File your claim on VA.gov, step by step

• Your own Login.gov or ID.me account for VA.gov. Never give anyone your password.
• Your DD-214 and service dates.
• Your list of conditions from My claim, with when each one started.
• Where you got treatment: VA facilities with dates, and private doctors with addresses.
• Your documents saved as PDF or photos, ready to upload.
• Your bank account and routing number for direct deposit.

Go to VA.gov and choose File for disability compensation, then start the online application. Starting it saves an Intent to File for you automatically, which holds your effective date for one year.

Confirm your contact information and your service history. If you served in the Reserves or National Guard, have those dates ready too. Check each date against your DD-214.

Add each condition on your list. For each one, VA asks whether it is new, worse than your current rating, or caused by another service-connected condition (secondary), and asks you to describe what happened in service. Use plain words for symptoms if you don't have a diagnosis name yet. Be accurate and complete.

The form asks about exposures such as burn pits, Agent Orange and other hazards, and about being a prisoner of war. Answer from your service history. If a mental health condition is linked to an event in service, VA may ask for more details about that event.

• VA treatment: list the VA facilities and dates. VA gets these records itself.
• Private doctors: upload the records, or give VA permission to request them (this is the VA Form 21-4142 step).
• Statements: upload your personal statement and any buddy statements.
• Medical opinions and other documents: upload them here.

Add direct deposit, and answer the remaining questions, such as whether you are homeless or at risk of losing your home. If you are, VA can prioritize your claim.

Read every page of the summary. Fix anything that is wrong, then sign and submit. Save or print your confirmation page. Then, on My claim, enter the date you filed.

Check your claim status on VA.gov. You don't need to do anything else unless VA sends a letter asking for more information, so answer any VA letter quickly. VA will usually schedule a C&P exam: your next step here is Prepare for the C&P exam.

• By mail: send VA Form 21-526EZ to Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444.
• In person: bring it to a VA regional office.
• With help: a free accredited VSO can file it with you. Online is usually fastest, and you get a confirmation right away.

It's the same form. For a condition that got worse, choose that it's worse. For a new condition caused by one you're rated for, choose secondary and name the rated condition. Upload recent records that show what changed.

• Leaving off a condition because it seems small.
• Using a different name for a condition than your records use.
• Forgetting to list where you got treatment.
• Not saving the confirmation page.
• Sharing your VA.gov password with anyone, even someone offering to help.

A free accredited Veterans Service Officer can review your application before you submit it. Find free accredited help.