Know your rating. Know your benefits.

a community resource by
Revive Veteran Institute

General information only. This tool does not file claims, give legal advice, or represent you before the VA. Free help from VA-accredited Veterans Service Organizations is available at no cost.

Eligibility & Claim-Readiness Explorer

This walks you through what a VA claim generally needs and how your conditions are evaluated. It does not determine whether you're disabled or assign a rating — only a medical exam and the VA can do that.

Service connection generally requires all three of these. Check the ones you think apply:

A current, diagnosed condition

A doctor has diagnosed a condition you have now.

An in-service cause — or a presumptive exposure

An injury, illness, or event in service, OR exposure the VA presumes (burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation).

A link (nexus) between the two

Medical evidence connecting your service to the condition. A medical opinion usually establishes this.

Continuity of care (helps, not strictly required)

A record of treatment from service to now. A long gap is a common reason claims are denied — but a medical evaluation is how a gap gets addressed, so this is a strength to build, not a barrier.

If you're missing a pillar — most often the nexus — a medical evaluation usually supplies it. That's the next step, not a dead end.

Get free, accredited help

A VSO can file and appeal your claim — at no cost

Accredited Veterans Service Organizations help veterans prepare and appeal claims for free. Find an accredited representative at VA.gov.

VA.gov →