VA benefits, step by step.
Every rule, drawn and explained.
An illustrated guide for veterans and the family members who help them: service connection, the PACT Act, Intent to File, the C&P exam, VA math, the three ways to ask for a new review, Veterans Pension with Aid & Attendance, and DIC for surviving spouses. 200 pages with VA's current rates and the official source on every page. eBook or printed book.
The book at the veteran's kitchen table, the PDF for the family member helping from another city · $79.99
Not a wall of regulations. One topic per page.
Every page works the same way, so the answer is there in a few minutes: before the exam, before mailing a form, the day a decision letter arrives.
This is what the pages look like.
For whoever sits down with the letters.
Getting ready to file
Which benefit fits, the three pieces of service connection, the PACT Act lists, the intent to file and the folder of records the claim needs.
The adult son or daughter
The family member who reads the mail, tracks the dates and goes along to the exam. The guide follows the process from their side of the table.
A surviving spouse
DIC, Survivors Pension and CHAMPVA: who qualifies, the amounts, the form, and what remarriage changes.
The rules that decide a lot.
These rules are federal and written down. The book explains each one with a diagram, the numbers and the source.
One year from the date on the letter
A Higher-Level Review or a Board Appeal has to be requested within one year of the decision letter's date. Staying within the year keeps the original start date.
50% and 30% make 70%
VA doesn't add ratings: each one applies to what's left of the "whole person", and the total is rounded once at the end.
The first claim costs nothing
Accredited service organizations help for free, and attorneys or agents may only charge after VA's first decision, with a signed agreement on file.
Three pieces that have to connect.
A condition today, something in service, and the link between them. When the law presumes the link, and what that changes for the family.
- Direct, presumptive, secondary and aggravation, each with an example
- PACT Act: burn pit locations since 1990 and 2001, 12 cancers and 12 illnesses
- Agent Orange places and dates, including hypertension and MGUS
- "Benefit of the doubt": what 38 CFR 3.102 says
From the intent to file to the C&P exam.
The records to gather, the forms that carry them, how the start date is set, and what happens at the claim exam.
- Intent to file: four ways to submit it, one year to file
- Forms 21-526EZ, 21-4142, 21-10210 and the DD214
- The exam: 48 hours to reschedule, 50 and 100 miles, travel pay
- Getting a copy of the exam report with form 20-10206
VA math and the monthly amounts.
How combined ratings work, the bilateral factor, unemployability, and what each percentage pays, with and without dependents.
- VA's rate tables in effect since Dec 1, 2025: $180.42 at 10%, $3,938.58 at 100%
- The 3.6% cost-of-living increase for 2027, and why compensation needs Congress
- Unemployability: one condition at 60%, or 70% with one at 40%
- Health care priority groups by rating
After a "no": three lanes, one year.
How to read a decision letter, and which lane fits: new evidence, an error in the decision, or a Veterans Law Judge.
- Forms 20-0995, 20-0996 and 10182
- Supplemental Claims: 59.1 days on average in October 2026
- The Board's three dockets and their goals: 365, 550 and 730 days
- Keeping the original start date by staying within the year
Pension, Aid & Attendance, and the surviving spouse.
The income test behind both pensions, worked out with numbers, and what DIC pays and to whom.
- Pension limits: $29,093 a year for a veteran alone with Aid & Attendance
- Net worth limit $163,699, and the 3-year look-back
- DIC: $1,699.36 a month for a spouse, plus additions
- Remarriage at 55, CHAMPVA, and the one-year start-date rule
Two people, one page, the same next step.
The veteran and the family member helping can look at the same chart, keep the same folder and track the same dates, and walk into a meeting with an accredited representative already knowing the words.
- Built on laws, regulations and VA pages, cited on every page
- Reviewed every year: VA rates change every December 1
- Plain words, with VA's own terms explained
From the first form to the last review, in one guide.
Full table of contents
On screen, on paper, or both.
Color PDF, right after payment
Open it on a phone, tablet or computer, and share it with the family member who helps. Print the worksheets as many times as you need.
200 color pages, spiral-bound
Lies flat next to the letters and the phone. Free US shipping, about 5–8 business days. Want both? Printed + eBook for $79.99.
The claim folder and the deadline calendar.
Conditions, doctors and visit dates, service records, witness statements and every date from the letters, in the order VA asks for them.
