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First claim, or starting over? The order to do things in, and the words you'll see.
Run by a veteran. Free guides and tools. No runaround, no sales call.
VA claims, in plain English.
Free guides cited to the regulation, tools that read your own letter, and straight answers from a veteran who got denied first.
Start with what you've got
Got a letter from VA, or just starting out? Start here.
Free tool, no signup
Decode my letter
Upload your VA decision and get it back in plain English in about a minute: what was granted, what was denied, and why. Black out your SSN first. We never store it.
Upload your letterOr read it yourself: how to read your letter
Denied or reduced
Your next move
Pick the right appeal lane. Each one affects your effective date differently.
Exams and evidence
Build the claim
What the C&P examiner looks for, and what evidence helps.
See it work
You tell it what happened. It writes that down, and nothing else.
The free claim builder asks about your condition, then drafts a statement from what you told it. Every line shows where it came from, and you can't copy it until you've checked each one.
You're the one signing it, so it has to be yours.
Try the claim builderCheck every line
✓
I hurt my left knee on a jump at Bragg in summer 2012.From your answer to: When did it start?
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I came down hard on a ridge, and my knee swelled up.From your answer to: When did it start?
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A couple times a month, my knee flares.From your answer to: What are your worst days like?
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When it flares, I cannot kneel at all.From your answer to: What are your worst days like?
These flare-ups last maybe 2 or 3 days.From your answer to: What are your worst days like?
1 of 5 lines still to check.
Tools and references
Run the numbers. Check the law.
Calculators
Run the numbers
The real VA math with every step shown. Free, nothing stored.
Reference
The Law Library
The statutes, regulations, M21-1 manual and court decisions VA uses, each one in plain English.
93 free guides
The guide library
Every guide points to the regulation it comes from. Jump straight to your topic.
Also on the site
A book, a membership, and who's behind it.
ASK IT RIGHT, $7.99
Using ChatGPT on your claim? What to black out first, and 12 tested prompts. The Prompt Pack is free.
VA Claims Copilot
The one paid tool, $9.99 a month. Reads your letter and gets you ready to write your own statements. Member login
Who's behind this
We're not a law firm and we're not the VA. The guides and tools are free, and they're for every branch. How we check facts
Right now
If it's heavy right now, start here.
Call 988 and press 1, any time. It's free and confidential. Waiting on VA is rough. Call if it's getting to be too much. There are also free stress worksheets on our sister site, The Rooted Rhythm.
Free email guide
The Denial Decoder
The six terms most likely to be in your denial letter, and what each one wants from you.
More places to go
Everything else
Glossary, Vet Centers, toxic exposure and family benefits are all in the guide library.