Understanding the Process

#1 - File a VA Disability Claim

Eligibility and Filing

You can get more information on your eligibility and how to file a claim on the VA website.

If you need further help filing your claim, you may want to work with an accredited attorney, a claims agent, or a Veterans Service Officer (VSO). To find one: Go to eBenefits. Click on the link under “Search for a New Representative for VA Claims” to search for a local representative (including a recognized VSO, an attorney, or a claims agent) by state/territory, zip code, or the organization’s name.

Supporting Evidence

You can submit evidence to help support your claim.

Some veterans choose to include an Independent Medical Exam (IME) and/or a Nexus Letter with their original claim. Dr. Belanger can assist you with either of these, but please know that you can file your claim without having been officially diagnosed.

The VA will provide a free medical examination to assess your symptoms. You don’t need to know what your diagnosis is. Your job is to present your symptoms, and it’s the examiner’s job to use their professional expertise to determine if you have a mental health disorder.

Your VSO can advise you about when you may want to start off with the free option before paying for an IME and/or Nexus Letter.

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#2 - VA Reviews your Disability Claim

When you file a claim for VA disability benefits, the VA’s decision-making process begins with a review of your records.

If you have enough medical evidence in your file for the VA to determine the three factors for service connection, the VA will follow the Acceptable Clinical Evidence (ACE) process. That means they’ll review your medical records and ask you to submit more evidence if needed, instead of asking you to have an exam.

Potential VA Claim Exam (C&P and DBQ)

If your records do not provide sufficient evidence to determine your eligibility and your rating, you will be asked to go through a VA claim exam, also known as a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam. These exams are provided for free by the VA. At your C&P exam, a VBA-certified mental health examiner will interview you and then fill out the appropriate Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ).

(Since the C&P is based on the DBQ, you may hear some people use these two terms interchangeably.)

There are three types of Mental Disorders DBQs: PTSD, Eating Disorder, and Mental Disorders (that don’t include either PTSD or an Eating Disorder). You can view the different DBQs online, so you know what the examiner is filling out.

Learn what to expect if your exam is scheduled with Dr. Belanger.  

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#3 - Rating Decision

After the VA has gathered and reviewed the relevant information, they will send you a rating decision. Your rating decision will say if your claim was approved or denied as a service-connected disability. It will also provide your disability rating percentage.

Why might I not get service connected?

There's a lot of reasons (see the full list of common results here), but your denial letter may indicate one of the following reasons:

• No Diagnosis:
  
  • The evidence does not show a current diagnosed disability = No Diagnosis
  • The examiner stated that you do not meet criteria for any mental health diagnosis at this time.
• Preexisting Condition: 
  
  • ‍The evidence shows that your condition existed prior to service.
• No Nexus:
  
  • The examiner stated that you do not meet criteria for any mental health diagnosis at this time.
  • Service connection is denied since this condition neither occurred in nor was caused by service.
  • The evidence does not show an event, disease or injury in service. Your service treatment records do not contain complaints, treatment, or diagnosis for this condition.
  • We did not find a link between your medical condition and military service.
• Or something else - see a list of possibilities here.

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Disagreeing with the Decision

If your claim got denied and/or your rating doesn’t accurately reflect your level of impairment, you still have options available to you - find your path forward here!

To get help with the process, you may want to work with an accredited attorney, a claims agent, or a Veterans Service Officer (VSO). To find one: Go to eBenefits. Click on the link under “Search for a New Representative for VA Claims” to search for a local representative (including a recognized VSO, an attorney, or a claims agent) by state/territory, zip code, or the organization’s name.

File a supplemental claim

One of your options is to file a supplemental claim. You can file a supplemental claim if you have new and relevant evidence that the VA didn’t have when they reviewed your case before. This is when many veterans request an Independent Medical Exam (IME) and/or a Nexus Letter.