Step 1 - Create a Universal Login
Step 2 - Create Your VA Accounts
Use the Login you created in the previous step to create an account on all of the following websites. These are the big three that the VA uses for all of your benefits and services.
Step 4 - Register for VA Health Care
Did you know if you served honorably on active duty for at least 36 months and separated or retired honorably, you qualify for VA health care? VA health care meets the minimum coverage of health care needed by law, and in most cases its completely free!
NOTE: Understanding Disability Claims
Did you know that there is never an end date for submitting a claim? You can submit a claim at any time for anything that happened while you served. Even decades after you departed the service! The only draw back is that you wont receive back pay if you didn't submit a claim within the first 365 day after you separated.
Are you still Active Duty? You can submit a BDD claim (Pre-Discharge Claim) between your last 180 and 90 days of service! This means you can get all of the paperwork and appointments completed while you are still active duty! That way your benefits start date is the day you separate!
NOTE: What is "Service Connected"?
Simply put, Service Connected means an injury or illness you received while in the military, OR a preexisting condition that was made worse by your service. Remember, if you get injured or sick, go to medical and get it documented! Documentation is EVERYTHING!
VA Disability Claims
Step 1 - Contact a Veteran Service Officer
The first step to filing a claim is by finding a Veteran Service Officer near you! Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) are trained experts that review your records and help you fill out the paperwork you need to submit for your claim! You can find VSOs through many reputable organizations like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Find one near you by visiting the search tool below!
NOTE: VSO services are free. Beware of paid services. They are usually scams.
Step 2 - Gather & Submit Your Records
Contact every military unit or civilian hospial you've visited while Active Duty, and get copies of all your medical records! One of the top reasons a Disability Claim is rejected is a lack of evidence to support it. The VA needs to see records that an injury or illness happened.
Additionally, if you don't have records of an injury or illness that occured while you were in, you can file something called a Buddy Statement (Form VBA-21-4138-ARE). Buddy Statements are optional documents that allow for a friend, roommate, supervisor, etc. to fill out on your behalf. For example, if you have no record of a knee injury, but one of your coworkers remembers you being injured, they can verify that it happened while in service!
NOTE: Never send the only copy of a document. Always send a copy.
Step 3 - Submit Your Claim
With the help of your VSO, fill-out and submit VA Disability Claim Form 21-526EZ to the VA! This is the form that lists all your injuries or illnesses and gets the ball rolling! You can fill out the form online by clicking on the link below, or send a paper copy to:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444
NOTE: What Happens Next?
Once the VA receives your forms and records, they will upload your claim to the VA website under Claims and Appeals. Then either the VA or a contracting company will reach out to you to schedule your medical exams. Remember to be early for all of your appointments, and if you need to reschedule, do it a couple days before if possible. If you miss an appointment, the VA can throw out your claim and you'll have to start over.
Once all of your appointments are completed, the VA will review your claims and make a decision. This can take months, so be patient! It doesn't hurt to contact the VA or the contracting company to ask if they received everything they need for the claim. They may request additional information or records, which can typically be uploaded electronically on the VA website. Once a final decision and rating is applied, you'll see that on the same Claims and Appeals page!