If you’ve filed a VA disability claim and are awaiting a decision letter, you can access it online once it’s ready. Veterans with a VA.gov sign-in can use this online option to access their disability decisions whenever they need them. No need to store hard copies or request reprints from VA.
The ability to view and download your VA decision letters online saves you time. Quick access to your disability decisions and benefits summaries could save you a call to VA if you have questions about your decision or need an official copy of your paperwork. No need to wait for a paper letter in the mail.
Follow these steps to access your past and current VA decision letters:
- Navigate to VA.gov and sign in using any of the sign-in options.
- Click on VA Benefits and Health Care at the top of the VA website. You will see a dropdown menu. Select Disability, then Check your claim or appeal status.
- Find the claim you are looking for. If there has been a decision, it will say Status: Closed. Remember that, if your claim is not closed, a decision letter will not be available yet.
- To locate your VA decision letter, click on View details.
- On the next page, click Get your claim letters. You will see a list of letters sent by VA in chronological order, with the most recent mailing at the top.
- Select the letter you need. The decision letter will be downloaded as a PDF file that can be viewed and saved to your computer or mobile device.
VA strives to provide Veterans with choices that meet their needs and preferences. Timely access to VA decision letters allows Veterans to quickly see their disability decisions, allowing faster access to other federal and state benefits.
To learn more about VA disability compensation, visit www.va.gov/disability/.
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I am a discouraged spouse and widow of WWII veteran who died July 6 1922. I have filed a claim with help from Va specialist…three times last one saying lack of signature which l had signed with power of attorney. Claim for DIC l am anxiety over this matter!
It is great to hear about decision letters being available now because when you order your records you only seem to get what they want you to have. I found how to download decision letters a few weeks back and none were in my ROI responses. So this is helpful.
Just a note some states like Texas who require on our VA annual rating letter that it include the state issuing and when the Veteran initially became disabled. Not sure what the relevance of this is to getting exemptions for benefits from the County Boards.
Awesome info that many do not know about. Please make this printable so it can given to out Veterans
Says service is unavailable.
Will we be able to receive information about the Board’s claim?
This is something we have been able to do for a while. Now if the VA can make Referral Authorization’s available online that would be great also as I don’t always get my copies via snail mail. I have always had to call the VA, Tricare or Triwest, to get my copies.
There is one more item that is important to me. I was deigned my grade E5. The officer I served under disappeared and I am not sure whether he stayed in the service or took his second wife and left the service. He should have stayed in the service for eight more years and then retired. The officer that replaced him said did not want to waste the promotion on me seeing I was not staying in the service.
I am not able to do many things on computers. I was drafted as an Alien Resident holding a green card. When I went through the medical tests at every station, I was offered a chair to sit down. I did not take the chair I may have been the oldest in the group. Yes, I had many surgeries on both feet. I guess because Americans were running to foreign counties to avoid the draft. The government wanted the ranks to be filled. My problems were caused by the Army. First my legs could not take the boots. My parents doctor a Major in the reserves when the post was closed to get my legs back in Plaster of Paris to my knees. I was to return for December 25 to do Kitchen Police. Most of my military time I was on cutch’s At Fort Ord and Fort Hood. Then when we were issued our weapons, the Army found out the weapons were not made or tested for left-handed people. The shells released to the right. For a right-handed person the shells to the right of the person. To the left-handed like me the shells went down our backs. The Post Commander said all left persons should do shirt buttons up to their necks. Do jacket sippers as high as possible. The only problem the recoil from the weapon separated the clothing and the shells still went down our backs. Then the noise damaged our hearing. This being an air cooled\weapon. This weapon damaged our eyes. One thing that will not show in the medical records. We were waiting for it to get dark. For some reason I was holding the weapon in my right hand. For some reason a shot was fired and missed my foot. Then I was hit on the head and cussed at. After a while the person turned to face me. I still could not see the face. The cursing continued. Then the person stopped cursing and asked to see my weapon and the safety was still on and the person walked away. No apologies. I now have braces on both legs and my hands have supports on. I have both eyes with the cataracts gone.
I am a Veteran, and I am disabled. But my disability did not happen while I was active duty. However it did happen when I was working at a VA hospital. Is there any one that can assist me. I am filling out the forms to receive my care at a VA clinic. I need to see comp and pen
Thank you
I saw that update a few months back which is so great to utilize and see the letters but for some reason the “Rating Decision Code Sheet” is still not available to print out and review.
Is this going to be available in the near future via the VA.gov website?
I don’t have a US phone number, how do I sign in?