VA Benefits
VA Benefits Guide for Veterans
Understand VA disability claims, ratings, C&P exams, healthcare, decision reviews, and the evidence that supports them.
Benefit topics
Start with the topic closest to your current question.
VA Disability
Service connection, ratings, evidence, and the claim lifecycle.
PACT Act
Presumptive conditions and expanded toxic exposure provisions.
C&P Exams
What a Compensation & Pension exam is and how to prepare.
VA Ratings
How combined rating math works and what it means for you.
Secondary Claims
Conditions caused or aggravated by an already service-connected condition.
Supplemental Claims
Submitting new and relevant evidence after a decision.
Higher-Level Reviews
Requesting a senior reviewer look at the same evidence.
Board Appeals
Appealing to the Board of Veterans' Appeals and the docket options.
VA Healthcare
Enrollment, priority groups, community care, and covered services.
VA Home Loan
Entitlement, funding fee, and long-term ownership strategy.
Family Benefits
CHAMPVA, DEA, survivor, and caregiver program overviews.
Disability and claims deep dives
The concepts that determine how a claim is evaluated.
Understanding VA disability ratings
How a percentage is assigned to a service-connected condition.
Service connection
The relationship between a current condition and military service.
Secondary conditions
Conditions caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition.
VA combined rating math
Why ratings do not add together the way most people expect.
Permanent and Total (P&T)
What P&T status generally means for veterans and families.
TDIU
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability overview.
Special Monthly Compensation
High-level overview of SMC categories.
C&P examinations
Preparing for and understanding the exam process.
Evidence organization
Building a clean, indexed evidence file.
Lay and buddy statements
How personal statements are used as evidence.
PACT Act & presumptives
Toxic exposure presumptive condition overview.
Claim organization library
Templates and worksheets that keep your evidence file clean and consistent.
Free downloads
- VA Claim Evidence Checklist — Track documents, exams, and statements in one place.
- Symptom Journal — Daily template for documenting symptoms and impact.
- C&P Exam Preparation Worksheet — Organize what to communicate at your exam.
Premium downloads
- Lay Statement Template — Structured template for a personal statement.
- Buddy Statement Template — Structured template for a witness statement.
- Migraine Log — Frequency, duration, and functional impact tracker.
- Supplemental Claim Checklist — New and relevant evidence preparation.
- VA Decision Review Worksheet — Compare review lane options side by side.
- C-File Review Worksheet — Systematic review of your claims file.