ACCREDITED CLAIMS PROFESSIONALS

Your next chapter.
The right support.

Find VA-accredited disability lawyers and claims agents. Explore your options, check credentials, and feel more prepared for that first conversation.

Are you a VA-accredited attorney or claims agent? Reach veterans researching claims in your state with a featured listing.

A LITTLE GUIDANCE

The right help for where you are.

Get your bearings before you make the first call.

01Filing your first claim?

Start with free help from an accredited VSO. You can get support preparing and filing your claim without paying a representative.

02Already have a VA decision?

An accredited attorney or claims agent can help you explore your options after a denial, a lower rating than expected, or an effective-date dispute.

03Before you choose someone

Check their name or registration number in VA’s accreditation search. Ask about their experience and get any fee agreement in writing.

When a fee can be charged. An accredited attorney or claims agent may charge for representation only after VA has issued notice of an initial decision on the claim, and only with a power of attorney and a written fee agreement in place. Help with a first claim should not cost you anything. (38 C.F.R. § 14.636)
What VA presumes reasonable. A fee of 20 percent or less of the past-due benefits awarded is presumed reasonable when the representation continued through the decision that awarded them. A fee over 33⅓ percent of past-due benefits is presumed unreasonable. (38 C.F.R. § 14.636)
Who never charges. Recognized organizations (VSOs) and their accredited representatives may not receive fees for representation. An organization's representative is appointed on VA Form 21-22; an accredited attorney or claims agent is appointed on VA Form 21-22a. (38 C.F.R. § 14.636; VA Form 21-22; VA Form 21-22a)
Check accreditation first. Search the person's name or registration number in VA's accreditation search before you sign a fee agreement or a power of attorney. (VA's accreditation search)

A fee agreement is a percentage of your back pay, so first estimate what your rating and back pay could actually be worth.

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