Filing a VA disability claim is a multi-step process that can take several months. Understanding each phase ahead of time — and getting professional help before you start — significantly improves outcomes. This page walks through the full process from preparation through the rating decision and your options if you disagree with it.
VA.gov reports an average processing time of approximately 71 days (as of June 2026), though complex claims or those requiring C&P exams take longer. The steps below reflect the eight-stage process VA uses internally to track claims.
Start Here: Contact a VSO
Before you file anything, contact a Veterans Service Organization (VSO). VSOs provide free, accredited claims assistance — they know the process, the forms, the evidence requirements, and the rating criteria. A VSO representative can file on your behalf, help you gather the right evidence, and represent you if you need to appeal. There is no cost, and no reason to navigate this alone.
Major VSOs — DAV, VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, and PVA — have offices nationwide. State Veterans affairs offices also provide free accredited representation.
Find VSOs and Resources →The Claims Process
Before You File — Gather Records
Per VA.gov, supporting documentation for a disability claim may include:
- ▸VA medical records and hospital records related to your claimed conditions
- ▸Private medical records and hospital reports
- ▸Supporting statements from family members, friends, clergy, law enforcement, or people you served with
- ▸Your DD-214 (discharge papers) — VA will obtain service treatment records, but having your DD-214 readily available helps
VA.gov notes: "We encourage you to send in all your supporting documents along with your claim." You are not required to submit evidence at the time of filing — you have up to one year from the date VA receives your claim to submit additional evidence.
File an Intent to File (ITF)
VA.gov describes the Intent to File as a way to "give you the time you need to gather your evidence while avoiding a later potential start date." Filing an ITF locks in today's date as your potential effective date — meaning if your claim is granted, benefits can be paid back to the ITF date rather than the date you submitted the full claim. You then have one year to file the complete application.
Your VSO can file an ITF on your behalf, or you can file online at VA.gov. Veterans filing online through VA.gov don't need a separate ITF step — the online application preserves the date automatically. See the Effective Date Reference for how ITF affects your back pay.
File the Claim
VA.gov lists five ways to file a disability compensation claim:
- ▸Through a VSO — Recommended — an accredited representative handles the paperwork, ensures everything is complete, and can represent you if you appeal
- ▸Online at VA.gov — Available for disability compensation claims; online filing preserves your date without a separate ITF
- ▸In person — At your nearest VA regional office
- ▸By mail — To the VA Claims Intake Center, Janesville, Wisconsin
- ▸By fax — Using VA-provided fax numbers for domestic or international submissions
If you served within 180 days of your separation date, you may be eligible for the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program, which allows filing before you leave service for faster processing.
Claim Received — VA Confirms Receipt
Online filers receive immediate on-screen confirmation. Mail filers receive a written notice from VA approximately one week after receipt (plus mail time). VA then verifies basic information — name, Social Security number — and contacts you if anything is missing.
Evidence Gathering — Usually the Longest Step
VA.gov describes this as "usually the longest step." During this phase, VA may:
- ▸Ask you to submit additional evidence
- ▸Schedule a C&P exam (see below)
- ▸Obtain private medical records you've authorized VA to collect
- ▸Access your VA medical records
If new evidence surfaces during review, your claim may cycle back to this step. VA.gov advises: submit any additional evidence promptly when requested, but be aware that submitting new evidence restarts the evidence gathering clock.
C&P Exam — If Scheduled
Not every claim requires an exam. If VA needs more information than your records provide, it will schedule a Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam — conducted by a VA provider or one of VA's four contracted exam providers. The exam is not a treatment visit. Missing it without good cause can delay your claim or result in a decision based on existing evidence only.
Read the C&P Exam Guide — what to expect and how to prepare →Rating Decision
After all evidence is reviewed, VA issues a rating decision and prepares a decision letter. Per VA.gov, an approved decision letter will include:
- ▸Your disability rating percentage for each claimed condition
- ▸Your combined disability rating
- ▸Your monthly payment amount
- ▸Your benefit start date (effective date)
A senior reviewer conducts final quality assurance before the decision is issued. Your decision letter becomes available in your VA.gov claims status tool and arrives by mail within approximately 10 business days of the decision.
If You Disagree with the Decision
Veterans with decisions issued on or after February 19, 2019 have three review lanes under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). All three must be requested within one year of the decision date. Your VSO can help you choose the right lane and file the review. The lanes are not mutually exclusive — if one doesn't succeed, you can move to another.
Supplemental Claim
Avg. ~58 days · VA Form 20-0995File a Supplemental Claim when you have new and relevant evidence that wasn't considered in the original decision. Per VA.gov: new evidence is "information we haven't considered before"; relevant evidence "proves or disproves something in your claim." Examples include updated medical reports or statements from fellow service members.
This lane is also used when a legal change — like the PACT Act — creates new eligibility for a previously denied condition. There is no limit on how many times you can file a Supplemental Claim, as long as each one includes new evidence.
Higher-Level Review
Target ~125 days · VA Form 20-0996Request a Higher-Level Review when you believe the original decision contained a factual or legal error — but you have no new evidence to submit. A different, more senior reviewer re-examines the existing record to determine "whether an error or a difference of opinion changes the decision."
An optional informal conference — a phone call with your assigned reviewer — is available once per Higher-Level Review. This lets you identify specific errors for the reviewer's attention. You cannot submit new evidence during this call. You cannot request a Higher-Level Review after a previous Higher-Level Review on the same issue.
Board of Veterans' Appeals
VA Form 10182Appeal directly to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The Board has three dockets — choose based on whether you have new evidence and whether you want a hearing:
If you disagree with a Board decision, you may appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims within 120 days of the Board's decision.
Related Reference Pages
Effective Date Reference →
How your effective date is calculated — and why the ITF matters
C&P Exam Guide →
What to expect at the exam, contractor contacts, and how to get your report
Nexus Letter Guide →
When a nexus letter is required and what it must say
PACT Act & Presumptive Conditions →
Conditions that don't require a nexus letter
Secondary Service Connection →
How to add conditions caused by your existing ratings
Rating Protection Rules →
When and how VA can reduce a rating — and when it can't
Process information sourced from va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim, va.gov/disability/after-you-file-claim, and va.gov/decision-reviews. Processing times as reported by VA.gov as of June 2026. For free claims assistance, find a VSO near you.