Claim guides: 87 VA claim and benefit guides for veterans

VA rates the residuals of a service-connected traumatic brain injury under 38 CFR 4.124a, diagnostic code 8045. Cognitive and subjective residuals are scored on a ten-facet table a…

VA pays disability compensation for posttraumatic stress disorder when a qualified professional has diagnosed PTSD, a traumatic event (the stressor) happened during your service, a…

Tinnitus and hearing loss are claimed together on VA Form 21-526EZ. Service connection needs a current diagnosis, evidence of noise exposure or an ear injury in service, and a link…

Sleep apnea can be service-connected three ways: directly, when it began in service; secondarily under 38 CFR 3.310, when a service-connected condition caused or aggravated it, sup…

Back, neck, knee and ankle conditions are rated under 38 CFR 4.71a mostly by measured range of motion, with pain, weakness, fatigue and flare-ups counted as functional loss under 4…

Migraine is rated under 38 CFR 4.124a, diagnostic code 8100, entirely by the frequency and effect of prostrating attacks: 0% with less frequent attacks, 10% with characteristic pro…

Erectile dysfunction can be service-connected directly (an in-service injury, surgery or diagnosis) or, more often, as secondary to a service-connected condition or to medication p…

Veterans rated less than 100% schedular but unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected conditions can be paid at the 100% disability rate via TDIU…

A military retiree who also receives VA disability compensation normally gives up (waives) retired pay equal to the VA payment. Two programs restore it. Concurrent Retirement and D…

Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is extra VA pay for specific service-connected losses or needs that the regular rating schedule does not fully cover (38 USC 1114; 38 CFR 3.350).…

When a service-connected condition gets worse, you can ask VA for a higher rating by filing a claim for increased compensation on VA Form 21-526EZ — online, by mail, in person or t…

If you have a service-connected disability and use a prosthetic or orthopedic device — or a prescribed skin medicine — that damages your clothing, VA may pay you a yearly clothing …

The VA automobile allowance (38 USC 3902; 38 CFR 3.808) is a one-time payment of up to $27,908.90 (for vehicles bought on or after October 1, 2026) toward a car or other conveyance…

The bilateral factor (38 CFR § 4.26) applies when you have service-connected disabilities at a compensable level (10% or more) in both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. …

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act (signed August 10, 2022) expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and othe…

The PACT Act made more than 20 conditions presumptively service-connected for veterans with a presumption of burn pit or other toxic exposure. Exposure is presumed for service on o…

High blood pressure can be service-connected four ways: as an Agent Orange presumptive condition added by the PACT Act for veterans with presumed herbicide exposure (Vietnam and th…

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is on VA's list of Agent Orange presumptive conditions: a veteran with presumed herbicide exposure needs only the diagnosis. Presumed exposure covers servi…

Veterans, Reservists and Guard members who served at least 30 days total at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina between August 1, 1…

Under 38 CFR 3.317, a Persian Gulf veteran — anyone who served on active duty in the Southwest Asia theater on or after August 2, 1990 — is presumed service-connected for a chronic…

Under 38 CFR 3.309(d), a veteran who participated in a "radiation-risk activity" is presumed service-connected for 21 listed cancers; no proof of cause is needed beyond the service…

Cold injuries — frostbite, non-freezing cold injury, immersion foot (formerly trench foot) and hypothermia — can leave lifelong residuals in the exposed hands, feet, ears and face:…

VA pays several separate benefits to the family of a deceased veteran. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax-free monthly payment when the death was in service, from…

DIC is a tax-free monthly payment to eligible survivors. The death must have been in the line of duty on active duty, training or inactive-duty training; from a service-connected i…

Military retired pay stops when the retiree dies. The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP, 10 USC 1447–1455) lets a retiring service member convert part of that pay into a lifetime, inflati…

The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) shares the cost of health care for the spouse or dependent child of a veteran rated permanen…

Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA, Chapter 35) pays a monthly amount directly to the child or spouse of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled from …

The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship gives the child or surviving spouse of a service member or Selected Reserve member who died on or after September 11, 2001 up…

VA burial benefits come in several pieces, each with its own form. A burial allowance of up to $2,000 for a death related to a service-connected disability (for deaths on or after …

