Vetted resources
Hotlines, programs, organizations, guides — curated for veterans, service members, and their families. Crisis-line resources are flagged.
Aid and Attendance is a needs-based monthly benefit for wartime-era veterans and surviving spouses who need help with activities of daily living. The eligibility tests are specific and the benefit is undersubscribed by people who qualify.
Details →The C&P exam is often the single most consequential step in a VA claim. What the examiner is doing, what to bring, what to say, and what to do if the resulting opinion does not match your experience of the condition.
Details →The interaction between military retired pay and VA disability compensation is governed by specific rules. A clear explanation of CRDP and CRSC, what qualifies for each, and how the offset rules actually work.
Details →Free help filing VA disability claims, plus transportation to medical appointments and employment resources.
Details →An intent to file freezes your effective date for up to one year before the formal claim. It takes ten minutes and changes how much back pay you eventually receive. Here is what it does and how to submit one without a representative.
Details →VA rating decisions are written in a particular order, and the parts that matter most are not always the parts that catch the eye first. A short field guide to finding the rating, the effective date, and what the language about future review actually means.
Details →The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 expanded presumptive service connection for burn pit and airborne hazard exposures. A list of the qualifying conditions, the qualifying service periods, and the rule for back pay tied to the August 2022 effective date.
Details →The DD-214 is the single most-referenced document of a veteran's military service. A block-by-block guide to what each field on the form represents and how to correct errors that would otherwise block future benefits.
Details →Reserve and Guard veterans have access to a similar but distinct set of VA benefits, with eligibility hinging on active-duty time and the nature of service. A clean summary of where the rules diverge from active-duty service.
Details →A nexus is the medical link between a current condition and service. It is the element most claims hinge on and the one claimants most often misunderstand. A practical guide to what the VA actually requires and how to assemble it.
Details →Several VA benefits extend to spouses and dependents of veterans both during marriage and after the veteran's death. A map of which benefits transfer, which terminate, and which require separate qualifying conditions.
Details →Apply for, manage, and check the status of VA benefits — disability compensation, healthcare, GI Bill, home loans, life insurance.
Details →VFW-accredited service officers help any veteran file VA benefit claims at no cost — membership not required.
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