VA Form 20-10206
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act Request
How you request a copy of your own VA claims file, the C-file.
Opens the official VA.gov page, always the authority on the current version and instructions.
Your C-file is everything the VA holds about your claims: applications, evidence, exams, ratings, and internal decisions. Reviewing it is how veterans and representatives find what the VA saw, and what it missed.
This form requests records under FOIA or the Privacy Act; for your own file, the Privacy Act route applies.
Worth knowing
- C-file copies are free for the veteran.
- Requests routinely take months; MusterVault's records-request tracker exists for exactly this kind of long wait.
On this site
Keep your copy where you can find it
Every form you send becomes part of your story. MusterVault keeps your completed copies, decision letters, and records organized and encrypted on your own computer, so the next deadline finds you ready. No cloud, no account.
Informational only: what this form is and where it lives, not advice about whether or when to file it. A free accredited VSO can advise on your situation. MusterVault organizes records, never gives claims advice, and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.