Claim File Readiness Check

A step-by-step tool that checks and grades how complete your claim file is, 0 to 100, before you submit an Initial Claim, a Secondary Claim, or a Claim for Increase with the VA. It walks you through the same claim record elements the VA evaluates and points you to curated guides based on the M21-1, 38 CFR Part 4, and 1.9 million BVA cases to help you strengthen your claim and fill in anything you may be missing. The score is a completeness grade for your file based on your own answers. It is not a prediction about any outcome, and it says nothing about how your claim will be decided by the VA. The tool is designed to help ensure you submit a claim file that contains all of the elements required to adjudicate your claim.

See a sample result before you start →

Orientation to the Claim File Readiness Check explaining claim-type paths, file-completeness questions, score, gap list, and limitations.
Visual guide: How to Use the Claim File Readiness Check What the readiness score measures. It grades file completeness, not the strength of a claim. View full size · All 27 visual guides
Submission-day checklist covering the application, evidence packet, uploads, signatures, receipt, retained copy, and next-action log.
Visual guide: VA Claim Submission-Day Checklist The last checks worth making on the day a claim goes in. View full size · All 27 visual guides

This page is educational and is not legal or medical advice. The readiness score is arithmetic over your own answers about what is in your file; it is not a prediction, an assessment of any claim, or a recommendation. RateMyVSO does not prepare, present, or prosecute claims. All RateMyVSO tools are free.