Interactive VA Claims Guide
Original Mission Claim guidance organized around the question you are trying to solve—not a copied third-party guide. Each chapter points back to official VA or regulatory sources.
19
Original guide chapters
10
Practice topics
Official
VA / eCFR source links
Interactive
Links into ClaimReady tools
Start Here
Start Here: Map Your VA Claim
Turn a broad benefits goal into separate issues, evidence questions, and next actions.
Claim Foundations
Direct Service Connection
Organize evidence around a current disability, an in-service event/injury/disease, and competent evidence connecting the two when required.
Secondary Service Connection & Aggravation
Develop the relationship between an already service-connected disability and another condition that may be caused or aggravated by it.
Presumptive Conditions & Toxic Exposure
Research whether the Veteran's service, location, exposure, diagnosis, and timing fit a current statutory or regulatory presumption.
Ratings
Increased Rating Claims
Focus on current severity and functional impairment under the rating criteria that apply to the already service-connected disability.
Effective Dates & Retroactive Benefits
Track claim dates, intent-to-file dates, review history, and continuously pursued issues before evaluating an effective-date question.
Understand Rating Criteria
Research the current diagnostic criteria, then compare the evidence to the criteria without turning symptom checklists into guaranteed rating predictions.
Evidence
Build an Evidence Inventory
Create a source-of-truth inventory showing what each document is, where it came from, which issue it supports, and whether it has been reviewed.
Medical Evidence & Medical Opinions
Separate treatment evidence, diagnostic evidence, DBQs, and medical-opinion evidence so each is used for the question it actually addresses.
Personal & Witness Statements
Use first-hand observations to document events, symptoms, frequency, duration, and functional impact without inventing medical conclusions.
Exams
C&P Examination Preparation
Prepare the Veteran to give accurate, complete information about history, symptoms, functional impact, treatment, and flare-ups without coaching a predetermined outcome.
Decisions
Read a VA Decision Letter
Break a decision into issues, outcomes, favorable findings, reasons, effective dates, evaluations, evidence considered, and review-rights information.
Decision Review
Higher-Level Review
Use HLR when the strategy is review of the existing record rather than submission of new evidence, subject to current VA rules and eligibility.
Supplemental Claim
Use a supplemental claim when new and relevant evidence is part of the strategy and the issue is eligible for that review lane.
Board of Veterans' Appeals
Understand the Board lane options, record rules, hearing choices, and the importance of issue-specific strategy before filing a Notice of Disagreement.
Special Topics
TDIU / Individual Unemployability
Develop the factual connection between service-connected disabilities and the Veteran's ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
Proposed Reductions & Severance
Treat a proposed reduction or severance as a time-sensitive procedural matter requiring review of the actual notice and applicable protections.
Records
C-File & Records Strategy
Track requests for service, VA, private, and claims-file records so the case team knows what has been requested, received, reviewed, and remains missing.
Representation
Accredited Representation
Understand the difference between educational software, accredited representation, appointment documents, engagement terms, and fee eligibility.