The Playbook: seven steps from first filing to final rating
Follow them in order, or jump to where you are now.
Know the rules
Learn how claims are decided, who qualifies, and what a rating pays.
- How VA Disability Claims Work: The Whole Process in Plain English (2026)
- Who Qualifies for VA Disability? Eligibility and the 5 Ways to Get Service Connected
- 2026 VA Disability Pay Chart With Dependents, Plus 2027 Rates
- 2027 VA Disability Pay Chart: Estimated Rates After the 3.6% Increase
- VA Math Explained: How Combined Disability Ratings Really Work (2026)
- Who Can Help With Your VA Claim? VSOs, Attorneys, Claims Agents and Who to Avoid
Build your evidence
Gather the records, statements and medical opinions that prove your claim.
- Intent to File: The 5-Minute Step That Protects Your VA Back Pay
- VA Claim Evidence Checklist: What to Gather Before You File
- How to Get Your VA C-File (Claims File), Online or by Form, and What to Look For
- VA Nexus Letter: What It Is, What Makes One Strong, and When You Need It (2026)
- VA Buddy Statement: How to Write One That Helps a Claim (With Template)
- How to Write a Personal Statement for Your VA Claim (VA Form 21-4138)
- VA DBQ Forms: The Full List and How a DBQ Affects Your Rating (2026)
File the claim
Submit the claim the right way, and on time.
The C&P exam
Prepare for the appointment that carries the most weight.
Read the decision
Understand your rating, your pay and your effective date.
Challenge a bad decision
Pick the right review when VA gets it wrong.
Raise and protect your rating
Add conditions, increase ratings, and keep what you have earned.
- How to File for a VA Rating Increase (and the Risks to Know First)
- VA Secondary Conditions: How to Claim Them and Common Examples (2026)
- TDIU Explained: How to Get Paid at 100% When You Cannot Work (2026)
- Can You Work While Receiving VA Disability? What Is Allowed in 2026
- Special Monthly Compensation (SMC): Pay Above 100% and Who Qualifies (2026)
- Permanent and Total (P&T) VA Disability: What It Means and the Benefits It Unlocks
- VA Rating Reductions: The 5, 10 and 20-Year Rules and How to Respond
VA Disability Calculator
Combined rating, 2026 pay with dependents, SMC, and a roadmap to the next rating level.
Free VA Claim Evidence Checklist
A two-page printable list of what to gather, what to bring to your exam, and what to check in your decision.
Free VA Claim Binder
Twelve printable pages: claim summary, deadline tracker, evidence and call logs, symptom diaries and C&P exam prep.
Condition guides
How VA rates the conditions veterans claim most.
Ratings and EvaluationsVA Disability Ratings by Condition: The Rating Schedule, Body System by Body SystemFind how VA rates your condition. VA disability ratings organized by body system, with our plain-English guides and the official criteria for each.
Ratings and EvaluationsPTSD VA Rating: What Each Level From 0% to 100% Means (2026)How VA rates PTSD under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, what each percentage looks like, and how to prove your stressor.
Ratings and EvaluationsDepression and Anxiety VA Ratings: How They Are Rated and How to Claim ThemHow VA rates depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, how to claim them directly or as secondary to chronic pain, and what evidence helps.
Ratings and EvaluationsSleep Apnea VA Rating: The 50% CPAP Rating and How to Get Service Connected (2026)How VA rates sleep apnea under Diagnostic Code 6847, why service connection is the hard part, secondary claims, and the proposed rule changes.
Ratings and EvaluationsTinnitus VA Rating: Why It Is 10% and How to Get It Service Connected (2026)Tinnitus is rated at a flat 10% under Diagnostic Code 6260. How to prove service connection, what it can lead to, and the proposed rule change.
Ratings and EvaluationsHearing Loss VA Rating: The Rating Chart and the Maryland CNC Test (2026)VA rates hearing loss from two tests, a puretone audiogram and the Maryland CNC word test. See the rating chart, how the test works, and why most get 0% or 10%.
