PDF checklist4 pagesUpdated 2026-07-30
VA Claim Document Checklist — What VA Asks For, in One List
VA names the records it asks claimants to supply, but the list is spread across several pages and forms. This checklist consolidates those categories — service records, medical records, dependency documents, identifiers — into one sheet with a tracking column, so nothing on VA's own list goes missing.
VA publishes what it asks for. The evidence page on VA.gov names the record categories, the application forms name the identifiers, and the dependency forms name the civil documents. What VA does not publish is a single consolidated list — so the categories arrive piecemeal, usually one letter at a time, and a file that was assembled in a hurry tends to be missing whichever item was named on the page nobody read.
This sheet is a consolidation exercise and nothing more. It restates VA's own published categories in one place, adds where each document is normally requested from — the National Archives for older service records, a VA medical center for VA treatment records, a private provider for everything else — and gives each line a have-it / requested-it / not-applicable column so the sheet works as a tracker while records trickle in.
What it deliberately does not contain: any statement about what a document might produce, any ordering or framing of evidence, and any suggestion about what to file or when. This site does not prepare, file, or argue VA claims and charges nothing for anything. Only VA decides claims, and only VA-accredited attorneys, claims agents, and Veterans Service Organizations — searchable on VA's accreditation directory, with VSOs assisting at no charge — are authorized to represent a claimant.
What's inside
The complete contents, listed in full — this is not a preview.
- Service records VA names: DD214 or other separation documents, and service treatment records, with the National Archives request route for older files
- Medical record categories VA lists separately: VA medical center records, private provider records, and hospital records
- Dependency documents that determine which rate row applies: marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, and school enrollment certification (VA Form 21-674)
- Identifiers the forms ask for: VA file number or Social Security number, current mailing address, and direct-deposit details
- Where each category is normally requested from, with the VA.gov page or form number beside it
- A have-it / requested-it / not-applicable column so the sheet doubles as a tracker while records arrive
- The VA accreditation search link, and the fact that Veterans Service Organizations assist at no charge
Who this is for
- Veterans and family members gathering paperwork before starting an application on VA.gov
- Anyone who has been asked for one document and wants to see the full published list rather than a partial one
- People working with an accredited representative or a VSO who want the file organized before the first appointment
- Households updating dependency records after a marriage, birth, or a child entering a qualifying school program
Free by email
VA Claim Document Checklist — What VA Asks For, in One List
Enter your email and confirm the double opt-in link — the document is sent straight back. You are also added to COLA Watch, one email when the official numbers change. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The checklist arrives by email after you confirm the double opt-in link — there is no instant download. It is a filing aid only: it contains no claim strategy, no argument, and no statement about outcomes, and this site does not prepare, file, or argue claims.
Official sources this resource draws on
Calculators that go with it
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VA Pay Estimator
See the exact 2026 monthly VA disability payment for any combined rating and dependent situation — spouse, children under 18, school children, dependent parents, and spouse Aid & Attendance — read directly from the verified VA.gov rate tables effective December 1, 2025.
VA Back Pay
Estimate VA retroactive pay from your effective date to your decision date. Counts the payable months (payment starts the first of the month after the effective date), applies the correct rate table across December 1 rate-year boundaries, and itemizes the total by rate year.
Educational reference material — not legal, financial, or benefits advice, and not an application or a determination. The agencies linked above decide every actual outcome.