VA ClaimsHow do I file a VA Disability claim?

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• You can file online. If you sign in to your VA account, they will pre-fill parts of the application based on your account information. That will save you some time.
  • Advantages of filing online
    • Save the application and come back later to finish.
    • You have one year from the date you start or update your application to submit it.
• Provide evidence to support your claim.
  • VA medical records and hospital records relate to your claimed condition or show your rated disability has gotten worse.
  • Private medical records and hospital reports relate to your claimed condition or show your disability has gotten worse.
• If you, or your authorized representative, are requesting VA records pertaining to yourself (i.e., VA claims records, Military Medical Records, etc.), this is considered a Privacy Act request. Your request must contain a wet signature (Ink Pen) and your social security number. Submit your request to the VA Claims Intake Center at Department of Veterans AffairsP.O. Box 4444Janesville, WI 53547-4444Fax: 844-531-7818DID: 608-373-6690
• To check the status of your request, don't hesitate to get in touch with the Centralized Support Division (CSD): Customer Service: 888-533-4558National Call Center: 800-827-1000Fax: 314-253-4193
• If you seek other benefits records maintained by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to include Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, Insurance, Loan Guaranty, or Education Service, records regarding an ancestor who 
• Was a veteran, you must submit your request to the VBA Central Office.
  • Supporting statements from family, friends, coworkers, clergy, or law enforcement personnel with knowledge about how and when your disability happened or how it got worse
  • Information may be in your:
    • Service Medical Records
    • Hospital Records (Generally not included in Service Medical Records and may require FOIA directly to that hospital.)
    • Performance Reports
    • After Action Reports
    • Journals
    • Letters Home
    • Conversations with buddies
    • Incident Reports you were involved in or witnessed.
  • A current physical or mental disability from a medical professional or layperson (someone who's not a trained professional), and
  • An event, injury, or disease that happened during your active-duty service, and
  • There is a link between your current disability and the event, injury, or disease during your service. Usually, we need medical records or medical opinions from health care providers to support this link.
    • Under certain situations, we may conclude that there's a link between your military service and your disability, even if there's no evidence. This usually applies to:
    • A chronic (long-lasting) illness that appears within one year after discharge, or
    • An illness caused by contact with contaminants (toxic chemicals) or other hazardous materials, or
    • An illness caused by your time spent as a POW.
• Documenting your claim, below is my system for going through service medical records.
  • I make a copy of my service medical records on a different color paper, yellow or buff, something easy to read, but it will distinguish it from the original. After receiving my service medical record, the first thing I do is number each page. I then put my original away and worked off the copy.
  • If you know the specific date, it will be easy to find. On the other hand, you don't remember specifically or had symptoms leading up to it. Finding the information may take some detective work, so Watson, the game is afoot.
  • Let's say it's Irritable Bowel Syndrome (your diagnosis).
  • I would start page by page from page 1. Suppose the first thing I run across an entry that supports my claim for IBS is on page 10. In that case, I number it #1, Bracket it in Red, and then on a separate piece of paper, I start to compile my medical evidence index. So I would write Page 10 #1 and a summary of the evidence, do this as you go through all your medical records. When you are finished, you will have an index and an easy way to find your evidence. Study your diagnosis symptoms and look them up. Check common medications for your IBS (your diagnosis) and look for the symptoms noted in your evidence that point to IBS (your diagnosis). If your doctor prescribes meds for IBS (your diagnosis) but doesn't call it that, make them a reference.

 

TIP: Also, you can have a rubber stamp made with your full name, social security number, and address use this stamp at the bottom or top of each page you submit to the Veterans Affairs. It will be easy to see which page goes to which claim if it gets lost.

 

What's the Process

 

Apply

1. Complete this disability compensation benefits form. After submitting the form, you'll get a confirmation message. You can print this for your records.

VA review

1. VA processes applications in the order they receive them. The amount of time it takes to process your claim depends on how many injuries or disabilities you claim and how long it takes VA to gather the evidence needed to decide your claim.

Decision

1. Once VA has processed your claim, you'll get a notice in the mail with their decision.

 

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