VA Claim Process - Self Assessment - Start Here

I hope all is well and you are looking forward to the new year, like I am. If 2018 is the year you finally engage with the VA and talk to them about your service connected disability(ies), #gogetrated here is an overview of the process, to accompany my FB post on the subject (Veterans Tip of the Week – VA Disability – How Do I Get Started?). So filing a disability compensation claim with the VA is simple enough, but it involves several steps and several forms. Below I will outline how I would submit a claim. First Step – Self-Assess: Did something happen to you while in service, that is affecting you now? If the answer is YES, we are then trying to establish a connection between injuries, ailments, incidents, accidents, or events that happened while in service that are affecting you now. The impact of these affects is what we are trying to capture. Each medical, emotional and mental health issue any veteran claims, will have to meet a set of written criteria (https://www.benefits.va.gov/warms/bookc.asp), in order to be assigned a numeric rating – often referred to as a disability rating of xx%. If you think you meet the general criteria above, then the rest is just process and documentation. First forms to be sent in: 1. Complete VA21-0966 Intent to File a Claim – this serves to inform the VA you will be filing a claim within 365 days and establishes the effective date of that claim back to the date the VA processed this form. People send this in first to get the effective date established, then dig in to gathering documentary and medical evidence. 2. Complete VA21-22 Appointment of a Veteran Service Organization as Claimants Representative. Please note, this is not a required step, and you can file a claim completely by yourself, without the VFW. The benefit of using the VFW (or other Veteran Service Organization) is, once they are appointed by you, at the state VFW representative level (not at my level), they can access and review your claim in the VA system, and can intercede on your behalf to help things along. Here are the MA and NH VFW State level Points of Contact. a. Massachusetts VFW Service Officer Mark Allen VFW Department Service Officer John F. Kennedy Federal Building Government Center – Room 1500-C Boston, MA 02203 Office: (617) 303-5690 Fax: (617) 227-2024 Mark.allen3@va.gov b. New Hampshire VFW Service Officer John A. Barrett VFW Department Service Officer Norris Cotton federal Building 275 Chestnut Street Manchester, NH 03101 Office: (603) 222-5780 Fax: (603) 222-5738 John.barrett1@va.gov Second set of forms to be sent in (when ready – within a year of the intent to File form): 3. After you submit the Intent to File, you have time now to gather evidence supporting your claim. This includes Dr. notes, Nexus letters, medical record entries, service record entries, award citations, your statements, buddy statements, etc. Anything that supports your claim and helps clearly establish the service connection for the VA, is a good thing. We can talk about this more. 4. When you have all of your documentation, then it is time to submit your VA21-526EZ Application for Disability Compensation. Most of it is pretty straightforward, identifying who you are, when you served, which branch, etc. Block 13. Is the section where you list the items you are claiming. Your local Veteran Service Officer or VFW Post Service Officer can go over this with you, but basically if you have a current diagnosis for an item use that, otherwise just say what ails you, i.e., left knee pain. 5. Complete VA21-686c Declaration of Status of Dependents – this identifies your dependents and establishes if you will be compensated at the ”with dependents” rate. 6. Complete VA-4138 Statement in Support of Claim – You (or anyone else providing a statement on your behalf) can use the form or use a simple written statement. Keep it to the point, explain what happened, how you were affected then, and how it impacts you now. There are a lot of good examples online. This is a good resource: https://www.veteranslawblog.org/ 7. Complete the VA21-0781 Statement in Support of a PTSD Claim. I don’t have a lot of personal experience with this type of claim, but the same general rules apply. Don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed by the paperwork. You just have to plow through it. Remember you are not alone in this and there are plenty of local resources that can help you if you get stuck. Once you get connected at the state level VFW, they can really facilitate whatever you need to get things done. The VA itself also has resources. In Bedford, MA, @bedfordVAHospital has people dedicated to helping you file your disability claim (https://www.bedford.va.gov/services/Comp_and_Pen.asp). I hope this helps. PM me if you have questions on this or any of your VA benefits. I will do my best to answer your questions. Best of luck for the New Year, Bill Kelly