Claim Intel
Plain-English analysis of VA policy, evidence standards, and rating criteria — so you understand the system you're navigating.
Guides
In-depth explainers on the documents and claim types that win cases.
The Research & Law Behind Claims
Every study and court case behind these guides — verified, sourced, and clickable. See the evidence base for yourself.
Read the guide Evidence GuidesNexus Letters
The medical bridge between your diagnosis and your service — who can write one and the “at least as likely as not” standard.
Read the guide Evidence GuidesBuddy / Lay Statements
How a witness statement (VA Form 21-10210) corroborates what records can’t — who can write one and what makes it strong.
Read the guide Evidence GuidesPersonal Statements
Telling the VA how your condition actually affects your life, mapped to the rating criteria in 38 CFR Part 4.
Read the guide Claims ProcessSecondary Conditions
When one service-connected disability causes or aggravates another — 38 CFR § 3.310 and the Spicer but-for standard.
Read the guide Claims ProcessCUE Claims
Revising a final decision based on an undebatable error — what clears the 38 CFR § 3.105 bar and what doesn’t.
Read the guideLatest analysis
What Is a Nexus Letter and Why Do You Need One?
What a nexus letter is, when a claim needs one, who can write one, what 'at least as likely as not' means legally, and what separates a strong letter from a weak one.
PTSD Rating Criteria: 30% vs 50% vs 70% vs 100%
Understand the PTSD VA rating criteria for 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%. Learn how symptoms map to each level under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (DC 6847): What VA Raters Look For
The four OSA rating levels under 38 CFR § 4.97, what medical evidence supports each, why the CPAP requirement defines the 50% level, and what the C&P examiner documents.
How to Read Your VA Decision Letter
A plain-English walkthrough of every section of a VA rating decision — where the grant and denial reasoning lives, what the evidence list tells you, and what the appeal deadline language actually says.
What the May 2026 M21-1 Update Implementing Spicer v. McDonough Means for Secondary Claims
In May 2026 the VA updated its adjudication manual to implement Spicer v. McDonough, 61 F.4th 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2023) — which uses a claimant-favorable 'but-for' causation standard for secondary service connection. Here's what it means, in plain English.
Migraine Headaches (DC 8100): Prostrating Attacks and Rating
Migraine VA rating under DC 8100 explained: what 'prostrating attacks' mean, how the VA decides between 10%, 30%, and the 50 percent rating, and how to document.
Hypertension Secondary to OSA or PTSD
Learn how to file a hypertension secondary VA claim linked to OSA or PTSD, how DC 7101 rates high blood pressure, and what your nexus opinion must prove.
GERD Secondary to PTSD: Building the Connection
Learn how to connect GERD secondary to PTSD, what a nexus opinion needs, the role of medication side effects, and how to beat common VA denials.
Lumbar Spine Claims: Range of Motion and Rating Levels
Learn how VA rates lumbar spine claims using forward flexion, ankylosis, DeLuca factors, and neurologic abnormalities — plus what to expect at your C&P exam.
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