VA paperwork glossary
The words VA uses can hide what a letter means. These are plain-language explanations of the terms you'll meet in rating decisions, exam notices, decision reviews, Board decisions, reduction proposals and debt letters. Each entry links its official source.
These are plain-language summaries and they don't change what your own letter says. ServiceRecord is not a law firm and provides information, not advice. For your specific situation, a VSO or accredited representative can help, free.
Ratings & claims
- bilateral factor
- An extra amount VA adds when you have disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles, before combining ratings. It reflects the added burden of losing use on both sides.Source: 38 CFR § 4.26See also:combined rating
- C&P exam
- A Compensation & Pension exam is a medical exam VA schedules to gather evidence about a claimed condition. The examiner does not decide your claim — they write findings that a VA rater later weighs.Source: VA — disability exams (C&P)See also:rating decision,duty to assist,service connection
- combined rating
- When you have more than one rated condition, VA does not simply add the percentages — it combines them with a specific table, so two 50% ratings do not make 100%. This is why the total can look lower than expected.Source: 38 CFR § 4.25See also:disability rating,bilateral factor
- disability rating
- A percentage (0–100%, in steps of 10) VA assigns to a service-connected condition to describe its severity under the rating schedule. ServiceRecord reports the percentage your letter prints; it never predicts what a rating will or should be.Source: 38 CFR § 4.1See also:combined rating,effective date,service connection
- duty to assist
- VA's legal obligation to help you get the evidence needed to decide your claim — for example ordering an exam or requesting records it has notice of. A failure to meet it can be grounds to correct a decision.Source: 38 CFR § 3.159See also:C&P exam,Higher-Level Review,Supplemental Claim
- effective date
- The date VA uses to decide when your benefit (or a change in it) begins — which drives any retroactive amount. It is generally tied to when you filed or when entitlement arose. ServiceRecord reports the effective date only if your letter prints one.Source: 38 CFR § 3.400See also:retroactive pay,rating decision
- rating decision
- The letter in which VA states its decision on a compensation claim — what it granted or denied, any disability percentage assigned, and the effective date. It is the document most appeals and reviews start from.Source: VA — decision reviews and appealsSee also:disability rating,effective date,decision review
- retroactive pay
- A lump sum for the period between your effective date and when payments actually start. The amount depends on the effective date, the rating, and dependents. ServiceRecord never estimates back pay — a VSO or accredited representative can.Source: 38 CFR § 3.400See also:effective date,accredited representative
- service connection
- A finding that a disability was caused or aggravated by military service. It is the threshold question for most compensation — a condition generally must be service-connected before it can be rated.Source: 38 CFR § 3.303See also:disability rating,C&P exam
Decision reviews & appeals
- Board appeal
- A review lane that sends your case to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, where a Veterans Law Judge decides it. Under the AMA you start it with a form (VA Form 10182) and choose a docket — direct review, evidence, or a hearing.Source: VA — Board AppealsSee also:Board of Veterans' Appeals,Veterans Law Judge,remand
- decision review
- Under the Appeals Modernization Act, if you disagree with a VA decision you generally choose among three review options — a Supplemental Claim, a Higher-Level Review, or a Board appeal. ServiceRecord explains each neutrally and never recommends one.Source: VA — decision reviews and appealsSee also:Supplemental Claim,Higher-Level Review,Board appeal
- Higher-Level Review
- A review lane where a more senior reviewer takes a fresh look at the same evidence — no new evidence is added. It can return a case for a duty-to-assist error found in the earlier decision.Source: 38 CFR § 3.2601See also:Supplemental Claim,Board appeal,duty to assist
- new and relevant evidence
- Evidence VA did not already have that tends to prove or disprove something at issue. It is the standard for opening a Supplemental Claim.Source: 38 CFR § 3.2501See also:Supplemental Claim
- Supplemental Claim
- A review lane where you add new and relevant evidence VA did not have before, and VA decides the issue again. It is the only lane in which you submit new evidence.Source: 38 CFR § 3.2501See also:new and relevant evidence,Higher-Level Review,Board appeal
