Navigating Post-Service Healthcare: A Guide to VA Disability Benefits

By Your Health Magazine

Your Health Magazine

. http://yourhealthmagazine.net

More Disability Articles

Navigating Post-Service Healthcare: A Guide to VA Disability Benefits

Want to help veterans everywhere file winning claims?

Applying for VA disability benefits is one of the most aggravating parts about life after serving. The bureaucracy is awful, the paperwork feels never-ending, and claims get denied far too often due to preventable errors.

Here’s the good news though.

Veterans can drastically increase their approval odds when they understand exactly how the system works. Gathering solid medical evidence is one of the biggest parts of any successful claim. That’s why connecting with the gold standard in nexus letters early can have such a big impact. A nexus letter ties the veteran’s condition to military service — and without one, a claim will fall flat.

Take a closer look at how to file a winning VA disability claim…

What you’ll learn:

1. VA Disability Benefits 101

2. Why Claims Are Denied

3. Documents Needed For Your Claim

4. How Claim Assistance Helps

5. How to File a Claim

VA Disability Benefits 101

Veterans who have conditions related to their military service can receive tax-free monthly payments from the government. These are called VA disability benefits.

The VA refers to these as service-connected conditions. Meaning veterans’ illnesses or injuries were caused by or aggravated by active-duty military service.

The VA assigns a disability rating between 10% and 100%. The higher the disability rating, the larger the monthly payment a veteran will receive. Although…

The VA doesn’t combine percentages additively like most people think. Disability ratings are calculated with a combined ratings table. Two 50% disabilities does NOT equal 100%. A lot of veterans find out too late.

VA claims numbers are astronomical.

The VA completed an all-time high of over 3 million claims in FY 2025. With millions of claims flooding the VA system each year, over 6.3 million veterans currently receive disability compensation monthly.

However, claims aren’t automatically approved just because a veteran deserves them.

Why Claims Are Denied

The issue most veterans don’t realize is…

Nearly 36% of VA disability claims were denied in FY 2024. During that same time, only around 64% of veterans who filed a claim were approved. Yes, hundreds of thousands of veterans who applied for benefits last year didn’t receive them. And that number holds steady.

If a veteran is relying on VA disability compensation to treat a service-connected condition, those denials can be crushing.

Below are just some of the most common denial reasons:

• Medical diagnosis not currently shown
• No evidence of service connection
• Not enough medical evidence
• No nexus letter provided

Notice something here?

Most claims aren’t denied because a veteran doesn’t need the benefits. They’re denied due to a lack of information. If a veteran doesn’t submit what the VA is looking for, they’ll deny a claim.

Denials aren’t the end of the world. They’re typically reason to file an appeal.

Documents Needed For Your Claim

Submitting a VA disability claim without the right documents is a rookie mistake. There are certain pieces of evidence that every veteran should have before they file a claim.

Essential documents include:

• Service treatment records
• Current medical diagnosis
• Nexus letter
• Buddy statements
• Veteran’s personal statement

Gathering every document is important, but one item on this list is what stands out claims from denials.

That document is the nexus letter.

A nexus letter is a statement from a medical professional linking the veteran’s condition to military service. If there’s no nexus letter in the file, the VA has no reason to approve the claim.

Take time to collect every piece of evidence before filing. Not only does it decrease the chances of denial, but it’ll quicken the process.

How Claim Assistance Helps

Here’s a hard truth…

The VA system isn’t easy to understand on purpose. Claim assistance services were created to help veterans with every step of the process. From gathering evidence to filing appeals, insurance claim assistance services walk veterans through it all.

Veterans can expect help with:

• Reviewing medical records for service connection
• Identifying additional conditions that could qualify for disability
• Obtaining proper nexus letters and medical opinions
• Properly preparing and organizing all supporting documents
• Filing the claim itself

Think of insurance claim assistance like having a roadmap. Instead of trying to figure out what the VA wants, veterans have someone who already knows the process guiding them through.

Here’s a fact most veterans don’t know…

Higher-Level Reviews and Supplemental Claims have an average success rate of 50%. In other words, if a claim gets denied, there’s actually a good chance of winning on appeal.

How to File a Claim

Okay, now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to file a VA disability claim.

Step 1: Collect all military service records. DD-214, deployment papers, anything available.

Step 2: Visit a doctor to get a current medical diagnosis. This can be anywhere the veteran receives treatment. Just make sure they document the condition.

Step 3: Obtain a nexus letter. This is critically important. Every veteran NEEDS a nexus letter from a medical professional to win a claim.

Step 4: Write a personal statement. Tell the story plainly. When did the condition start? How does it affect daily life?

Step 5: Request buddy statements. Fellow veterans who can verify the condition or events should be contacted. Now is the time to ask them.

Step 6: File the claim. Do this through the VA’s online portal or with claim assistance. Just make sure everything is submitted.

Step 7: Follow up. This is perhaps the most important step. Filing and then never thinking about it again is a mistake. Track the claims process until approval is received.

By following these 7 steps, veterans can drastically improve their chances of getting approved.

Conclusion

VA disability benefits aren’t as scary as they seem. There’s a lot that goes into filing a successful claim, but once veterans know what it takes they’ve won half the battle.

Keep strong medical evidence at the forefront of everything. As long as there’s a quality nexus letter and every supporting document is included, the claim is set up for success.

For a quick recap, here’s what every veteran should know:

1. Understand how VA disability percentages work
2. Don’t file a claim without ALL of the necessary documents
3. Get a strong nexus letter that clearly connects the condition to military service
4. Claim assistance services are like blueprints every veteran will be thankful for
5. Always follow up on claims, and respond to VA requests quickly

Too many veterans will let a denial stop them from fighting for what they deserve. Don’t be that veteran.