- Conditions list and records checklist to fill in
- A calendar for intent-to-file and review deadlines
- With the eBook: print them again whenever they're needed
See 10 real pages, free.
The map of benefits, free help and fees, service connection, the PACT Act, intent to file, the C&P exam, VA math, the three review lanes, pension with Aid & Attendance, and survivors. Read them and decide with the pages in front of you.
See the 10 pages ↓
How is it different?
| What it has | This guide | va.gov | Books on Amazon | Accredited VSO representative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits, evidence, exam, ratings, reviews and survivors in one place | ✓ | Spread across many pages | Varies | ✓ |
| Timelines, flowcharts and diagrams | ✓ | Varies | Mostly text | — |
| Current rates with the source on each page | ✓ | ✓ | Varies by edition | ✓ |
| Worksheets and a deadline calendar to print | ✓ | — | Varies | Varies |
| Files the claim and speaks with VA for the veteran | ✗ General information | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | From $39.99 | Free | Mostly $13 to $30 | Free, always |
You can start reading tonight.
You pay
Secure checkout, no account, no subscription. One payment.
You open the eBook
If you chose the eBook, the download link arrives by email. Open it on a phone, tablet or computer.
The book arrives
If you chose the printed book, it ships free to your US address.
The whole process, from the first form to the last review.
- 200 illustrated color pages, 17 chapters
- Free accredited help and the rules on fees, explained first
- Service connection, the PACT Act and other presumptions
- Intent to file, effective dates and the C&P exam
- VA math, rate tables and the 2027 cost-of-living increase
- The three review lanes with their forms and deadlines
- Veterans Pension, Aid & Attendance, DIC, Survivors Pension and CHAMPVA
- Worksheets and a deadline calendar to print
- Printed book: spiral-bound, lies flat
What people ask before buying
Is this legal advice?
No. This guide provides general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for an attorney, a claims agent or an accredited representative. It explains the federal rules VA publishes, so the veteran and the family can prepare and ask the right questions.
Does someone have to be paid to file a VA claim?
No. Accredited Veterans Service Organization representatives help with claims for free, at every stage. Federal law doesn't allow a fee for help before VA's first decision on a claim; after that decision, accredited attorneys and claims agents may charge, with a signed fee agreement and VA Form 21-22a on file. VA's accredited representative search on va.gov shows who is accredited.
Is this a claim service?
No. It's a book. We don't file claims, fill in forms, review anyone's records, contact VA or recommend representatives, and we don't receive referral fees. For hands-on help, a free accredited representative is the first stop; the guide helps the family follow along.
Will it tell us what rating or amount VA will give?
No. Only VA decides. The guide explains how VA decides, what it asks for and the deadlines, so nothing is missed. It doesn't promise any rating, amount or result.
Does it cover the PACT Act?
Yes. Chapter 4 lists the presumptive locations and dates for burn pits and Agent Orange, the presumptive cancers and illnesses on va.gov, and how a Supplemental Claim can ask VA to look again after a change in law.
A claim was already denied. Is it too late?
The review chapters start from the decision letter. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence can be filed at any time; a Higher-Level Review or a Board Appeal must be requested within one year of the letter's date. Staying within the year keeps the original start date.
Is it useful for a surviving spouse?
Yes. Chapter 12 covers DIC, Survivors Pension, accrued benefits and CHAMPVA: who qualifies, the amounts in effect, the form, the one-year start-date rule and what remarriage changes.
Are the 2027 amounts in the book?
The book shows VA's official rates in effect since December 1, 2025, and the 3.6% cost-of-living increase announced for 2027. Pension limits rise automatically by law. Compensation and spouse DIC rise only when Congress passes the yearly COLA law, which hadn't happened when the pages were checked on November 9, 2026, so the 2027 compensation figures are shown as a clearly marked estimate.
Are you affiliated with VA?
No. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. VA's own pages are free at va.gov, and every page of the guide points to them.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The eBook is a color PDF that opens on a phone, tablet or computer. You can print the worksheets and any page you want.
When does the printed book arrive?
Shipping is free to US addresses and takes about 5–8 business days. The eBook arrives by email right after payment.
What if it's not right for me?
You have a 30-day guarantee. Write to us within 30 days and we'll refund you. No questions, no forms.
Ready to see every step of a VA claim on one page?
200 illustrated pages, current rates with sources, the forms and the deadlines. 30-day guarantee.
From $39.99 · eBook or printed