Ratings and EvaluationsMigraine VA Rating: What "Prostrating" Means and How to Reach 30% or 50% (2026)VA rates migraines under Diagnostic Code 8100 by how often you have prostrating attacks. What that means and how to document them.
Ratings and EvaluationsTBI VA Rating: How VA Rates Traumatic Brain Injury at 10%, 40%, 70% or 100% (2026)VA rates TBI (traumatic brain injury) under Diagnostic Code 8045 at 0, 10, 40, 70 or 100%. The 10 areas VA scores, the evidence that helps and what to claim.
Ratings and EvaluationsBack Pain VA Rating: Range of Motion, Flare-Ups and Radiculopathy ExplainedHow VA rates back pain and neck conditions by range of motion, how flare-ups and nerve symptoms add to the rating, and how to prepare for the exam.
Ratings and EvaluationsNeck VA Rating: Cervical Spine Range of Motion, Flare-Ups and Arm Nerve PainHow VA rates neck (cervical spine) conditions from 10% to 40% by range of motion, and how flare-ups and arm nerve symptoms add to the rating.
Ratings and EvaluationsKnee VA Rating: Flexion, Extension, Instability and How Separate Ratings WorkVA can rate one knee under several diagnostic codes at once. How limited flexion, limited extension, instability and meniscus problems are each rated.
Ratings and EvaluationsGERD and IBS VA Ratings: The Criteria Since the 2024 Digestive System ChangesVA changed how it rates GERD and IBS in May 2024. The current criteria for each, what they mean for new and existing ratings, and how to document symptoms.
Ratings and EvaluationsHypertension VA Rating: Blood Pressure Readings, Medication and How to Claim ItVA rates hypertension (high blood pressure) from 10% to 60% under Diagnostic Code 7101. The reading criteria, the medication rule, and how to claim it.
Ratings and EvaluationsType 2 Diabetes VA Rating: Why Most Get 20%, and How 40% WorksVA rates type 2 diabetes from 10% to 100% under DC 7913. Why most veterans get 20%, what 40% really needs, and how complications add separate ratings.
Ratings and EvaluationsErectile Dysfunction VA Rating: Why It Is 0% and How SMC-K Pays Anyway (2026)VA rates erectile dysfunction at 0%, but service-connected ED usually qualifies for SMC-K, $139.87 a month in 2026. How to get ED connected and the SMC-K paid.
Ratings and EvaluationsRadiculopathy and Sciatica VA Rating: Nerve Pain in the Arms and LegsRadiculopathy is rated separately from the spine, for each affected limb. The sciatic nerve and arm ratings from mild to severe, and how to claim it.
Ratings and EvaluationsShoulder VA Rating: Range of Motion, Dominant Arm and Rotator Cuff InjuriesVA rates shoulder conditions mainly on how high you can raise your arm, with higher ratings for the dominant side. The criteria and how to prepare for the exam.
Ratings and EvaluationsPlantar Fasciitis and Flat Feet VA Ratings: Criteria and How to Claim ThemHow VA rates plantar fasciitis under Diagnostic Code 5269 and flat feet under 5276, what each percentage requires, and how to document foot pain.
Ratings and EvaluationsSinusitis and Rhinitis VA Ratings: Criteria, Burn Pit Presumption and EvidenceHow VA rates chronic sinusitis by episodes per year and rhinitis by nasal obstruction, plus the PACT Act presumption for burn pit veterans.
Ratings and EvaluationsAsthma VA Rating: The 10% to 100% Criteria and the PACT Act Presumption (2026)VA rates asthma at 10%, 30%, 60% or 100% from breathing tests and your medication. A daily controller inhaler alone can mean 30%. Plus the PACT Act presumption.
Claims BasicsMilitary Sexual Trauma (MST) VA Claims: Evidence, Markers and Your RightsYou do not need a report to file a VA claim based on military sexual trauma (MST). The evidence VA accepts, including markers, and where to get support.Toxic exposure guides
Presumptive conditions by where and when you served.
Presumptive ConditionsThe PACT Act Explained: Burn Pit and Toxic Exposure Presumptive Conditions (2026)The PACT Act made many cancers and respiratory illnesses presumptive for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins. Who qualifies and how to file.
