A field guide to your benefits
Your VA disability guide.
One step at a time.
The VA process can feel like a lot. Let’s break it down—into clear answers, useful tools, and a next step that makes sense for you.
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You don’t have to figure
it all out at once.
- Understand the basics01
What benefits are. Where you fit.
- Build your next step02
Your evidence. Your checklist.
- Move forward informed03
Know your options along the way.
01 / The big picture
First, let’s make this feel simpler.
You don’t need to learn the entire VA system today. Start with what benefits are, then follow the chapter that meets you where you are.
The starting point
What are VA disability benefits?
VA disability compensation is a tax-free monthly payment for eligible veterans with an illness or injury connected to their military service.
Your condition
What you’re experiencing now, and how it affects your life.
Your connection
How that condition relates to your military service.
Your evidence
The records and statements that help tell that story.
Where would you like to start?
Take the path that feels useful right now.
“Service-connected” can mean a few things.
Open a connection type to see what it means.
Direct · A condition linked to your service
An illness or injury began during service or was caused by something that happened during service.
Presumptive · VA recognizes certain connections
For qualifying conditions and service histories, VA presumes the link to service. The condition, location, and service requirements still matter.
Explore VA’s presumptive conditionsSecondary · Connected to another disability
A condition was caused or made worse by a disability that is already service-connected. The relationship needs evidence; having both conditions alone does not establish it.
Explore secondary conditionsAggravation · Service made a condition worse
A condition existed before service, and military service made it worse.
Can a disability rating change over time?
For a rating held at the same level for five years or more, VA must review the whole record and will not reduce it on an examination less full and complete than the one it rests on, and a rating for a disease subject to temporary or episodic improvement will not be reduced on any one examination unless all the evidence clearly shows sustained improvement; these protections do not apply to a disability that has not stabilized and is likely to improve. An evaluation continuously held for twenty years will not be reduced below that level except on a showing that it was based on fraud (38 C.F.R. §§ 3.344, 3.951).
Read § 3.344 · Read § 3.951Go to the source: VA disability benefits and eligibility
02 / Find your starting point
Could I qualify for VA benefits?
Start with three pieces: your service, your current condition, and the connection between them. VA reviews the details of your individual claim.
Your military service
Active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training may qualify. The rules depend on your service and how the condition arose.
A current condition
A physical or mental health condition that affects you now.
A link to your service
Your condition began during service, was made worse by service, or is otherwise linked to your service.
A few situations worth a closer look
The details matter. Open the question that applies to you.
Does my discharge status matter?
Yes. Certain discharge types can affect eligibility. An other-than-honorable discharge doesn’t automatically end the conversation: a VA character-of-discharge review or a discharge upgrade may help.
Explore VA’s discharge review guidanceWhat if I served in the Guard or Reserve?
Duty status matters. Active duty for training can qualify for an illness or injury; inactive duty training generally involves an injury, with limited exceptions for certain acute medical events.
Check VA’s Guard and Reserve benefit requirementsWhat if my condition appeared after service?
A diagnosis after discharge may still qualify if evidence links the condition to service. Some conditions also have presumptive rules tied to exposures or service history.
What if a service-connected disability caused another condition?
That may be a secondary claim. Start by documenting the new condition and the medical evidence connecting it to the disability you’re already rated for.
Read the secondary conditions guidesGo to the source: VA eligibility requirements
03 / Make sense of the numbers
Your rating, in plain English.
VA uses a percentage to describe the severity of a service-connected disability. That rating helps determine your monthly compensation.
What does a rating look like in dollars?
Move the slider to explore the monthly base rate.
Veteran with no dependents. Effective December 1, 2025. Dependent allowances may apply at 30% or higher.
Include your household in the estimateSee all 2026 base compensation rates
| Rating | Monthly payment |
|---|---|
| 0% | $0.00 |
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
The part that surprises most people
Two ratings don’t simply add up.
VA applies the next rating to the portion remaining after the higher rating. Change either number to see it happen.
30% of the remaining 50% adds 15 percentage points. The combined value is 65%, which rounds to 70%.
Two-condition example, without a bilateral factor.
Try the full combined rating calculatorWhat is Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)?
Some qualifying disabilities or care needs may make a veteran eligible for additional compensation. SMC has its own requirements and is not included in the base-rate example above.
