Your reading, guides, and worksheets in one place. Start with a guide, then choose the tools you need.
Identifying and Filing for Special Monthly Compensation walks you through twelve steps: inventory your conditions, screen for SMC-K, SMC-S and SMC-L, route higher levels to a representative, protect your date, gather evidence including VA Form 21-2680, and file. Education only.
Three versions of the same buddy statement: weak, strong and harmful. Includes a two-page fillable handout your witness can complete, sign and hand back, plus a checklist to run before you submit.
Five, ten and twenty years each protect something different. Explains rating reduction protections, the 30-day hearing and 60-day evidence windows, with a fillable rating inventory.
Aid and Attendance does not require failing all five factors. Explains the real helplessness test, factor five on safety and the housebound routes, with a fillable two-week helper log.
Five review lanes, and two of them cannot see new evidence. Sorts supplemental claim, Higher-Level Review and the three Board dockets, with a fillable sorting worksheet and one-year deadline check.
A tie goes to the veteran, and an opinion with no reasoning weighs nothing. Explains benefit of the doubt and includes a page to hand your doctor about nexus opinions.
Why 50, 30 and 20 make 70, not 100. Walks through VA's combined ratings math, the bilateral factor and rounding mistakes, then gives a fillable worksheet to check your own decision letter.
Help from an accredited Veterans Service Officer is always free. Find one at va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative.
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