VA, When to file your VA disability claim (including priority and expedited situations)

Types Of Disability Claims And When To File | Veterans Affairs Skip to Content An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you're connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and sent securely. Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now Disability benefits How to file a claim When to file Pre-discharge claim Evidence needed Fully Developed Claims program Standard claims File additional forms for your disability claim In this section Types of disability claims and when to file Find out when you can file your first claim for service-connected benefits. And learn what to do if you want to request more benefits or have new evidence to support a claim we denied in the past. Learn when to file claims Original claim—file your first claim for disability compensation We refer to the first claim you file for a disability as your original claim. You can file a claim up to 180 days before leaving the service: If you have 180-90 days left on active duty , you may be able to file a pre-discharge claim through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program. This may help speed up the claim decision process so you can get your benefits sooner. Find out how to file a pre-discharge claim If you have less than 90 days left on active duty , you can’t file your claim through the BDD program. But you can still file before you’re discharged, and your claim will be processed after separation as a fully developed or standard claim. Learn more about gathering evidence for standard and fully developed claims You can also file a claim for a disability that appears after discharge: This is called a postservice claim. There’s no time limit on filing a postservice claim. But you should know that the process may become more complex the longer you wait. Learn more about disabilities that may be related to your active-duty service but may not appear until after you’ve left the military: Disabilities that appear within 1 year after discharge Disabilities believed to be caused by contact with hazardous chemicals or materials Disabilities related to service in Southwest Asia (Gulf War service) Disabilities related to time spent as a prisoner of war (POW) Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation Increased claim—file a claim for more compensation for a disability that we’ve already determined to be service connected and that’s gotten worse You can file a claim for increased disability compensation if you have a rated service-connected disability that’s gotten worse. You’ll need to submit up-to-date medical evidence that shows your disability has gotten worse. You can file an increased claim to request these changes: An increase in your disability rating More financial support Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation New claim—file a claim for added benefits or other benefit requests related to an existing service-connected disability You can file a new claim to request these changes to your benefits: More financial support Special monthly payments A shift to Individual Unemployability status (a status given to Veterans who are unable to work because of a disability) Learn more about Individual Unemployability Our decision on your new claim will be based only on new evidence (like a doctor’s report or medical test results) that you give us to support your claim. We won’t consider any evidence you may have given us related to past claims. Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation Secondary service-connected claim—file a claim for a new disability that’s linked to a service-connected disability you already have You can file a secondary claim to get more disability benefits for a new disability that’s linked to a service-connected disability you already have. Here are some examples of when you might file a secondary claim: You develop arthritis that’s caused by a service-connected knee injury you got while on active duty. You develop heart disease that’s caused by the high blood pressure we already concluded was connected to your service. Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation Special claim—file a claim for special needs linked to your service-connected disability You can file a special claim to request compensation for special needs. Here are some examples of special needs: A specially equipped vehicle if your service-connected disability prevents you from driving, or Temporary payments if you’re recovering from surgery or other treatment and unable to move, or Increased payments if you can’t work because of your service-connected disability Learn more about special claims Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation Supplemental Claim—provide new evidence to support a disability claim that was denied You can file a Supplemental Claim if you meet all of the requirements listed here. You must meet both of these requirements: We decided your claim in the past, and Your claim isn’t a contested claim Learn about contested claims And you must meet at least one of these requirements: You have new and relevant evidence to submit, or You’re requesting a review of your claim based on a change in law (such as the PACT Act) For example, you might file a Supplemental Claim if you were treated for pain in your elbow while on active duty, but you were denied disability benefits because your VA health exam didn’t find a problem. Then 2 years later, an X-ray of your elbow showed signs of arthritis (a painful swelling and sometimes wearing down of a joint). In this case, you would need to send your new exam and X-ray results to us as new evidence related to the claim. Learn more about Supplemental Claims Programs to help speed up your claim decision If you have 180 to 90 days left on active duty, find out how to file a disability claim through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program to get your benefits sooner. Find out how to use the Fully Developed Claims program to get a faster decision on your disability benefits claim by submitting your evidence (supporting documents) along with your claim. Last updated: May 3, 2024