Legacy appeals
- Statement of the Case
- In the legacy (pre-2019) appeal system, a document VA issues after a Notice of Disagreement that explains the evidence, laws, and reasons for its decision. Receiving one starts the clock to file a substantive appeal.Source: 38 CFR § 19.29See also:VA Form 9
- VA Form 9
- In the legacy appeal system, the form (formally a substantive appeal) you file after a Statement of the Case to continue your appeal to the Board. Missing its deadline can end the appeal.Source: 38 U.S.C. § 7105See also:Statement of the Case,Board of Veterans' Appeals
Board & court
- Board of Veterans' Appeals
- The part of VA where Veterans Law Judges decide appeals. Its written decision on each issue is an order that grants, denies, remands, or dismisses.Source: VA — Board of Veterans' AppealsSee also:Veterans Law Judge,remand,Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- A federal court, independent of VA, that reviews Board decisions. There is a strict deadline to appeal a Board decision to it (generally 120 days), which the Board's decision letter states.Source: 38 U.S.C. § 7266See also:Board of Veterans' Appeals,accredited representative
- docket number
- The case-tracking number the Board assigns your appeal. It identifies your case in correspondence and in the Board's decision.Source: VA — Board of Veterans' AppealsSee also:Board of Veterans' Appeals
- remand
- When the Board sends an issue back for more development (such as another exam or records) rather than deciding it. A remand is not a denial — the issue stays open and comes back for a later decision.Source: 38 CFR § 19.9See also:Board of Veterans' Appeals,Veterans Law Judge
- Veterans Law Judge
- A judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals who reviews the record (and any hearing) and issues the Board's decision on your appeal.Source: 38 U.S.C. § 7101See also:Board of Veterans' Appeals
Reductions & protections
- predetermination hearing
- A hearing you can request after a proposed reduction, before VA makes it final, to present your side. There is usually a short window to ask for it, stated in the proposal notice.Source: 38 CFR § 3.105See also:proposed reduction
- proposed reduction
- A notice that VA intends to lower a rating — it is a proposal, not a final decision. You generally get a window to submit evidence and to request a hearing before VA decides. ServiceRecord never predicts whether a reduction will happen.Source: 38 CFR § 3.105See also:predetermination hearing,protected rating
- protected rating
- Rules that make some ratings harder to reduce as they age — for example additional protections once a rating has been in effect five years, and stronger ones at ten and twenty years. Whether they apply depends on your record.Source: 38 CFR § 3.344See also:proposed reduction
Debt & overpayments
- Committee on Waivers and Compromises
- The VA body that decides waiver requests on benefit overpayments — whether to forgive, reduce, or settle the debt.Source: 38 CFR § 1.955See also:waiver,overpayment
- overpayment
- Money VA says it paid you that you were not entitled to — for example after a change in dependents or income. VA can collect it, but you generally have the right to dispute the debt or ask for a waiver.Source: 38 CFR § 1.911See also:waiver,Committee on Waivers and Compromises
- waiver
- A request asking VA to forgive part or all of an overpayment because collecting it would be against equity and good conscience. There is a deadline to request one, stated in the debt letter.Source: 38 CFR § 1.963See also:overpayment,Committee on Waivers and Compromises
People & help
- accredited representative
- A person VA has authorized to represent claimants — a VSO representative, an accredited agent, or an accredited attorney. You can verify anyone who charges you through VA's accreditation search. VSO help is free.Source: 38 CFR § 14.629See also:VSO,county veterans service officer,Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- county veterans service officer
- A government-employed representative in your county who helps veterans with VA benefits and claims at no charge. A free, local first stop.Source: VA — get help filing your claimSee also:VSO,accredited representative
- VSO
- A Veterans Service Organization (such as DAV, VFW, or the American Legion) and the accredited service officers who work through them help you file and appeal — for free. Membership is generally not required.Source: VA — get help filing your claimSee also:accredited representative,county veterans service officer
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