Introduction

Why Use This Site?

Have you moved past your imposter syndrome and considered filing a disability claim but don't know what to do? Have you ever blindly turned to a VSO who filed your claim for you and your subsequent decision letter service-connection denial made you feel like a fool?

Do you know a newly widowed spouse of a Disabled Veteran who passed away? And you want to be the hero who can confidently guide them towards the Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC) they knew nothing about? You could change that survivor's life through knowing and informing them of what DIC is.

Have you thought about giving up on your claim because it's not worth the effort and it's just too confusing? Or maybe you just want to 'know' how the system works in detail behind the scenes. Maybe you feel passionate about guiding a new Veteran or battle buddy by paying it forward. Maybe you just need a new mentally stimulating hobby?

Then you should get acquainted with the site!

Site Structure & Navigation

There is much more to benefit from as a Veteran than just the disability compensation arena. The site is both wide and deep in ALL areas of available Veteran's Benefits. It is extremely efficient in its structure and abundant intuitive and logical link navigation.

You can quickly drill down to the one item you need to get to and understand RIGHT NOW. You can also sit back with some time on your hands, and start to absorb the whole VA benefits system without leaving this site.

For starters, I highly encourage you to make a concerted effort to read through at least the categories and title links on the Index Page so you know what is available. All things VA benefits are available that you could ever need to find. Right here in the site. Literally.

Beyond Disability Compensation

Are you interested in improving your physical fitness without singing cadences? Check out the VA MOVE! Program. It's in the site. You can answer a questionnaire and customize a plan that is very specific to your physical and even mental well-being. The workbook modules and easy to access information are first rate and high quality.

Need a quick link to all of your Representatives both Federal and State? It's in the site index.

Have you ever checked out all the tentacles of the VA Health Care system to know what benefits are available? You should. And it's easy to get to in the site.

Did you know you can live abroad and still access healthcare through the Foreign Medical Program? It's a quick find in the site index.

The Education section of the site will increase your benefit awareness far beyond the GI Bill.

Read through the titles of the index today! Click on a few that interest you and you will then benefit from similar well formatted link navigated subsections of that title. Get to exploring and you will quickly develop a feel for navigating the site.

Deep Dive Resources

There are so many areas of benefits that the site covers beyond disability compensation. But speaking of disability compensation....

The VA M21-1 Compensation and Pension Manual is a real treat for the nerds who want and need to know the details of every step of the claims process. It can also help a claimant fine tune their claim and evidence before filing.

Hand in Hand with the M21-1 Manual is the 38 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These two gems pull back the curtain on exactly what the VA Raters are required to work with to arrive at a decision on your disability claims. If you want to present your disability claims clearly and help the rater get down to business, you should dig a little into these two items.

The Claims Process

In the site, the entire Claims process is explained in well formatted detail. All bases are covered from applicable documents, how and when to use them, what are the requirements for a successful claim, and what to do if your claim decision is not what you deserve.

Likewise, anyone serious about winning their claims owes it to themselves to read through all of the Claims section. The knowledge you will gain here will not only give you a laser focus for your claim, it will also give you the power to politely disengage from a sub-standard Veterans Service Officer (VSO).

If you seek another VSO, the site informed Veteran will be able to quickly recognize a good fit with a new VSO as they search around. It will also empower you to go at it on your own.

The Reddit Community

Of course you are never really alone if you are involved in the Subreddit as a tool to develop your claims.

One of the biggest benefits of the site is that it is intimately tied into the subreddit r/VeteransBenefits. It is synergistic to intertwine reading and engaging in posts and comment threads, while referencing the site. Going back and forth as you explore new information you discovered in the comment thread, and as you yourself answer questions with links to what the asker needs to know.

Nobody likes to waste time. Having all of the information pulled into the tightly organized and easily navigable site frees a Veteran from constant Google searches, opening multiple tabs of VA.gov, or stumbling through random internet pages of rumor and conjecture regarding VA disability claims.

Make it your mission to take advantage of and benefit from the awesome site.

Written by: u/grunt2-9