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI, up to $500,000), Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI, $10,000–$500,000) and Family SGLI (spouse up to $100,000, each child $10,000) are…

Veterans Pension is a needs-based benefit, separate from disability compensation, for a veteran who did not receive a dishonorable discharge, served at least 90 days of active duty…

VA Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound benefits are monthly amounts added to a VA pension for veterans and survivors who need another person's help with daily activities, must …

Emergency financial aid applications are paused. See current status and other help: https://warriorsfund.org/programs/emergency/ While applications are paused, this page lists free…

VA does not lend the money; it guarantees part of a loan made by a private lender, which lets eligible veterans, service members and some surviving spouses buy, build or improve a …

An Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan replaces an existing VA-backed home loan with a new VA-backed loan at a lower interest rate, or moves an adjustable-rate loan to a fixed r…

Step-by-step guide for veterans buying a primary residence with a VA or conventional mortgage. The VA Home Loan eliminates the down-payment requirement, but the typical 2-5% closin…

VA offers three adapted housing grants for veterans and service members with qualifying service-connected disabilities. A Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant — up to $126,526 for…

The VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant (38 USC 1717; 38 CFR 17.3100–17.3130) helps pay for medically needed changes to your primary residence, such as ent…

Step-by-step guide for veterans facing or at risk of homelessness, OR seeking permanent supportive housing. 5 paths: National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (1-877-424-3838), HU…

TRICARE For Life (TFL) is Medicare-wraparound coverage for anyone who is TRICARE-eligible — military retirees, their spouses and survivors, and other eligible family members — and …

Most states reduce or eliminate property tax on a disabled veteran's home, but each state writes its own rule: some exempt the whole homestead at a 100% rating or individual unempl…

The America the Beautiful Access Pass is a free lifetime pass for U.S. citizens and permanent residents with a permanent disability that severely limits one or more major life acti…

Under 38 CFR 3.155, an intent to file sets a potential start date (effective date) for disability compensation, pension or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. If you submit it a…

Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) lets a service member on full-time active duty — including National Guard, Reserve and Coast Guard members — file a VA disability compensation …

Under 38 CFR 3.310 a disability that is proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury is service-connected, and so is any increase in a non-service-conn…

A VA decision letter is not the end. Within one year of the date on the letter you can choose one of three decision review options. A Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) is for ne…

A Supplemental Claim is one of the three decision-review options for a VA decision dated on or after February 19, 2019. You can file one if VA decided your claim before, the claim …

Deep-dive on the Higher-Level Review (HLR) appeal lane under the Appeals Modernization Act (in effect since February 19, 2019). HLR is the right lane when the VA misapplied the law…

Deep-dive on the Board Appeal lane under the Appeals Modernization Act (in effect since February 19, 2019). Form 10182 sends your case to the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) — the …

CUE motions under 38 CFR § 3.105(a) and 38 CFR § 20.1400-20.1411 are the VA's most powerful appellate tool — they reopen FINAL decisions with NO time limit and grant retroactive be…

Step-by-step guide for incarcerated U.S. veterans filing VA disability claims. Many incarcerated veterans don't realize they CAN file VA claims — and that pre-incarceration service…

4 ways to check VA claim status: VA.gov online, VA mobile app, calling 1-800-827-1000, or asking your CVSO/representative. Includes what each status code means and how to respond t…

CVSOs (County Veterans Service Officers) are county employees accredited through the VA Office of General Counsel who help veterans, free of charge, file disability claims, PACT Ac…

The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, is the document most veteran benefits start from. Veterans, and the next of kin of a deceased veteran, can ge…

Most VA records are available online: medical records through My HealtheVet on VA.gov, decision letters and claim evidence in the claim status tool, and benefit letters under My VA…

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 3901 and following) gives people on active duty — including Guard and Reserve members on federal active-duty orders — and in some pro…

Federal Veterans' Preference under 5 USC § 2108 and 5 CFR § 211 gives veterans bonus points on competitive federal job applications. 5-POINT PREFERENCE (TP) for veterans with: camp…

Step-by-step guide to finding a job as a veteran. 5 paths: VA Veteran Employment Services (free job placement), federal civil service preference (5-10 points on exams), USAJOBS vet…

