FAQ

Yes. There's no rule against it. The ITF is mostly useful if you AREN'T ready — it preserves your effective date while you gather evidence. If you have everything ready today, just file the 21-526EZ directly.

• Intent to File: instant once submitted.
• Initial claim decision (21-526EZ): roughly 130 days average in 2026.
• C&P exam typically scheduled within 30–60 days of filing.
• Back pay typically arrives 30–60 days after decision.
• First monthly check starts the month after decision.

BDD claims are faster — sometimes decided within 30 days of discharge. Appeals lanes vary: Supplemental ~61 days, HLR ~125 days, Board 12+ months.

Generally one big claim. File comprehensively — every condition you can claim — on a single 21-526EZ. Better to claim 10 and have 3 denied than claim 5 and miss 5 you could have won. Multiple claims for separate conditions each get their own effective date based on filing date.

This is a real decision. Mental health filing on active duty can have command, security clearance, or MEB/PEB implications for some career fields (pilots, special operators, clearance holders). Talk to a Vet Center counselor off-the-record first — Vet Center counseling is confidential. After separation, you have the 1-year window to file with your effective date still backdated.

Use the medical name plus diagnostic code when known. ✅ "Bilateral tinnitus (DC 6260)". The medical name signals to the rater that you understand the rating framework. "Ringing in ears" works too but is weaker.

One form for everything. Section II lets you list multiple conditions. Each gets its own row. You can mix primary, secondary, and increase claims on the same form.

In Section II, select "Secondary" as the claim type for that condition. In the "How does this relate to your service?" field, identify the primary SC condition: "Secondary to my service-connected PTSD, rated at 70%. See attached nexus letter from Dr. Smith dated [date]." Attach the nexus letter.

FDC means you certify you've submitted all evidence and there's nothing else to gather. Check it ONLY if you genuinely have everything ready. If you check it and later need to add evidence, the claim just converts to a standard claim — no penalty. FDC processes slightly faster on average.

Yes. Submit additional evidence and a new statement listing the additional conditions. They'll typically be folded into the same decision. To be safe, also file a new 21-526EZ for the added conditions referencing your pending claim.

Yes. List every period of active service. VA needs the full picture to evaluate eligibility and exposure. Use your DD-214 from each period.

• Your existing private PCP if they're willing. Provide them a draft via our letter generator — many doctors will sign a well-drafted letter once you make the job easy.
• Independent Medical Opinion (IMO) services — Google "VA disability IMO" or "nexus letter for veterans". Cost $300–$2,500. Search by veteran reviews carefully.
• VA-specialized telehealth providers — several offer remote nexus consultations.
• Some VSOs have lists of veteran-friendly local providers.

VA providers generally cannot write nexus letters for VA claims (conflict of interest).

Yes, spouse statements are valid and powerful. No, buddies do not need to be veterans. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of the veteran's in-service events or current symptoms can submit a Form 21-10210. Spouse statements are particularly strong for mental health, sleep apnea, ED, and chronic pain claims.

Request the exam report (you have the right to it). If it's wrong or incomplete, file a Supplemental Claim with a rebuttal Form 21-4138 explaining what was missed or misstated. If the exam failed to address flare-ups, active/passive ROM, or weight-bearing/non-weight-bearing (Mitchell/Correia), argue it was an "inadequate exam" — see inadequate exam doctrine.

• Musculoskeletal: range of motion measured with a goniometer (active and passive, weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing), strength testing, palpation for tenderness, observation of gait/posture.
• Mental health: structured interview, observation, sometimes brief written tests.
• Hearing: Maryland CNC speech test + puretone audiometric thresholds.
• Respiratory: pulmonary function tests (spirometry).
• Cardiovascular: METs (metabolic equivalents) exercise tolerance.

Most exams last 20–60 minutes.

Yes for most exam types. A spouse or buddy can be in the waiting room and may be allowed in the exam room with permission. They cannot answer for you, but they can take notes on what was asked and observed — valuable if the exam is later inadequate.

Log in to VA.gov. Go to "Check your VA claim status." Shows current step, any required action, and estimated decision date. The eBenefits portal is being phased out — VA.gov is the current system.

Three options based on what's in the record:

• If you have new evidence showing more severe symptoms — file a Supplemental Claim.
• If the evidence already in the record supports a higher rating but VA misapplied criteria — file a Higher-Level Review.
• If the C&P exam was inadequate — file a Supplemental Claim with a rebuttal + private DBQ.

You have 1 year from the decision date.

The decision becomes final. But you have options:

• File a new claim for the same condition — this is treated as a fresh claim with a new effective date (no backdating to original).
• File a Supplemental Claim — still possible at any time, but you only get retroactive effective date if you file within 1 year.
• CUE (Clear and Unmistakable Error) motion — no time limit, but hard to win, usually requires an attorney.

Direct deposit usually starts the first business day of the month following your decision. Back pay (lump sum from your effective date to your decision date) is processed separately, typically within 30–60 days.

No. VA disability compensation is not federal income, not state income, not reported on your tax return. Military retirement pay IS taxable; the VA disability portion you receive INSTEAD of retirement (via the VA waiver) is not.

Yes, for schedular ratings. Most rated veterans work full-time. The exception is TDIU (Total Disability Individual Unemployability) — TDIU pays at the 100% rate specifically because you cannot work due to SC conditions. You can earn up to the federal poverty threshold (~$15,000/yr) on TDIU without losing it. See TDIU chapter.

They're separate systems. You can collect both. VA disability is not income for SSDI purposes; SSDI is not income for VA purposes. The criteria differ — VA looks at service-connected impairment, SSDI looks at inability to work due to any condition. Many veterans qualify for both.

Yes, by default. The "VA waiver" offsets retirement pay dollar-for-dollar with VA disability so the disability portion is tax-free. Two programs restore some or all of the offset:

• CRDP — 20-year retirees rated 50%+. Restoration is automatic.
• CRSC — combat-related disabilities, regardless of years served. Must apply through your service branch.

See CRDP and CRSC.

File an Intent to File the day you decide to file. Costs nothing, locks effective date for 12 months. For first-time filers within 1 year of discharge, also use the 1-year post-discharge window. For old denials with potential CUE, consult an attorney — successful CUE backdates effective date decades.

Depends on character of discharge:

• Honorable / General (under honorable conditions): Full eligibility.
• Other Than Honorable (OTH): Possible eligibility — VA evaluates the circumstances of discharge. Many OTHs do qualify after VA character-of-discharge review.
• Bad Conduct / Dishonorable: Generally bars VA benefits, but discharge upgrade may be possible — apply via Discharge Review Board (DD Form 293) or Board for Correction of Military Records (DD Form 149).

You'll go through IDES (Integrated Disability Evaluation System). One consolidated exam process feeds both your DoD rating (for unfit conditions) and VA rating (for everything). See MEB/PEB/IDES chapter.

Mostly yes, but with a key distinction. Active Duty for Training (ACDUTRA) periods are fully covered. Inactive Duty for Training (INACDUTRA — drill weekends) is covered for injuries but NOT for diseases that develop during drill. See Reservist/Guard chapter.

Yes — there's no time limit on filing a claim. You don't lose eligibility just because you separated years or decades ago. Effective date will generally be the date you file (not the long-ago discharge). PACT Act, Agent Orange, and Camp Lejeune presumptions reach back to service in those eras.