The VA claim process after you file your claim

Claim received

We’ll let you know when we receive your VA disability claim.

• If you file your claim online, you’ll get an on-screen message from us after you submit the form.
• If you mail your application, we’ll send you a letter to let you know we have your claim. You should get this letter about 1 week, plus mailing time, after we receive your claim.

Initial review

We’ll check your claim for basic information we need, like your name and Social Security number. 

If information is missing, we’ll contact you.

Evidence gathering

We’ll review your claim and make sure we have all the evidence and information we need. If we need more evidence to decide your claim, we may gather it in these ways:

• Ask you to submit evidence
• Ask you to have a claim exam
  Learn about VA claim exams
• Request medical records from your private health care provider
• Gather evidence from our VA records

This is usually the longest step in the process.

Note: You can submit evidence at any time. But if you submit evidence after this step, your claim will go back to this step for review.

Evidence review

We’ll review all the evidence for your claim.

If we need more evidence or you submit more evidence, your claim will go back to Step 3: Evidence gathering.

Rating

We’ll decide your claim and determine your disability rating.

If we need more evidence or you submit more evidence, your claim will go back to Step 3: Evidence gathering.

Preparing decision letter

We’ll prepare your decision letter.

If you’re eligible for disability benefits, this letter will include your disability rating, the amount of your monthly payments, and the date your payments will start.

If we need more evidence or you submit more evidence, your claim will go back to Step 3: Evidence gathering.

Final review

A senior reviewer will do a final review of your claim and the decision letter.

Claim decided

You’ll be able to review and download your decision letter in the claim status tool.

We’ll also send you a copy of your decision letter by mail. It should arrive within 10 business days, but it may take longer.