Civilian recruiters rarely know what an 11B, an IT2 or a 3D1X2 did, so the work is to restate military duties as civilian occupations, skills and results. The Department of Labor's…

You may be eligible for VA health care if you served in the active military, naval or air service and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. If you enlisted after September 7, 1…

The VA MISSION Act of 2018 (38 USC § 1703, 38 CFR § 17.4010) lets veterans receive care from non-VA community providers when VA cannot deliver care within drive-time and wait-time …

The VA Beneficiary Travel (BT) program reimburses veterans for transportation costs to VA-authorized medical appointments. 38 USC § 111, 38 CFR § 70.10. Two reimbursement types: (1…

The Foreign Medical Program (FMP) pays for medically necessary care that a veteran receives outside the United States for a VA-rated, service-connected disability, for a condition …

Each branch of the U.S. military runs an official program for service members who are seriously wounded, ill or injured — in combat or not — to coordinate their recovery and their …

Women veterans file the same VA Form 21-526EZ as anyone else, but several conditions have their own rating rules. Diseases, injuries or adhesions of the female reproductive organs …

Military sexual trauma (MST) means sexual assault or threatening sexual harassment experienced during military service; it can happen to anyone. VA provides free treatment for any …

Step-by-step guide for women veterans (the fastest-growing veteran demographic — projected to be 18% of all veterans by 2040) seeking gender-specific healthcare and support. 5 path…

VA mental health services cover posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, grief, the effects of military sexual trauma, substance use, sleep and anger problems, and readj…

Verify Wounded Warriors (EIN 86-1336741) as a registered 501(c)(3) public charity using IRS, Candid, Charity Navigator, and ProPublica records.

A Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) is a court-run program — a separate docket, track or court in a state or local system — that supervises veterans facing criminal charges while they…

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31) provides counseling, training, education, job placement and independent-living services to veterans and service members whose se…

The Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) pays up to 36 months of tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance and a books stipend for veterans, service members and some family members. …

Step-by-step guide for transgender + gender-diverse U.S. military veterans seeking sponsored access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). For veterans facing VA-care gaps, TRICARE …

VA provides a full range of substance use treatment for problems from unhealthy alcohol use to life-threatening addiction: medically managed detoxification, drug substitution and c…

Step-by-step guide to free legal help for veterans. 5 paths: free VA-accredited representatives (CVSO, VFW, Legion, DAV — for claims), Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program (for VA …

Step-by-step guide to free tax preparation for veterans + military families. 5 paths: MilTax (free for active + recent veterans through Military OneSource), VITA (Volunteer Income …

The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) supports one Primary and up to two Secondary Family Caregivers of a veteran who has a VA disability rating (in…

Federal VA benefits get the spotlight, but every U.S. state has its own veteran benefit programs that veterans frequently miss: state property tax exemptions, hunting/fishing licen…

Veterans and service members with certain service-connected disabilities can get a one-time VA automobile allowance — up to $27,908.90 for vehicles bought on or after October 1, 20…

You only need one card to show you are a veteran. VA's Veteran ID Card (VIC) is a free digital photo ID for anyone who served on active duty, in the Reserves or in the National Gua…

Veteran license plates are a state benefit, not a VA one, so the plate types, fees, rating thresholds and any parking or registration-fee privileges are set by each state's motor v…

Step-by-step guide to getting dental care as a veteran. Most veterans enrolled in VA health care are not eligible for free VA dental care; VA assigns a dental benefits class based …

Step-by-step guide for family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling) helping a veteran access VA benefits, crisis support, or daily living help. 5 steps covering: how to talk to …

The military services replace medals, ribbons and awards that were lost, stolen or never issued, at no cost to the veteran. Requests for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Spa…

Step-by-step guide for individual donors + corporations + community groups wanting to sponsor care packages for hospitalized veterans through Wounded Warriors' Care Packages progra…

Step-by-step guide for corporate CSR teams + HR + foundation officers exploring partnerships with Wounded Warriors. 5 paths: matching gifts (lowest-friction, immediate), employee g…

A discharge that is not honorable can be reviewed two ways. The Discharge Review Board of your branch (10 U.S.C. 1553) can change the characterization or reason for a discharge on …