04 · Forms and records
The form, then the file they already have on you.
10-10EZ, 21-526EZ, 22-1990. Then DD-214, STRs, and the C-file. Official PDFs and request doors.
Apply
The form on VA.gov, not a look-alike PDF.
10-10EZ
VA health care
Enroll even if you have other insurance. Online application is the same form.
21-526EZ
Disability compensation
The claim. File it yourself on VA.gov. Nobody should charge you to ‘unlock’ it.
21-0966
Intent to file
Locks a potential effective date. One year to finish. Starting the claim online with a verified login often does this for you.
21-10210
Lay / buddy statement
Someone who saw the event or the symptoms writes it down. Free. Not a paid nexus shop.
21-4138
Statement in support of claim
Your own statement. Still free. Do not pay a mill to type it.
21-8940
TDIU (unemployability)
If you cannot hold substantially gainful work because of service-connected disability. Confirm the rating math on VA.gov.
21-2680
Aid and Attendance / housebound
Exam for extra compensation when you need daily help or are housebound. Not a nursing-home sales pitch.
DBQ
Disability Benefits Questionnaires
Public forms a clinician can fill. VA will not reimburse a private DBQ.
22-1990
GI Bill (education)
After you run the Comparison Tool. Not before.
26-1880
Home loan COE
Many lenders pull this for you. You can also request it on VA.gov.
20-0995
Supplemental claim
New and relevant evidence. One of the three review lanes.
20-0996
Higher-Level Review
Same evidence, senior reviewer. No new records.
10182
Board appeal
Veterans Law Judge. Direct, evidence, or hearing lane.
20-10206
Privacy Act / C-file request
Ask VA for your own claims file, STRs, and rating decisions.
21-22
Appoint a VSO
Power of attorney for an accredited representative. Confirm them on the OGC list first.
SF-180
Military service records
Mail/fax path for DD-214 and OMPF if eVetRecs is not the move.
NGB-22
Guard Report of Separation
Request from the state before you clear. NPRC does not hold current Guard jackets.
NGB-23
Guard points statement (RPAM)
The points authority while you still serve. IPPS-A or the state RPAM.
SGLV 8714
VGLI application
Convert SGLI. The 240-day no-exam window is the one people miss.
2656-5
RC-SBP election
90 days from the 20-year letter. Army 2026: IPPS-A. Automatic Option C if you do nothing.
10-10CG
Family caregiver (PCAFC)
Veteran and caregiver sign together. Veteran must be in VA health first.
40-10007
Pre-need burial eligibility
VA cemetery. Apply before anyone needs it.
Records
DD-214. STRs. The C-file.
Recut from VA.gov records and the National Archives. If you are filing a benefit, VA often pulls the DD-214 — you still want a copy that is not trapped in someone else’s login.
Step 1
DD-214 and the personnel file
Start at VA.gov military service records. That hands you to the National Archives eVetRecs tool. Sign in with a verified ID.me account. If you are filing a VA benefit, VA will often pull the DD-214 themselves — you still want your own copy that is not trapped in a portal.
Step 2
National Guard: NGB-23 now, NGB-22 when you leave
Still serving: pull the NGB-23 / RPAM points statement from IPPS-A or the state. Title 10 stretches print a DD-214. Leaving the Guard: NGB Form 22 from the state before you clear. Recut from National Archives: NPRC does not have records of members still in the National Guard.
Step 3
Service treatment records
STRs are the aid-station and hospital paper from the time you served. They often ride along inside the C-file once a claim exists. If you are still in, copy what you can before you clear. If you are already out, request them with the records door and with the C-file request so you are not waiting on one office.
Step 4
The C-file (what VA already believes)
Your claims file is the stack VA rates from: applications, exams, rating decisions, code sheets, the evidence you sent, the evidence they pulled. Request your own copy with VA Form 20-10206 (Privacy Act) — the online form is the door. Pick the claims file and the claim exams. Read it before you pick HLR vs supplemental. I will not file it for you. VA does not charge for the request.
Step 5
Ask for the code sheet and the exam reports
The code sheet is the rater’s map of diagnostic codes. It lives in the C-file next to the rating decision. When you file 20-10206, pick the claims file and the claim exams so you are not arguing from a Facebook screenshot of someone else’s decision. After you file a claim, upload extra evidence on VA.gov claim status — that is not a substitute for reading the file.
After you have the file, the rating math is 38 CFR. Filing the claim is file without a mill. A denial is HLR / supplemental / Board.