How Do I File a Claim for Veterans’ Benefits?

There are many different types of veterans benefits including benefits for education and training, home loans, vocational rehabilitation and pension.  This article only focuses on applications for veterans’ disability compensation benefits which can be awarded when a veteran has a disease or injury that is caused by, related to or aggravated by military service.

How To File For Veterans Disability Compensation Benefits

Veterans can apply for disability compensation benefits without hiring an attorney.  One way to do so is to apply online through your eBenefits account.  You can also go to the nearest VA Regional Office and complete an application or submit your claim to a Regional Office by mail after you complete the particular form for the type of benefit for which you are applying.  For disability compensation, that would be either VA Form 21-526 Application for Compensation and/or Pension or VA Form 21-526EZ Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation.

The “EZ” version is a simplified version that will get the process started and establish an “effective date,” although there may be additional information sought later by VA that would have been addressed on the longer version.  So, the more complicated form could potentially result in a faster claims decision, although that is never certain when dealing with VA.  Some time after your claim has been filed, you will receive a Rating Decision from a VA Regional Office indicating what, if any, disability the VA has determined is related to your military service.  If you disagree with that rating decision, you can appeal it by filing a notice of disagreement.

Do I Need an Attorney to File For Veterans Disability Compensation?

You do not have to have an attorney to file an application for veterans disability compensation.  We usually recommend for veterans to file the initial application themselves since the VA benefits system is supposed to work for the veteran instead of against the veteran.  Part of that is based on the “duty to assist,” which is VA’s obligation under the law to help veterans identify and obtain evidence supportive of the claimed benefits.

If you are able to secure your benefits without the service of an attorney, that’s wonderful.  Unfortunately, many veterans are denied some or all of the benefits they should receive.  In those cases, an attorney can help appeal the denial (or partial grant of benefits, as the case may be).  These appeals are the primary focus of our firm.  We want to help those veterans who are unable to receive their benefits without our help.

For representing you on the appeal, there would generally be a contingency fee contract with a potential attorney’s fee calculated as a percentage of any back due benefits if we agreed to represent you on the appeal.  Still, you would only pay us if we were successful in recovering benefits for you. We take this approach because it allows veterans to secure the benefits they can without an attorney involved so our work can be focused on those benefits they VA would not have granted otherwise.

Other Questions About Veterans Benefits

For answers to additional questions about veterans’ benefits claims, please feel free to visit the Veterans’ Benefits section of our Questions and Answers page or simply complete the “Need Help” form at the right to get a consultation about your veterans’ benefits claims.

Travis Studdard is an attorney who focuses on representing veterans in VA disability compensation claims.  He regularly writes about issues that are important to veterans and their families.

You can subscribe to his Veterans Disability channel on YouTube.

I can't express enough how great it was to work with Perkins Studdard. They are extremely knowledgeable, professional and keep you aware of everything happening with your case. Very friendly from the front office to Mr. Perkins. I would HIGHLY recommend Perkins Studdard!James Strickland
I recommend Travis for an Veteran that has been dealing with constant denial with claims. He also , cover cost for my nexus letter when I ran into financial troubles , that helped me win my case.edwin Cook
I highly recommend Travis Studdard to represent anyone looking to help with VA claims. The VA is very difficult to deal with when attempting to get benefits from service connected injuries, at least that's my experience. Travis and his team knows the VA system and the legal procedures to help you get what you deserve. Travis was kind and passionate with me throughout this process and therefore, I highly recommend this law firm to represent DAV's.Terry Hembree
Such an awesome team. They spoke to me like a person and helped me through every decision with knowledge.Kevin Collett
Highly recommend this firm. Did exactly what they said they were going to and fairly timely. The VA is sometimes extremely difficult to navigate but this took all the leg work away from me and got me the result I thought was fair.Andrew Boone
Amazing staff, very informed along with excellent communication. Within just a few weeks of work, Mr Studdard was able to make things happen that normally take years! Highly recommendJacob Sylvester
Perkins Studdard LLC is the place you need to be if you have a Workers Comp case going on! Mr. Jason Perkins and his staff get the results that you need. They work with you and fight for you.Coming from another lawyer my husband and I were really surprised and appreciated the communication and honesty and understanding throughout the entire process. My husband loves the videos because they held so much information and helped him understand what what was going on. Thank you so much for representing us!!!Deborah Tompkins
I highly recommend Jason Perkins and the Team at Perkins and Studdard. Jason did a wonderful job on my case and actually got me better results than what I was hoping for. He was always so patient with me and made sure I was understanding every process in my case. He never seemed to mind me asking questions and always gave me straightforward answers. My phone calls to him or his staff were promptly answered or returned and everyone was always so helpful, personable, and respectful. He kept me updated on all the details of my case and sent helpful videos for me to review that were very informative.Dru Vaughn
Helped me when I needed after getting hurt at work. Thank you for everything!The Knight Family
I could not have asked for a better lawyer to represent my worker comp. case. Any questions I had during the process was always answered in a timely manner. Mr. Perkins really cared about insuring that I wasn't being taken advantage of during this process and helped us reach a settlement that I feel comfortable with. I would recommend this firm to my parents or children.syndel Laber

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