The honest math
You should never pay a cut of your claim.
A whole industry has grown up around charging veterans to "help" with disability claims, sometimes thousands of dollars, sometimes a percentage of your back pay. Here's the thing most of them don't lead with: you have free options, and the paperwork side is something you can own outright for less than the cost of dinner.
Your three ways to get help
Free, always
An accredited VSO
Veterans Service Officers are VA-accredited representatives who help you file and manage claims, and their help on VA claims is free of charge, no exceptions. This is the same work the paid companies do, done by people trained and accountable for it. If you do one thing, start here.
Find a VSO near youWatch the cost
Paid consultants
Some companies charge flat fees in the thousands, or take a slice of your back pay, for claims coaching. Regulators in a growing number of states have been cracking down on the ones that overcharge or mislead veterans, and federal consumer agencies warn that signing over your benefits is a common scam. Before you pay anyone, ask what a free VSO would do for the same claim.
Own it
Organize it yourself with MusterVault
MusterVault is the filing-cabinet half of the job: your documents, symptom journal, and appointments organized and encrypted on your own computer, plus a one-click packet to hand your VSO. It's $49.99 once, yours forever, no subscription and no cut of anything. It never files a claim or gives claims advice; it just makes you the most prepared veteran your free VSO sees all week.
Download freeKnow the traps
- A percentage of your back pay. Your back pay can run to five figures. A "small" percentage of it is not small.
- "Guaranteed" ratings or outcomes. No one can guarantee a VA rating. Anyone who promises one is selling you something.
- Pressure to sign fast, or to route your VA payments through them. Slow down. Legitimate help doesn't rush you or touch your money.
- Anyone implying they're the VA. No private company is the VA or is endorsed by it. Confirm accreditation on the VA's own search.
Straight from the source: the VA explains free accredited help at VA.gov, and the FTC's Military Consumer program warns veterans about paying to access their own benefits.
The MusterVault promise
One payment. No subscription. No percentage of anything. Your records never leave your computer, and you can view and export everything forever whether you ever pay or not. We think holding a veteran's records hostage would be disgraceful, so the app is built to make it impossible.
Educational only, not legal or claims advice. Rules for paid claims help are changing and vary by state; some paid representation is legal and some is being restricted, so confirm current rules through official sources. MusterVault organizes your records and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.