Field guides
Paperwork, explained.
Short, plain-language guides to keeping your records squared away. Free, no email, no sign-up. They organize and explain; they never give claims advice.
How to organize your VA claim documents
A simple filing system for VA claim paperwork: ten folders, a file naming habit, and a backup rule. Works on paper, on your computer, or both.
5 minute read
What goes in a VA claim file
The documents that make up a complete VA claim file, what each one is, and where to get a copy: DD-214, service treatment records, medical records, decision letters, nexus letters, DBQs, and statements.
7 minute read
How to request your military and medical records
Where to get every record a VA claim needs: your DD-214 and service records from the National Archives, your service treatment records, VA medical records via Blue Button, and private records from your own providers.
6 minute read
How to keep a symptom journal
What a symptom journal is, what a good entry looks like, and the habits that make one useful to your doctor and your VSO: dated entries, a consistent severity scale, and honest notes.
5 minute read
How the VA claim process works, start to finish
A plain-language map of a VA disability claim from filing to decision: how you file, how the VA gathers and reviews evidence, roughly how long it takes, and where to check your status.
6 minute read
What to expect at a C&P exam
A plain-language walkthrough of the VA Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam: what it is, who runs it, what to bring, and why honesty and organized records matter more than anything.
6 minute read
How to read your VA decision letter
Make sense of your VA rating decision: how to find each condition's rating, your combined rating, the all-important effective date, and what granted, denied, and deferred each mean.
5 minute read
Your options after a VA decision
Disagree with a VA decision? A plain-language rundown of the three review lanes: Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, and Board Appeal, what each one is for, and the deadline that protects your effective date.
6 minute read
How VA combined rating math works (why 50 + 30 isn't 80)
VA math explained in plain language: why disability ratings don't simply add, how the combined rating formula in 38 CFR 4.25 actually works, with worked examples and the rounding rule.
6 minute read
Cloud or your own computer: where should a veteran's records live?
An honest comparison of cloud storage and local storage for VA claim documents and medical records, and the two habits that matter more than which one you pick: encryption and backups.
5 minute read
What to bring to your first VSO meeting
What a VSO is, why their help is free, how to find an accredited representative, and the exact documents to bring to a first meeting so it counts.
5 minute read
MusterVault guides are educational: they cover organizing and understanding your own records. Nothing here is legal, medical, or claims advice, and MusterVault is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For claim status, use VA.gov. For advice on your claim, talk to an accredited representative; their help is free.