The most common reason claims are denied, and the pieces that fix it
· Claim Situation
The situation
Most denials are not because VA thinks the condition is fake. The letter usually concedes the diagnosis. The gap is the connection to service. Fix the missing piece instead of refiling the same packet.
Read the favorable findings first
Your decision letter lists what VA already accepted, such as the diagnosis or an in-service event. Those are settled. Build only what's missing. See Denied? Start here.
The pieces of a complete claim
- Diagnosis from a qualified clinician.
- In-service event: records, statements, or the nature of your job.
- Nexus: a medical opinion that explains the link.
- Severity evidence: how the condition limits you now, for the rating level.
Pick the right review lane
- Supplemental Claim (20-0995) when you have new and relevant evidence.
- Higher-Level Review (20-0996) when the error is in how existing evidence was weighed.
- Board Appeal (10182) to go to a Veterans Law Judge.
File within one year of the decision to protect the effective date.
Don't resubmit the same evidence
A Supplemental Claim needs evidence that is new and relevant (38 CFR 3.2501).
Related
Get free help
You never have to pay to file an initial VA claim. Free help: a VSO such as DAV, VFW or the American Legion, or a VA-accredited representative.
Educational only, not legal or medical advice. We are not VA-accredited. No one can promise an outcome; VA decides each claim on its own evidence. Rules and rates change; check the linked VA and eCFR sources.