Presumptive ConditionsAgent Orange Presumptive Conditions and Qualifying Locations (2026)The full list of conditions VA presumes are caused by Agent Orange, every qualifying location and date range, and how veterans and survivors file.
Presumptive ConditionsGulf War Illness Presumptive Conditions: The Full List and How to Claim ThemThe full list of Gulf War illness presumptive conditions: undiagnosed illness, chronic multisymptom illness and 9 infectious diseases, and how to file a claim.
Presumptive ConditionsCamp Lejeune VA Claims: Presumptive Conditions, Eligibility and Family Benefits (2026)Veterans who served 30 days at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between 1953 and 1987 are presumed exposed. The eight presumptive conditions and how to file.Tools, state benefits and reference
The back pay calculator, state benefits, benefits for families, and every term and form explained.
ToolsVA Back Pay Calculator: Estimate Your Retroactive PayFree VA back pay calculator. Enter your effective date, decision date and rating to estimate your retroactive lump sum, using VA's rates for each year.
ToolsVA Decision Letter Decoder: Understand Your Rating Decision and Your OptionsFree VA decision letter decoder. Add your rating decision and see what was granted or denied, the likely reason, your review options and your deadline.
ToolsVA Personal Statement Writer: Build Your Statement in Support of ClaimFree VA personal statement writer. Answer guided questions and get an organized statement for your claim to review, sign and send. Nothing is uploaded.
ToolsVA Conditions A-Z: Every Diagnostic Code in the Rating ScheduleSearch every condition in VA's rating schedule by name, everyday term or diagnostic code, see what a hyphenated code means, and find how VA rates it.
Special BenefitsState Veteran Benefits: What Each State Offers and Where to ApplyState veteran benefits for disabled veterans, from property tax exemptions to tuition waivers, with the official veterans agency for all 50 states and D.C.
Special BenefitsDIC Survivor Benefits: Who Qualifies and 2026 Rates for Spouses, Children and ParentsDIC is a tax-free monthly payment to survivors of veterans who died from service-connected causes. Eligibility, 2026 rates, and how to apply.
Special BenefitsCHAMPVA: Health Coverage for Families of Permanently and Totally Disabled VeteransCHAMPVA is VA health coverage for the spouse, children and survivors of veterans rated permanent and total. Who qualifies, what it costs, and how to apply.
Special BenefitsChapter 35 VA Benefits (DEA): 2026-27 Rates, Eligibility and How to ApplyChapter 35 (DEA) pays spouses and children of P&T or deceased veterans to go to school or train. Who qualifies, 2026-27 rates, time limits, and how to apply.
Special BenefitsVR&E (Chapter 31): VA Veteran Readiness and Employment ExplainedVR&E (Chapter 31) pays for training, college and job help for veterans rated 10% or higher. Who qualifies, time limits, the GI Bill rule, and how to apply.
Special BenefitsVA Housing Grants: SAH, SHA and TRA Grants for Disabled VeteransVA housing grants help disabled veterans buy, build or adapt a home. Who qualifies for SAH, SHA and TRA grants, how much each pays, and how to apply.
Special BenefitsVA Automobile Allowance and Adaptive Equipment Grant: Who Qualifies and How MuchThe VA automobile allowance pays toward a specially equipped vehicle for certain service-connected disabilities. Who qualifies, the amount, and how to apply.
Special BenefitsVA Clothing Allowance: Who Qualifies, How Much, and the August 1 DeadlineA yearly VA payment for veterans whose prosthetic, brace or skin medicine damages clothing. Who qualifies, the amount, the August 1 deadline, and how to apply.
Special BenefitsMilitary Retirement and VA Disability Pay: CRDP and CRSC ExplainedCan military retirees get retired pay and VA disability at the same time? How the VA waiver works, who gets CRDP or CRSC, and how to apply for CRSC.
Claims BasicsVA Claim Glossary: Terms, Acronyms and Forms in Plain EnglishA VA claim glossary: plain-English definitions of the VA disability terms and acronyms you will run into, plus a table of the forms used at each stage.