Skip to main content
The Veteran Benefit Desk™
Calculator · Pre-Discharge

When can I file my disability claim before I separate?

VA's Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program lets you file 180 to 90 days before separation, so VA can review your records and aim for a decision within 30 days after discharge. Tell us your separation date and we'll tell you which window you're in.

We evaluate against today's date. Update this if your separation date changes.
Your window
You're inside the BDD filing window.
You are 150 days from separation.

You are inside the BDD filing window. Filing now lets VA review your Service Treatment Records, schedule exams, and aim to deliver a decision within 30 days after separation.

Documents to gather
  • Service Treatment Records (STRs) for the current period of service
  • Separation Health Assessment Part A Self-Assessment (downloadable from benefits.va.gov)
  • DD-214 once issued, for all periods of service
  • Any personnel records documenting injuries, illnesses, or events
  • Dental records
  • Mental health records, if applicable
  • Birth certificates for any dependents
  • Direct deposit information (account, name of bank, routing/transit number)
Who is NOT eligible for BDD
  • Seriously ill or injured veterans
  • Veterans who have lost a body part
  • Veterans who are terminally ill
  • Claims requiring a VA exam in a foreign country (other than Landstuhl, Germany or Camp Humphreys, Korea)
  • Veterans awaiting discharge while hospitalized in a VA or military treatment facility
  • Claims that require a character-of-discharge determination
Ineligible for BDD? The standard pre-discharge claim process or the Fully Developed Claim program may still apply.
Next steps
  1. File on VA.gov at https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/, this is the fastest path because VA can pre-populate from your records.
  2. Submit your Separation Health Assessment Part A Self-Assessment and a complete set of STRs at the same time.
  3. Be available for VA exams for at least 45 days after submitting your claim.
  4. Visit your local Transition Assistance Program (TAP) office or BDD Intake Site for in-person help.
VA form
VA Form 21-526EZ, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits
View on VA.gov
Cite this page

Writing about VA benefits? You are welcome to reference this page. Copy the citation below and link back so your readers can verify the source.

VA Pre-Discharge Claim Window Check. The Veteran Benefit Desk. https://veteranbenefitdesk.com/calculators/pre-discharge-check
Window dates are based on VA's published BDD program rules. Final eligibility depends on the records you submit and VA's review.
Rates and rules verified against VA.gov BDD program on August 2, 2026Report an error
Printed from The Veteran Benefit Desk, https://veteranbenefitdesk.com/calculators/pre-discharge-check. Figures reflect this page as published. Rates change each December; confirm current amounts at veteranbenefitdesk.com before relying on them.
We use only strictly necessary, first-party cookies. No advertising or cross-site tracking cookies run on this site. We use limited first-party, cookieless measurement to understand site performance and prevent abuse: no third-party pixels, no ad profiling, and no selling or sharing of personal information for behavioral advertising. We honor Global Privacy Control signals automatically, and if we ever add optional cookies, the choice you save here will govern them. Read our Privacy Policy.