What Should I Look For in My C-File?

In your C-file, look first at your most recent rating decision and compare its list of evidence considered with what's actually in the file. Then read each C&P exam report and the examiner's reasoning, search your service treatment records for in-service mentions of each condition, note any records VA asked for but never got, and look for issues VA deferred or never decided. Finally, check the dates of your intent to file and claims, since they set your effective date and back pay.

A C-file (claims file) is VA's record of everything on your claims: what you sent, what VA gathered, every exam, and every decision. It can run to thousands of pages, so read it with a purpose rather than front to back. If you don't have it yet, see how to get your C-file.

If you're an accredited representative, see how to review a VA C-file for a practitioner's order of work.

What's in it

Most C-files include some or all of these:

• Rating decisions and decision letters, with the code sheet showing your diagnostic codes, percentages, and effective dates.
• Your claim forms and statements, including any intent to file.
• Service treatment records (STRs) and often service personnel records.
• C&P exam reports and Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), plus any medical opinions VA asked for.
• VA medical records and private records VA obtained or you sent.
• Letters between you and VA, including VA's requests for records and the replies.

1. The decision's evidence list vs. the file

Every VA decision notice must include a summary of the evidence considered, any findings in your favor, and, for a denial, which element wasn't met (38 C.F.R. § 3.103(f)). Use that list:

• Is anything you sent missing from the list? A private doctor's letter, a statement, records you uploaded. If it's in the file but not listed, the rater may not have weighed it.
• What element did VA say was missing? Current diagnosis, in-service event, or the link between them. That tells you what evidence to look for in the rest of the file.
• Write down every favorable finding. A finding in your favor, such as "the evidence shows a current diagnosis," binds later VA decision-makers unless it's shown to be clearly and unmistakably wrong (38 C.F.R. § 3.104(c)). You don't have to prove it again.

2. C&P exam reports and the examiner's reasoning

The exam often carries the most weight, so read every word:

• Does the history match yours? Wrong side, wrong dates, symptoms you reported that aren't recorded.
• Did the examiner review your records? Look for a statement that the claims file or specific records were reviewed.
• Is the opinion explained? "Less likely than not" with no reasoning, or reasoning that ignores your in-service records or your own account, is a problem worth raising.
• Was the right question answered? For example, direct service connection when you claimed the condition as secondary.

See what to do after a bad C&P exam.

3. In-service mentions in your service treatment records

For each condition, search your STRs for the body part, the symptom, or the event: sick call notes, emergency visits, profiles, and your separation exam and report of medical history. A single entry like "knee pain after fall during training" can be the in-service piece of a claim. Also check for conditions your records mention that you've never claimed.

4. Records VA should have gotten

VA has a duty to help you get evidence. It must keep trying to get relevant federal records, including your service treatment records, until they're obtained or further efforts would be futile, and must make at least one follow-up request for private records you identified and authorized (38 C.F.R. § 3.159(c)). If VA can't get records, it must tell you which ones, what it did, and what happens next (38 C.F.R. § 3.159(e)).

In the file, look for:

• Records requests with no reply, or a reply saying records weren't found, with no follow-up.
• Treatment you told VA about (a VA clinic, a private doctor you listed on VA Form 21-4142) that never shows up.
• A "formal finding of unavailability" for service records. Read what VA says it tried.

See duty-to-assist errors.

5. Deferred and unaddressed issues

Check every condition you claimed against the decisions. Look for:

• "Deferred" issues that never got a later decision.
• Conditions you listed that no decision mentions.
• Conditions raised in your records or statements that VA never treated as a claim.

6. Effective-date clues

Your effective date sets your back pay. Generally, it's the date VA received the claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later; if you filed within one year after separation, it can go back to the day after discharge (38 C.F.R. § 3.400). Look for:

• Your intent to file (VA Form 21-0966). If you filed the complete claim within one year of it, the claim counts as filed on the intent-to-file date (38 C.F.R. § 3.155(b)).
• The date VA stamped your claim as received, compared with the effective date on the code sheet.
• Earlier letters or statements that may have mentioned the condition before your formal claim.

See VA effective dates.

Where we fit

Reading a C-file is the part Commander does: the C-File Analyzer reads the file and pulls out your existing ratings, past denials, evidence gaps by condition, and conditions your records mention but that were never claimed, with the pages they're on. It's information to review, not a decision about what to file. For filing a review or an appeal, a free VA-accredited Veterans Service Organization can help. Find an accredited representative.

Frequently asked questions

What is a C-file?

Your C-file (claims file) is VA's record of your disability claims: your claim forms and statements, service treatment records, C&P exam reports, medical records VA obtained, letters, and every decision. You can request a copy with VA Form 20-10206.

What's the most important thing to look at first in my C-file?

Your most recent rating decision. It lists the evidence VA considered, any findings in your favor, and the reason for each denial. That tells you what to look for in the rest of the file.

How do I know if VA missed evidence?

Compare the decision's list of evidence considered with what's in the file and what you sent. Look for records VA requested but never received, treatment you reported that never shows up, and evidence you submitted that the decision doesn't mention.

Can my C-file show I'm owed more back pay?

It can show the dates that matter: your intent to file, when VA received your claim, and the effective date VA assigned. If an earlier intent to file or claim was missed, that may support an earlier effective date. A VA-accredited representative can tell you whether it's worth raising.

What should I look for in my C&P exam report?

Check that the history and facts match yours, that symptoms you reported were recorded, that the examiner reviewed your records, and that any medical opinion explains its reasoning. An unexplained opinion is worth challenging with evidence.