There’s a common misperception that VA-and-DoD’s eBenefits web portal is singularly synonymous with “checking your claim.” Although claim status is one of several dozen features on eBenefits, it’s also one whose implementation many Vets felt could be improved.

Enter vets.gov, the VA’ transaction-based website. Yes, you will now be able to track the progress of your disability compensation claim online at Vets.gov.

Let’s back up, though, to address on question: Why?

What I mean to say is that we’ve heard you. That we’ve taken your suggestions to improve the claim status tracker. And since it’s one of our most-popular features, we’ve brought it—new and improved!—to the Vets.gov experience.

The claim status tracker is now simpler to use, easier to read, more responsive, 508 compliant, and best of all—it’s designed for mobile. These are the suggestions you—and other Veterans just like you—have told us in interviews, focus groups, surveys, testing and other feedback that we’ve received.

After you create a Vets.gov account, give it a whirl. We believe you’ll find it easier to understand. Look for clearer language, a cleaner and less-distracting design, an easy-to-navigate interface, and less-confusing steps in the timeline. Where there used to be eight steps in the claim process, there are now only five:

  1. Claim received
  2. Initial review
  3. Evidence gathering, review and decision
  4. Preparation for decision notification
  5. Complete

At the moment, disability compensation is the only claim status currently available on Vets.gov. Other claim types will be added in early 2017. This is also true for VA benefits in general: soon, you’ll be able to discover, apply for, track and manage all your VA benefits at vets.gov.

The eBenefits Portal is an online resource for tools and benefits-related information for wounded warriors, Veterans, Active Duty Servicemembers, their families, and those who care for them. The portal will remain active until Vets.gov is fully built.

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17 Comments

  1. Claudia December 17, 2016 at 07:32

    I hope Donald trump do something about the claims process.

  2. james a crill December 17, 2016 at 02:09

    I had a law judge hearing in September. The claim dates to 1968. Is there any information as to how long that decision will be in process?

  3. Nick Devos December 12, 2016 at 14:42

    Since the steps in the claims process has been reduced from 8 to 5, does that mean claims will process faster? How come my status on vets.gov is different than the status shown on eBenefits? When I called the agent, she reported the same status as eBenefits, and didn’t know anything about there only being 5 statuses, so I’m not sure what is going on. Also, I see claims listed on eBenefits that are not listed in vets.gov, so that’s confusing.

  4. Peg Leg December 11, 2016 at 15:05

    Is the VA using the sites consecutively? Are both sites being updated.? This is the first I have heard of Vets.gov and I go to EBenefits almost daily to see that my claim status is still the same. The VA departments don’t talk to each other as it is. It took me almost 3 months to update my address because of this. Is this yet another place to go to in order to make sure that something is correct? This just gets crazier all the time.

  5. Delilah Ervin December 9, 2016 at 19:31

    Pitiful site! Frustrating, tiresome, chat line never active. Too detailed with rigid language one must learn before using site. Off, on weekends, very often. Behind on updating increase in benefits. Long, long wait on addressing back pay for CRSC, and updating. Whomever, thought up this boondoggle of another bit of mess to put the long suffering poor vet into navigating, should be ashamed! Must have been a terrific contract of tremendous value for whomever sold this piece of trash to VA!

  6. robert j. szatkowski December 9, 2016 at 18:32

    will the govt ever pay benefits to vets and bring them up to what they are owed .The pay rate has gone up such a small amount ‘that most vets cant live a normal life. Instead politicians retire with hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

    Thank You for your time and work Robert Szatkowski rjmks60@ yahoo .com

  7. Winfield Malcolm Bowie Jr. December 9, 2016 at 17:12

    i will be waiting

  8. Winfield Malcolm Bowie Jr. December 9, 2016 at 17:09

    i have never heard this year about the decision on a claim i sub mitted years ago.what do i do??

  9. Richard Lovely December 9, 2016 at 16:54

    I served in the National Guard from 75to81 and never asked the VA for anything because of the negative comments I always heard about them. Now that I am disabled and could use some help I’m finding out first hand how true that is

  10. John Starzynski December 9, 2016 at 16:22

    Why is a chart used for those of us with dual disabilities instead of just adding our 2 disabilities together and ranking us that way? It seems like we’re not being treated fairly. Will the chart ever be abolished under the new Trump regime? This should be a topic of discussion for change in the future in my opinion.

  11. Joe Davis December 9, 2016 at 15:54

    I have an eBenefits account. I have a my healthy vet account. Now you tell me I need a new account. okay, I started the process of creating it and I find that my existing accounts are not recognized when I try to create a new account. No! Instead I’m rerouted to an outsourced company to provide info for a “secure” account. That info includes for things like my birthdate, my drivers license and, or my passport and my Social Security number.
    I don’t want to open a new line of credit and I don’t need my personal information spread around any further. What I want is to use my existing account to access my information in whatever new place someone has decided to place it in.
    Fix this.

    Joe Davis

  12. James Roberson December 9, 2016 at 13:14

    yes I have tried to get something done but always A dead end i have sent paper after paper and All got dead end,and even send pictures but it been a road , I have to go next week i going to try talk to someone then

  13. Gus Lee Bedwell December 9, 2016 at 12:24

    OK so I am confused. Do we still use ebenefits or are we now signing up for a whole new program called Vets.gov. Please email so I can let other folks know how this works.

    Thank you.

    • Megan Moloney December 9, 2016 at 15:23

      Gus, both are working at this time, but in the future, all transactions will migrate to Vets.gov. If you visit that site, you’ll see where it’s building out a number of functions.

  14. Mike Jarrett December 8, 2016 at 02:55

    I have to agree with Biff about e-benefits accuracy not being good. Since e-benefits was created I have been a registered user. I have checked the status of my claims countless times and my status has never been accurate. For example, I had an open claim for over 1 year and e-benefits showed that I did not have any claim open and that I haven’t ever had an open claim. I have had a few open claims over the past 15 years. I don’t ever go to the site any more because there isn’t anything on it to benefit me. !!! Pathetic Site !!

  15. Biff Tannen December 6, 2016 at 23:20

    If it is no more accurate than ebenefits, it is a waste of taxpayer money.

    • Gus Lee Bedwell December 9, 2016 at 12:27

      Biff,

      I work with Veteran Service Officers and I would offer status checks are not as helpful as people think. We tell our veterans an average claim takes 6 to 18 months sometimes shorter and sometimes longer. The more accurate and complete a claim is upfront the better chance it has at being the shorter time. In most cases all status checks do is frustrate veterans.

      Some perspective to ponder.

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