Disability compensation
Separate service connection from severity before choosing a claim or review.
A current condition
Records and other relevant evidence can describe the condition you have now. The condition’s relationship to service and its evaluated severity are separate questions.
What happened during service
Identify the event, injury or illness relevant to the claim and where supporting records or first-hand statements may be found.
How the condition relates to service
The evidence must address the applicable service-connection requirements. Direct, secondary and presumptive situations have different requirements; not every claim needs the same proof.
Check whether VA already decided this issue
A new condition, later worsening and review of an earlier decision do not always use the same application. Read the instructions for the situation before choosing a form.
Service connection and severity
Service connection is the general question of whether a condition is connected to military service under VA rules. A disability evaluation addresses severity under the rating schedule. They are related but distinct concepts.
Different routes to service connection
Different situations have different requirements. VA’s eligibility and evidence pages describe direct claims, preexisting conditions made worse by service, and other categories including presumptive conditions.
Find the applicable evidence guidance
The requirements for a particular claim type appear in VA’s eligibility and evidence guidance. An accredited representative can help with an individual claim.
Example
Fictional example: Morgan wants VA to consider a shoulder condition it has never decided. Casey already has a service-connected knee condition that has worsened. Devon disagrees with an earlier knee decision. Morgan reads the first/new-claim instructions, Casey reads the increase instructions, and Devon compares decision-review options. The history of the particular issue changes the instructions each person needs.