VA Claims Articles & Deep Dives
Plain-English breakdowns of VA regulations, case law, evidence, C&P exams, appeals, and the questions veterans actually run into while building a claim.
Evidence & Nexus
1 articleWhat counts as evidence, who is competent to provide it, and how the VA weighs your own words against the medical record.
Service Connection
1 articleDirect, secondary, presumptive, and aggravation theories — the different legal routes to getting a condition connected to your service.
C&P Exams
The exam that shapes your rating — what examiners are required to address, what makes an examination inadequate, and how to respond when the report does not match your reality.
Related Guides
No article on this topic yet. The guides cover it end to end: the C&P Exam guide and the DBQ reference.
Ratings
How a percentage is actually assigned — the rating schedule, functional loss, combined ratings math, and the rules that protect a rating once you have it.
Related Guides
No article on this topic yet. The guides cover it end to end: the combined ratings calculator, TDIU, and P&T status.
Appeals
Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, and the Board — how to choose a lane and how to argue a specific legal error instead of simply disagreeing.
Related Guides
No article on this topic yet. The guides cover it end to end: the Appeals guide and the Case Law reference.
Effective Dates
The date that determines your back pay — Intent to File, the one-year rule, and the situations where an earlier effective date is available.
Related Guides
No article on this topic yet. The guides cover it end to end: How to File and CFR & M21-1.
Start With the Full Guides
Articles go deep on one narrow question. The guides below cover an entire subject end to end — start there if you are new to the claims process, then use the articles for the specific issue in front of you.
The Caluza Triangle
The three elements every service connection claim must prove. Read this first — almost every article on this site connects back to one of the three.
Read the Guide →Building a Strong Claim
Nexus letters, DBQs, buddy statements, and how to assemble an evidence package that addresses each missing element directly.
Read the Guide →Case Law Reference
The court decisions that set binding standards the VA must follow — benefit of the doubt, lay evidence, functional loss, and exam adequacy.
Read the Guide →Forms & Official Resources
Every VA form referenced in these articles, plus official links and VSO contacts, collected in one place.
Open Resources →Have a Question You Want Covered?
These articles are written around the questions veterans actually ask. If there is a regulation, court decision, or denial reason you want broken down in plain English, send it in — it may become the next article.
These articles are educational information, not legal advice. Every VA disability claim depends on its individual facts and evidence.