38, United States Code, chapters 1, 11, 13, 15, 51, 53, 59, 71, and 72, and title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, parts 1, 3, 4, 14, 19, and 20, and says the questions are primarily based on those statutes and regulations.

Step 4: VA's decision

The Chief Counsel with subject-matter jurisdiction investigates and decides (§ 14.629(d)).

• If approved, the notification of accreditation is your authority to prepare, present, and prosecute claims before an agency of original jurisdiction or the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
• If not, the notice gives the reasons, an opportunity to submit more information, and any restrictions on reapplying. The final determination may be appealed only to the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

VA's accreditation page does not publish a processing time for applications.

After accreditation

• Initial CLE. Three hours of state-bar-approved CLE covering the topics VA lists, within the first 12 months, then 3 hours on veterans benefits law and procedure no later than 3 years after accreditation and every 2 years after that (§ 14.629(b)(1)(iii) and (iv)). See VA CLE requirements.
• Annual certification. Each year, report your admissions and good standing, and notify VA within 30 days of any change in status (§ 14.629(b)(4)).
• Standards of conduct. Accreditation can be canceled for violating the standards of conduct, charging unreasonable fees, or lack of competence, among the grounds in 38 C.F.R. § 14.633, and it is canceled when a § 14.629 requirement is no longer met (§ 14.633(b)).
• Each client. You represent a claimant once a power of attorney on VA Form 21-22a, signed by both of you, is filed with VA (§ 14.631(a)). To work the file, see how to get a client's C-file as a representative.

Anyone can confirm an individual's status in VA's Accreditation Search, linked from the accreditation page.

A proposed rule published October 11, 2024 (RIN 2900-AR94) would change the CLE timing, including requiring CLE before applying. As of this guide's update, no final rule has been published; check the current text of § 14.629 before you plan around it.

Frequently asked questions

What are the requirements to become a VA-accredited claims agent?

An application on VA Form 21a to VA's Office of the General Counsel, self-certification of your admissions to practice, an affirmative character and fitness determination, and a score of at least 75 percent on VA's written examination (38 C.F.R. § 14.629(b)(1)(i) and (b)(6)).

Do you need a law degree to be a VA claims agent?

The regulation does not require one. Section 14.629(b) sets an application, a character and fitness review, and a written examination for agents. A law degree and bar membership are what distinguish the attorney path, which has no examination.

What is the passing score on the VA claims agent exam?

Seventy-five percent or more. An applicant may not sit for the examination more than twice in any 6-month period (38 C.F.R. § 14.629(b)(6)).

What is on the VA claims agent exam?

According to VA's Office of the General Counsel, topics may include compensation and pension programs, claim procedures, appeals, agents' fees, and waiver of indebtedness, drawn primarily from the title 38 statutes and regulations it recommends studying.

Can a VA-accredited claims agent charge fees?

Accredited agents may charge fees under 38 C.F.R. § 14.636, generally only for work after VA issues notice of the initial decision on a claim and under a written fee agreement. Representatives acting for a recognized veterans service organization may not.