Transcript:
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Long gone are the days that veterans could just write their claims on the back of a napkin. Now VA requires veterans to use official VA forms to initiate their claims. So if you’re filing a new claim for disability benefits, you have to use a VA form 21-526EZ. This is for new claims for service connection, for increased ratings, aid and attendance, etc. If you’ve never filed a claim before, you must use the 526EZ. Contrast that if you’re trying to reopen a previously denied claim. That point,
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you have to use a VA form 20-0995, a supplemental claim application. If you’re filing a supplemental claim, it’s important to note that you’re required to submit new and relevant evidence, which means evidence that relates to one of the reasons why you were previously denied. So, for example, if you were denied due to a lack of diagnosis, submit medical records showing your current disability. If you were denied due to a lack of a nexus, submit evidence showing how your condition is
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related to service or maybe another service connected disability. If you don’t have the evidence in your possession, you can always tell the VA where the evidence is located because they have a duty to go out and get it for you. The VA can expand or limit the scope of your claim, which can affect which form you need to use to initiate your claim. If VA interprets a claim for a heart condition to include coronary artery disease and then denies service connection for coronary artery disease, the veteran must file a supplemental
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claim with new and relevant evidence. So, it’s important to speak with a VSO or an accredited representative to determine which form is needed for your claim and what kind of evidence you need to submit with your claim.
This transcription was AI populated.