Read VA’s SMC rates and requirementsGo to the source: How VA assigns and combines disability ratings
04 / From reading to doing
A little preparation goes a long way.
Gather what you have, note what’s missing, and take the next step. Use this checklist to organize your preparation.
Your working checklist
Let’s get your claim ready.
Your checkmarks stay while you explore these chapters and reset when you reload.
What happens next?
Here’s the filing process, one step at a time.
01 · Prepare and submit your application
File online at VA.gov, mail VA Form 21-526EZ, or get help from an accredited representative. VA also lists in-person and fax options.
02 · Attend a C&P exam if VA requests one
A Compensation & Pension exam helps VA evaluate your claim. Explain your symptoms accurately, including how often they occur and how they affect daily activities. If you can’t attend, contact the scheduler promptly.
What to expect at a VA claim exam03 · Track your claim and respond to requests
Check your claim status and respond if VA asks for more information. Processing time varies; VA publishes its current average on its own website.
Follow your claim and check current VA timing04 · Read your decision letter
Your letter explains what VA decided and why. Keep it with your records. If you disagree, the Appeals chapter explains the review options and their different evidence rules.
What is a Fully Developed Claim?
VA’s optional Fully Developed Claims process lets you submit available private evidence with your application. VA obtains federal records. Check VA’s requirements to see whether this process fits your claim.
See VA’s Fully Developed Claims requirementsGo to the source: VA’s filing and evidence guidance
05 / Look a little closer
Start with what you’re experiencing.
Each condition guide explains the rating criteria, evidence, and exam details. Find a familiar starting point, then explore what applies to you.
9 starter guides to explore
Physical Conditions
Mental Health Conditions
06 / Know your options
A decision isn’t always the last word.
If you disagree with a VA decision, start with the reason in your letter. Then compare the review options below.
Three ways to request another look
Which one fits is decided by why you were turned down, not by which sounds strongest. Read the reason in your own letter first.
01YOU HAVE NEW AND RELEVANT EVIDENCESupplemental Claim
You have something VA did not have: a medical opinion, a completed Disability Benefits Questionnaire, records nobody sent. Or a change in law, such as a condition newly on a presumptive list, now covers what was denied.
- Evidence:
- It takes new and relevant evidence, or a change in law, which VA accepts without new evidence; a compensation claim still needs medical evidence of the condition and its severity. New means it was not already in the file; relevant means it tends to prove or disprove something at issue.
- Deadline:
- None. A supplemental claim may be filed at any time after a decision, and the one-year window decides the money rather than the door.
- Worth knowing:
- Filing one turns VA's duty to assist back on, so it will help gather the evidence the claim needs rather than waiting for you to produce it.
02YOU WANT THE EXISTING RECORD REVIEWEDHigher-Level Review
Nothing new to add, but the decision got the existing record wrong. An experienced adjudicator who did not work the first one looks again.
- Evidence:
- None is allowed. The reviewer may not consider additional evidence, and the informal conference does not receive any either, so a document sent here is outside the record the reviewer may read.
- Deadline:
- One year from the decision on your claim or on a supplemental claim.
- Worth knowing:
- The reviewer will not make the outcome worse based only on a difference of opinion. That is in the regulation, and it is the fear that stops people filing.
03YOU WANT A VETERANS LAW JUDGE TO REVIEW ITBoard Appeal
A Veterans Law Judge reviews it. You pick one of three dockets (the queue your appeal waits in) on the form itself, and the choice decides what evidence the judge may see.
- Evidence:
- Direct review is the record as it already stands. Evidence submission takes more with the form and for ninety days after it. A hearing takes more at the hearing and for ninety days after that.
- Deadline:
- One year from the decision on your claim, a supplemental claim, or a higher-level review.
- Worth knowing:
- The docket is picked on the form, and can be changed for a short while after, but not once you have sent evidence or testimony. It is the same law either way: what is being chosen is what the judge may look at.
How long does a review take?
VA publishes a goal for each lane on that lane's own page and updates it, so the current figure is on those pages rather than typed here. Every one of them is a goal for the average case and none of them is a promise about yours.
You can ask for help with this.
VSO representatives help with claims and appeals free of charge. You can also explore VA-accredited attorneys and claims agents; fees are subject to VA rules. Representation is optional.
Keep your next step close
You don’t need every answer.
Just a place to start.
Try the calculator, explore a condition, or save this guide for when you’re ready.
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