Getting Started
Service Connected
The VA agrees your condition was caused by, or made worse by, your military service.
In practice: Only service-connected conditions are paid. “Service connection” is the thing you're trying to prove on most claims.
Claim
Your formal request for the VA to recognize a condition and assign it a disability rating.
In practice: You can file for a new condition, or to increase an existing rating.
Evidence
Anything that supports your claim — medical records, service records, exam results, and statements.
In practice: Claims are won or lost on evidence, not on how deserving you are.
VSO (Veterans Service Officer)
A trained, VA-accredited representative who helps Veterans file and manage claims — at no cost.
In practice: A good VSO is the single best free resource for a claim. You can appoint one at any stage.
Accredited Agent / Attorney
A claims agent or attorney the VA has accredited to represent Veterans, usually for a regulated fee.
In practice: Fees are generally only allowed after a decision (e.g., on an appeal), and are capped/reviewed by the VA.
Duty to Assist
The VA's legal obligation to help you gather certain records and provide an exam when one is needed.
In practice: It applies on initial claims and Supplemental Claims — not on Higher-Level Review.
Evidence & Exams
Nexus
A medical opinion linking your current condition to your service — the “bridge” a claim needs.
In practice: The magic words are “at least as likely as not,” plus the doctor's reasoning.
C&P Exam
Compensation & Pension exam — the VA-ordered medical exam used to evaluate a claimed condition.
In practice: What the examiner writes heavily shapes your rating. Know what to expect before you go.
DBQ
Disability Benefits Questionnaire — the standardized form used to document a condition's severity.
In practice: A private doctor can complete a DBQ to support your claim.
Lay / Buddy Statement
A written statement from you (lay) or someone who served with or knows you (buddy) describing what they witnessed.
In practice: Powerful for symptoms that aren't in your records — e.g., a buddy confirming an in-service event.
Service Treatment Records (STRs)
Your medical records from active duty.
In practice: The VA pulls these automatically, but keep your own copy — gaps and errors are common.
Ratings & How They're Set
Rating Decision
The VA's written decision granting or denying a condition and assigning a percentage.
In practice: The letter also states your effective date and explains the reasons — read the reasons closely.
Diagnostic Code
The 4-digit code in 38 CFR that tells the VA how to rate a specific condition.
In practice: The code sets which criteria (and which percentages) apply to your condition.
Combined Rating (“VA Math”)
The VA doesn't add ratings — it combines them with a formula, so 50% + 30% is not 80%.
In practice: Use the combined-rating calculator to see your real number.
Staged Rating
Different percentages assigned for different time periods when a condition's severity changed.
In practice: Common on increases and appeals — your back pay may reflect several stages.
Schedular vs. Extraschedular
Schedular ratings come straight from the rating tables; extraschedular is a rare path when the tables don't capture your impairment.
In practice: Most ratings are schedular. Extraschedular needs special referral.
Effective Date
The date your benefits (and any back pay) are measured from — usually when you filed.
In practice: Protecting your effective date is why appeal deadlines matter.
Deferred
The VA postponed a decision on a condition because it needs more development (often another exam).
In practice: Not a denial — it means “not yet decided.”
Money & Status
Disability Compensation
Tax-free monthly payment for service-connected conditions, based on your combined rating.
In practice: Amounts (and dependent add-ons) are set yearly — see va.gov for current rates.
P&T (Permanent & Total)
A 100% rating the VA considers both total and permanent (not expected to improve).
In practice: Unlocks extra benefits (e.g., dependents' education/health) and generally means no future re-exams.
TDIU / IU
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability — paid at the 100% rate when service-connected conditions keep you from substantially gainful work, even if your combined rating is under 100%.
In practice: A key path to the 100% rate for Veterans who can't hold a job.
SMC
Special Monthly Compensation — extra payment for severe disabilities (loss of use, aid & attendance, housebound, etc.).
In practice: Paid on top of regular compensation; several levels (K through R, plus a TBI-specific level T).
Aid & Attendance / Housebound
Added benefits for Veterans who need help with daily activities or are largely confined to home.
In practice: Can raise compensation or pension; also relevant to survivors' benefits.
MAPR
Maximum Annual Pension Rate — the income ceiling used for the needs-based VA Pension.
In practice: Pension pays the gap between your countable income and the MAPR. See va.gov for the current figure.
Rating Protection
Rules that make long-held or stabilized ratings harder for the VA to reduce.
In practice: Ratings held 5, 10, and 20 years get increasing protection.
Connection Types & Appeals
Direct Service Connection
The condition was caused by an event, injury, or exposure during service.
In practice: The most common theory — proven with records plus, often, a nexus.
Secondary Service Connection
A condition caused or aggravated by an already service-connected condition.
In practice: E.g., sleep apnea secondary to PTSD. Needs a nexus to the primary condition.
Presumptive Condition
A condition the VA presumes is service-connected for certain Veterans (e.g., PACT Act toxic-exposure conditions), so you don't have to prove the link.
In practice: If you qualify, you skip the nexus step for that condition.
Aggravation
Service (or a service-connected condition) made a pre-existing condition permanently worse.
In practice: You can be compensated for the amount of worsening, not the whole condition.
Supplemental Claim
An appeal lane where you add new and relevant evidence for a new review (VA Form 20-0995).
In practice: Use after a denial when you have something new, like a nexus letter.
Higher-Level Review
An appeal lane where a senior reviewer re-decides the same evidence — no new evidence (VA Form 20-0996).
In practice: Use when you think the VA erred on the record it already had.
Board Appeal
An appeal to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals (VA Form 10182).
In practice: Three dockets: Direct Review, Evidence Submission, or Hearing.
CUE (Clear and Unmistakable Error)
A motion to reopen a final decision that contained an undebatable error.
In practice: Very high bar — get accredited help before filing.