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Companion Toolkit

VA Secondary Claims Manual

How to Claim VA Disability for Conditions Caused or Aggravated by Your Service-Connected Injuries

Your Toolkit Includes

Editable guides, templates, trackers, and calculators designed to be used alongside the book. Each file mirrors a concept or chapter from the guide — download what you need, fill it in, and build your claim package at your own pace.

VA Secondary Claims Manual

FWD Assist Publishing

Built by Joshua Christopherson. VA disability claims educator. Air Force and Air National Guard disabled veteran with hands-on VSO experience.

Get the one-page secondary filing checklist.

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About This Topic

A detailed guide to secondary service connection — one of the most overlooked and underused pathways in VA disability law. Covers how to identify conditions caused or made worse by existing service-connected disabilities, how to document the medical link, and how to build a complete secondary claim that holds up.

What the Book Covers

Key topics and takeaways from VA Secondary Claims Manual:

What secondary service connection is and how it works
How to identify conditions caused or aggravated by your existing disabilities
How to document the medical link the VA requires
How to build and file a secondary claim that holds up

Who This Is For

  • Veterans with existing service-connected disabilities who have secondary conditions
  • Veterans whose health problems cascade from one injury to another
  • Veterans looking to increase their combined rating through secondary claims
  • Anyone who suspects their conditions are connected but doesn't know how to prove it

Download the Entire Toolkit

All 24 files in one zip · 0.4 MB

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Companion Toolkit

24 files for VA Secondary Claims Manual — Organized by when you need them in the claims process.

Assessment & Preparation

4 files

Combined Rating Impact Calculator

Calculate how adding a new rating changes your combined disability percentage

8 KB

Diagnostic Code Reference Cards

Reference the diagnostic code rating criteria for your claimed conditions

39 KB

Secondary Condition Mapper

Map primary conditions to the secondary conditions they commonly cause

7 KB

VA Forms Quick Reference

Quick-reference guide to the VA forms used at each stage of a claim

11 KB

Evidence Building

11 files

Kinetic Chain and Biomechanics Guide

Guide to kinetic chain and biomechanical arguments for musculoskeletal secondaries

40 KB

Medical Appointment Log

Track every medical appointment, provider, and what was discussed

11 KB

Medical Mechanism Reference Guide

Navigate Dependency and Indemnity Compensation and survivor VA benefits

18 KB

MSK Secondary Evidence Builder

Build evidence for musculoskeletal secondary conditions

11 KB

PACT Act Secondary Crosscheck

Cross-check your secondary claims against PACT Act presumptive conditions

11 KB

Provider Request Templates

Templates for requesting medical opinions from your providers

42 KB

PTSD Secondary Evidence Builder

Build evidence for secondary conditions caused by service-connected PTSD

11 KB

Pyramiding Prevention Guide

Avoid pyramiding violations when filing multiple secondary claims

11 KB

Secondary Claims Nexus Letter Kit

Nexus letter kit specific to secondary service-connection claims

12 KB

Secondary Claims Strategy Planner

Plan your secondary claims strategy with priority, evidence, and filing order

8 KB

Symptom Function Log

Log daily symptoms and functional limitations with dates and severity

13 KB

Statements & Letters

2 files

Buddy Statement Builder

Guide a buddy through writing a lay statement that supports your claim

39 KB

Personal Statement Builder

Write a personal statement that maps symptoms to the VA rating criteria

11 KB

Filing & Submission

3 files

Advanced Filing Strategy Kit

Advanced filing strategies for complex or multi-condition VA claims

14 KB

Secondary Filing Checklist

Step-by-step filing guide for secondary service-connection claims

11 KB

SMC K Filing Guide

File for SMC-K based on loss of use of a creative organ or extremity

9 KB

Tracking & Monitoring

4 files

Claims Master Tracker

Track every claim, rating, effective date, and status in one master spreadsheet

11 KB

Deadline Date Tracker

Log every VA deadline and window so nothing expires unnoticed

9 KB

Decision Letter Decoder

Break down a VA decision letter line by line to find errors and next steps

12 KB

Medication Timeline Tracker

Track medication history to support secondary claims from side effects

8 KB

How to Use This Toolkit

Every file is yours to keep. The Word documents (.docx) are your guides, templates, and letter builders — open them, fill in your information, and use them with your claim. The spreadsheets (.xlsx) are your trackers and calculators — they include real formulas that do the math for you. Save them to your computer and update them as your situation changes.

Back to Book Details

Related Topics

Win Your VA Disability Claim

The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Filing, Evidence, and Getting the VA Rating You've Earned

The VA 100% Disability Maximizer

The Step-by-Step Strategy for Rating Increases, Secondary Claims, and Reaching 100% VA Disability

Nexus Letters for VA Claims

How to Get, Write, and Use a Nexus Letter to Win Your VA Disability Service Connection

Disclaimer: FWD Assist HQ and FWD Assist Publishing provide educational resources only. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice, medical advice, or accredited representation. Always consult with an accredited VA attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Service Officer for personalized guidance.