HOW TO FILE A CLAIM

What is a Claim?

A VA claim is a formal request for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as defined in 38 C.F.R. Chapter 1, Part 3. Our Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) throughout Cook County are here to assist you—at no cost—in filing new claims or appeals for VA benefits.

 

What Evidence Must Show for Service Connection

To establish service connection for a disability, the evidence submitted must meet specific criteria under VA guidelines. A successful claim generally requires the following three elements:

  • You had an injury in service, or a disease that began in or was made permanently worse during service, or there was an event in service that caused an injury or disease; AND
  • A current diagnosed medical condition: You have a current physical or mental disability. This may be shown by medical evidence or by lay evidence of persistent and recurrent symptoms of disability that are visible or observable; AND
  • A relationship exists between your current disability and an injury, disease, symptoms, or event in service. This may be shown by medical records or medical opinions or, in certain cases, by lay evidence. This can be completed at the Compensation and Pension Exam. 

Veteran Service Officers can assist in collecting the necessary documentation and personal statements, and in identifying medical evidence that supports your claim for service-connected benefits.

 

Claims Process Overview

VA claims typically follow eight phases:

  1. Claim Received
  2. Under Review
  3. Evidence Gathering
  4. Evidence Review
  5. Preparation for Decision
  6. Pending Decision Approval
  7. Preparation for Notification
  8. Complete

Each step varies based on claim complexity and evidence requirements. Submitting a Fully Developed Claim (FDC) may help speed up the process.

 

Primary Types of Claims

  • Original Claim – First-time filing
  • Increased Claim – Seeking higher rating
  • Special Claim – Includes vehicle grants, temporary 100%, or unemployability
  • New Claim – Not related to any prior service-connected issues
  • Secondary Claim – Caused by an existing service-connected condition
  • Supplemental Claim – Requires new and relevant evidence after prior denial

 

Expedited Claims

Claims may be prioritized for reasons such as:

  • Homelessness
  • Financial hardship
  • Serious or terminal illness
  • Former POW status
  • Medal of Honor or Purple Heart recipients
  • Over age 85
  • ALS diagnosis

 

Track Your Claim

You can track your claim status by calling your VSO at (312) 433-6010, visiting VA.gov, or calling 1-800-827-1000.

Find an accredited representative or VSO

 

 

Get More Information

Play our videos to learn more about how VA disability ratings and compensation work: 
Compensation 101: How did I get this rating? (YouTube)
Compensation 101: What is disability compensation? (YouTube)
Compensation 101: What is service connection? (YouTube)

The VA claim process after you file your claim

Learn about what happens after you file your claim. And find out the average number of days it takes to process a VA disability claim.

How long does it take VA to make a decision?

94.8 days

Average number of days to complete disability-related claims in August 2025

The time it takes to review your claim depends on these factors:

  • The type of claim you filed
  • How many injuries or disabilities you claimed and how complex they are
  • How long it takes us to collect the evidence we need to decide your claim

What should I do while I wait?

You don’t need to do anything unless we send you a letter asking for more information. If we schedule any exams for you, be sure not to miss them. You can check the status of your claim online. The timeline listed there may vary based on how complex your claim is.

Check your VA claim status

What happens after I file a VA disability 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. 

What should I do if I disagree with my VA disability claim decision?

If you disagree with a claim decision that you received on or after February 19, 2019, you can ask us to review the decision. You have 3 decision review options to choose from. 

Learn about your decision review options

More information about disability ratings and payments

VA exams