Veterans who stay organized and answer quickly avoid many of the delays that slow VA cases. Here are 12 steps that can help.

Your attorney can handle the law, the deadlines, and the arguments. But you have information no one else has:

• Your history.
• Your symptoms.
• Your doctors and other providers.
• Your papers.

The steps below can cut down delays. They can help prevent missed deadlines. They can also make your claim or appeal stronger.

The short version

• Sign and send back forms the same day.
• Send every VA letter to your attorney as soon as it comes. Many letters start a deadline.
• List every place you got treatment. Gather the records you can get yourself.
• Write a short timeline and keep a symptom log. Be honest and specific.
• Go to every C&P exam, and keep getting treatment.
• Ask about faster processing if you qualify.

Why your help affects how long it takes

Much of the time in a VA case is spent waiting. Your attorney waits for records and signatures. Your attorney waits for answers to questions, and for VA to act. No one can control some of those waits. But many of them can be controlled. For example:

• A missing signature can hold up a records request for weeks.
• If you do not answer a VA letter, VA may decide your claim without all the evidence.
• A provider no one knew about can mean a second round of record requests late in the case.

Your attorney cannot make VA work faster. But you can help make sure VA has the right evidence when it acts. You can also make sure your side of the case never causes the delay.

Step 1: Sign and return forms the same day

Your attorney needs signed forms to represent you and to ask for records. Common ones are:

• VA Form 21-22a. This form names an attorney to represent you.
• VA Forms 21-4142 and 21-4142a. These forms let VA get your private medical records.

The work cannot start until these are signed.

What you can do: Send them back quickly. Check that every required box is filled in. Keep a copy.

Step 2: Send every VA letter, with its envelope or upload date

Every kind of VA letter matters. That includes:

• Decision letters.
• Rating decisions, which explain the rating VA gave you.
• Code sheets, which list your rated conditions.
• Development letters, which ask you for more evidence or information.
• Exam notices.

The date on a decision letter usually starts a deadline. Most ways to ask for a review must be filed within one year. A development letter often gives you a set amount of time to answer.

What you can do: Send each letter to your attorney as soon as it arrives. Do not wait for your next appointment.

Step 3: Never ignore a VA request for information

VA may ask you for evidence or information. Once the time to answer runs out, VA may decide your claim with whatever it has.

If you are not sure what VA wants, send the letter to your attorney right away. That way, an answer can be ready before the deadline.

Step 4: Keep your contact information up to date, with VA and with us

Missed exam notices and returned mail cause delays that did not need to happen. Sometimes they lead to denials.

What you can do: If you move, or get a new phone number or email, update VA.gov. Tell your attorney's office the same day. If you plan to move, ask how it may affect exams that are still pending.

Step 5: List every provider

List every place you have been treated since service. Include rough dates. Think about:

• VA medical centers and clinics.
• Community care providers (non-VA providers that VA sends you to).
• Private doctors.
• Chiropractors.
• Physical therapists.
• Counselors.
• Urgent care.
• Emergency rooms.
• Pharmacies.

One forgotten provider might have the record that links your condition to service. Or it might have the record that shows how bad your condition is.

Step 6: Gather the records you can get yourself

You can often get some records faster than an official request can. These include private records, printouts from your patient portal, and your own copies of military papers.

What you can do: Ask your providers for complete records, not just visit summaries. Send them to your attorney in a form that is easy to read. For example, use clear PDF scans named by provider and date.

Step 7: Write a timeline

A timeline of one or two pages is one of the most helpful things you can give. Include:

• Dates and places of service, deployments, and assignments.
• Injuries, exposures, or events in service, even if you never reported them.
• When symptoms started, and how they changed over time.
• When and where you got treatment.
• Every claim you filed and every decision you got.

Rough dates are fine. Write "about 2009" instead of guessing an exact date. Our article on building a claim file you can hand to an attorney has a checklist.

Step 8: Describe your symptoms honestly and clearly

VA rates disabilities mostly by how they affect what you can do. "My back hurts" does not say much. Compare that with this: "I cannot sit through a 30-minute drive without stopping, and I have missed four workdays this month." That is evidence.

