Find the Answer to Your Question
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Reference Desk
Find the Answer to Your Question
Veterans and their families arrive with a question, not a title. Below are the questions asked most often, each pointed to the volume of the library that answers it. Find yours, and go straight to the book that was written for it.
Before You File
Nothing has been submitted yet, or a claim is being built.
“I have never filed a VA claim. Where do I begin?”
“How do I prove my condition is connected to my service?”
“What evidence does the VA actually want to see?”
“What is a nexus letter, and what must it say?”
“How do I write my personal statement?”
“What are the mistakes that get claims denied?”
Common VA Claim MistakesVA 100.3
“Should I file one condition at a time, or several at once?”
VA Disability Power PlaysVA 100.5
“How do I protect my effective date before I am ready to file?”
VA Disability Power PlaysVA 100.5
After You File
The claim is in. The waiting has started.
“I filed and nothing is happening. Is that normal?”
“How long is a VA claim supposed to take?”
“What is a C&P exam, and how do I prepare for it?”
“I received a letter from the VA and I do not understand it.”
“My decision letter arrived. What does it actually say?”
“What happens if my claim is deferred?”
Your Rating and Your Money
A decision has been issued. Now the arithmetic.
“What is my rating actually worth each month?”
VA Disability Ratings GuideVA 200.1
“Why does 30 percent plus 30 percent not equal 60 percent?”
VA Disability Ratings GuideVA 200.1
“What does Permanent and Total status change?”
VA Disability Ratings GuideVA 200.1
“Am I owed back pay, and how far back does it go?”
“How are payments for dependents calculated?”
“What is Special Monthly Compensation, and do I qualify?”
“What is TDIU, and can I be paid at 100 percent without a 100 percent rating?”
“I want a higher rating. How do I ask without risking the one I have?”
“Can the VA reduce a rating I already hold?”
If You Were Denied
A denial, a partial grant, or a rating that does not match the life you live.
“I was denied. What are my options?”
The VA Disability Appeal GuideVA 300.1
“Which review lane should I choose — and how fast is each one?”
The VA Disability Appeal GuideVA 300.1
“How do I find the real reason I was denied?”
The VA Disability Appeal GuideVA 300.1
“How long do I have before my options close?”
The VA Disability Appeal GuideVA 300.1
“Can I use another veteran’s Board decision as evidence?”
The VA Disability Appeal GuideVA 300.1
Conditions and Diagnoses
Specific conditions, and the rules that govern each.
“My service-connected condition caused another problem. Can I claim it?”
“Are sleep apnea, hypertension, GERD, or nerve pain claimable as secondary?”
“I have PTSD. How do I prove the stressor?”
“I experienced military sexual trauma but never reported it.”
“How do depression and anxiety claims differ from PTSD claims?”
“What do I say, and not say, at a mental health exam?”
“What is the path to a 100 percent rating?”
Toxic Exposure
Burn pits, Agent Orange, contaminated water, and the PACT Act.
“I served near burn pits in Iraq or Afghanistan.”
“I was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, Thailand, or offshore.”
“Does the PACT Act already cover my illness?”
“How do I check the current VA presumptive list?”
“I have symptoms but no diagnosis that explains them.”
“Is there still a PACT Act deadline I need to worry about?”
Families and Survivors
Benefits that belong to a spouse, a parent, or a child.
“My spouse was a veteran and has passed away. What are we owed?”
“What is DIC, and does our family qualify?”
“Can we receive DIC if the death was not service-connected?”
“What is CHAMPVA, and how does it compare to TRICARE?”
“Can my children use education benefits through my service?”
“If a surviving spouse remarries, does the benefit stop?”
Living Outside the United States
Benefits carried across a border.
“If I retire overseas, does my VA compensation follow me?”
“Can I receive VA healthcare in another country?”
“How do I have my payment deposited to a foreign bank?”
“Is my VA compensation taxed where I live?”
“Do CHAMPVA and survivor benefits travel with my family?”
Not listed here?
Ask AVOY Veteran Navigator AI™
Describe your situation in your own words. The Navigator will point you to the guidance, the forms, and the volume that fit it.
Ask the NavigatorEvery volume above is available as a PDF edition for immediate download, and in print and Kindle editions on Amazon where released. Browse all seventeen volumes in The VA Benefits Library.