Filing Your First VA Claim: A Step-by-Step Guide From a Vet Who Did It

A step-by-step breakdown of how to file your first VA disability claim — from Intent to File to decision letter. Written by a former 19D Cavalry Scout. No fluff. Built for the vets who need it done right the first time.

My name is Murillo. Former 19 Delta Cavalry Scout, 2014 to 2021. Four deployments — South Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria. By the time I separated, my body was already sending me the bill for everything I'd done to it.

I waited too long to file. A lot of us do. We tough it out, tell ourselves we're fine, and convince ourselves the paperwork is too complicated. Then five years go by and we're still dealing with the same knees, the same back, the same ringing in our ears — and we've left thousands of dollars and real medical care on the table.

Let me save you some time. This is the step-by-step I wish someone had handed me the day I cleared the base. I'll walk you through it.

Why Filing Right Matters

Every day you don't file is money the VA isn't going to give back to you. Your effective date — the day VA considers your claim officially started — is the day they receive your claim, not the day you wake up and realize you should have done it years ago.

That is why Step 1 below exists. You can lock in your date today, even if you are nowhere near ready to file the actual claim.

The second reason filing right matters: the majority of denied claims are not denied because the condition isn't real. They are denied because the evidence is thin, missing, or in the wrong format. Most of the vets I know who got denied the first time just did not have the right paperwork. Nobody told them. The VA is not going to walk you through it. You have to show up with your file already built.

Here is how to build it.

Step 1 — Open an Intent to File (ITF) Today

Go to VA.gov and file an Intent to File before you do anything else. It takes five minutes. You do not need evidence. You do not need a diagnosis. You do not need a nexus letter. You just need to tell VA you are planning to file.

What this does: it locks in your effective date. You now have one year from today to gather everything else and submit the real claim. When that claim is eventually approved, your back pay goes to the ITF date — not the day you finally sent in the paperwork.

I was one of those guys who waited. Don't be that guy. Open the ITF today.

Step 2 — Build the Three-Part Evidence Package

Every VA claim lives or dies on three pieces of evidence. Missing any one of them is the most common reason claims get denied.

1. A current medical diagnosis. Proof the condition exists today. Not ten years ago in your service treatment records — today. See your VA primary care doctor, or a civilian provider, and get it in writing.

2. A nexus letter (service connection). A doctor's written statement that your condition is "at least as likely as not" caused or aggravated by your military service. This is the piece most veterans don't know they need. If you can't get a doctor to write one, file a personal statement using VA Form 21-4138 connecting your service to your condition.

3. Evidence of severity. The VA rates based on how bad it is, not just that it exists. A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is the strongest form of severity evidence. You can have your own doctor fill one out or wait for your C&P exam — more on that in Step 4.

If you want to skip the nexus letter entirely, check the PACT Act list. If you were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, or specific radiation zones, many conditions are presumptive. Diagnosis alone is enough.

Step 3 — File a Fully Developed Claim (FDC)

Submit VA Form 21-526EZ on VA.gov and upload everything you gathered in Step 2 in one go. Select the Fully Developed Claim option.

The difference between an FDC and a standard claim is simple. An FDC tells VA, "I have already done the legwork. All my evidence is here." A standard claim tells VA, "You go find my records." Which one do you think moves faster?

Don't hand VA a partial file and expect them to chase down what's missing. Pull your own records first — DD-214 from milConnect, service treatment records through milConnect or by mailing SF-180 to the National Personnel Records Center, civilian records from your private providers. Submit it all at once.

If you can't use the online portal — some of the older guys I talk to can't — go to a Veterans Service Organization (VSO). American Legion, VFW, DAV. They are accredited by VA to file on your behalf. It is free. They handle the portal, the paperwork, and the follow-up. For vets who aren't tech-savvy, a VSO is the single highest-leverage move you can make.

Step 4 — Prepare for the C&P Exam

The Compensation and Pension exam is where claims get won or lost. The examiner is not there to heal you. They are there to rate the severity of your condition against the 38 CFR criteria.

Here is the honest part. Do not tough it out. Do not put on your "I'm fine" face. Do not describe your average day. Describe your worst days. Describe how the condition affects your sleep, your work, your relationships. Be specific. Bring your cane, your brace, your hearing aids if you use them.

Before the exam, pull up 38 CFR for your specific condition and read the rating criteria yourself. Know exactly what the examiner is looking for. That way when they ask, you can articulate severity in terms that match what they are grading against.

Step 5 — Read the Decision. Accept or Appeal.

When VA mails you the decision letter, read the whole thing — not just the rating percentage. The letter tells you exactly which evidence they accepted, which they rejected, and why.

If you get denied, it is almost always for insufficient evidence. The letter tells you what is missing. You have one year to file a Supplemental Claim with the new evidence, request a Higher-Level Review, or go to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Most of the time, a Supplemental Claim with the missing piece is all it takes.

If you get a rating and it is too low, same timeline. One year to appeal. Don't just accept a lowball rating because you are tired of the process. The VA rates what is in the file. If your file was not complete the first time, fix the file.

Mistakes That Kill Claims

Here is what people don't understand. The VA is not your enemy, but it is not your advocate either. It is a rating system. If it is not in the file, it does not exist.

The five mistakes I see over and over:

Filing with no medical evidence. Symptoms aren't enough. Get the diagnosis on paper first.
Toughing it out at the C&P exam. The examiner grades what you report that day. Minimize your pain, get a minimum rating.
Leaving your records to the VA. If you don't pull and submit them, they sit in a file cabinet somewhere for six months.
Ignoring presumptive conditions. Half the vets I talk to don't know their condition is on the PACT Act list. Check it before you spend a month hunting for a nexus letter.
Skipping buddy statements. A sergeant or spouse who witnessed your condition can file a buddy letter on VA Form 21-10210. These are real evidence. Use them.

What's Next

Videos walking through every one of these steps — the ITF, the FDC, the C&P prep — are coming to our YouTube channel. Subscribe and study along. If you have a specific situation and don't know what to do, drop it in the comments or reach out through the contact form on this site.

If you want help building your claim file from the ground up, I am available. Murillo Advisors works with veterans directly. But this blog exists because you should be able to do it yourself. That is the mission.

This content is free. Always will be.

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