What you can do: Keep a simple symptom log for a few weeks. Write down:

• Flare-ups.
• Missed work.
• Things you could not do.
• Help you needed.

Never exaggerate. Never play it down. Both cause problems.

Step 9: Find witnesses early

People who know you can describe what they have seen. That includes spouses, family, friends, coworkers, and people you served with.

A lay or buddy statement is a written statement from someone who is not a doctor. It works best when the person says what they saw for themselves, and when.

What you can do: Give your attorney their names and contact information early. Statements take time to collect.

Step 10: Get ready for and go to every C&P exam

A C&P exam is the medical exam VA uses to check your claim. C&P stands for Compensation and Pension examination. Missing it can lead to a denial.

What you can do:

• Confirm the appointment.
• Get there early.
• Bring a short list of your symptoms and limits.
• Describe your worst days as well as your usual days.

After the exam, write down what the examiner asked. Write down how long the exam took. Tell your attorney. This can matter if the exam report turns out to be not good enough.

Step 11: Keep getting treatment

Ongoing treatment protects your health first. It also builds the medical record that shows your current condition. Gaps in treatment can make it harder to show how bad your condition is. They can also make it harder to show it has lasted over time.

Cost, distance, work, or stigma (shame or fear of being judged) may have kept you from treatment. If so, tell your attorney. There may be options. The reasons for a gap can be explained in the record.

Step 12: Ask about faster processing if you qualify

VA may handle some claims sooner. This is called priority processing. It may apply to veterans who:

• Are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
• Face extreme financial hardship.
• Are terminally ill.
• Have ALS.
• Are 85 or older.
• Are former prisoners of war.
• Received the Medal of Honor or Purple Heart.
• Were seriously injured or ill in service.

What you can do: If one of these fits you, ask your attorney about VA Form 20-10207. Send the papers that support it.

Things that slow cases down

• Filing on your own while you have a representative. Filings that repeat or conflict can cause confusion and extra work. They can also make it unclear which claim or review VA treats as the main one. Talk to your attorney before you file anything.
• Sending records in pieces over months. Send everything you have at the start. Then send new records as you get them.
• Papers that are hard to read. Blurry phone photos and missing pages often have to be asked for again.
• Thinking VA already has a record. VA does not have every private record on its own. Bringing papers to an exam does not put them in your file.
• Waiting for your claims file before acting on a deadline. Your claims file is your full VA file. Getting a copy can take months. Your deadline keeps running.

A simple starter packet

If you are starting a new case or appeal, these items let the work start right away:

1. Your DD-214 (discharge paper) and any other separation papers.
2. Every VA decision letter and rating decision you have.
3. Signed forms for representation and for releasing records.
4. A list of providers, with dates.
5. Private medical records you already have.
6. A timeline of one or two pages.
7. Names and contact information for possible witnesses.
8. Your current contact information and the best times to reach you.

Frequently asked questions

Will staying organized guarantee a faster decision?

No one can promise how fast VA will act. Being organized and answering quickly removes delays on your side. It also helps VA decide your claim with all the evidence.

Should I call VA myself to check on my claim?

You can check your status on VA.gov at any time. But talk with your attorney before you make statements to VA or send anything. That keeps your case consistent.

What if I do not have many records?

Start with what you have. List what you remember. Your attorney can help find and request missing records. Lay statements can help fill some gaps too.

How often should I update my attorney?

Any time something changes. For example:

• A new diagnosis.
• A new provider.
• A hospital stay.
• A job change.
• A move.
• Any letter from VA.

Work with a team that knows the VA system

The Jacks Law Group focuses on VA disability claims and appeals. Call 702-834-6300 to request a consultation. Bring what you have. We will tell you what else would help.

Sources and further reading

• VA: How to file a VA disability claim
• VA: Decision reviews and appeals
• VA: VA claim exam (C&P exam)
• VA: Check your claim or appeal status

General information, not advice for your claim. Laws and procedures can change. Reading this article or contacting us does not, by itself, make us your lawyers.