VA Form 21-0845 lets VA share your benefit or claim information with a person or organization you choose. You decide who receives the information and whether the permission covers limited information or any information within the form's scope.

The current official form is the May 2026 edition, replacing February 2023. I checked its three pages on September 25, 2026. Page 1 contains instructions; pages 2 and 3 contain four sections and Items 1 through 16. VA allows only one 21-0845 on file at a time.

Use it for information sharing, not representative appointment

This form can help when you want a trusted person to discuss your pending claim or benefit information with VA. You do not need to make the recipient an attorney or accredited representative just to authorize the disclosure described here.

But 21-0845 is not the form for appointing a claims representative. VA identifies 21-22 for appointing a Veterans Service Organization and 21-22a for appointing an individual representative. Those are separate processes with their own requirements. See VA's accredited-representative guidance.

The distinction matters when you want different kinds of help. Receiving an update about a pending claim is an information-sharing request. Selecting someone to represent you in the claims process requires the appropriate appointment, rather than assuming a disclosure form supplies that authority.

The PDF also says a beneficiary recognized as incompetent for VA purposes may not execute this form and VA cannot accept it from that beneficiary. If that describes the case, ask VA about the appropriate fiduciary or representative process instead of having a relative sign this form as a workaround.

Section I: Veteran identification, Items 1 to 5

The May 2026 PDF asks for:

  • 1: Veteran's name.
  • 2: Veteran's Social Security number.
  • 3: VA file number, if known.
  • 4: Veteran's birth date.
  • 5: Veteran's service number, if applicable.

These details identify the veteran's record. Do not put the information recipient's identifiers here. The recipient appears in Section III.

If VA has sent correspondence about the record, use it to check the file number. For handwritten forms, the instructions request neat, legible printing in ink. An authorization that correctly describes your wishes still needs enough accurate identifying information to reach the right record.

Section II: A claimant other than the veteran, Items 6 to 9

6 asks for the name of the beneficiary or claimant who is not the veteran. 7 asks for that beneficiary or claimant's address, 8 the telephone number, and 9 an optional email with an electronic-correspondence agreement.

This section is for a non-veteran claimant, such as a surviving spouse sharing information about their own claim. It is not the place to identify a helpful child or friend merely because that person will call VA.

The instructions make the distinction explicit: the person named in Item 6 cannot be the same person named in Item 10 as the third-party recipient. The claimant authorizes disclosure to someone else.

If you are the veteran authorizing disclosure of your information, follow the form's identification structure rather than inventing a separate non-veteran claimant to fill every space.

Section III: Pick one recipient, Item 10

Choose one person or one organization.

For a person, complete 10A, the person's full name, and 10B, their address. Use the identity of the person who will contact VA. Avoid an informal group description such as my family.

For an organization, complete 10C, the organization's name and the names of its representatives, and 10D, its address. The instructions require at least one named individual in the organization. They permit more than one organizational representative, but that does not turn the form into permission for several unrelated organizations.

Because only one 21-0845 can be on file, do not send multiple forms expecting them to accumulate a list of separately authorized relatives. If you need to change the recipient, confirm that VA has recorded the intended current authorization.

The form also states that it cannot be used to disclose federal tax information to third parties. Selecting the broadest information option does not remove that restriction.

Items 11 and 12: Choose the information that may be shared

11: Check one option, limited information or any information. The limited option directs you to Item 12; the any-information option directs you to Item 13.

12: If you chose limited information, select all categories you want disclosed:

  • Pending claim or appeal status.
  • Amount of money owed to VA.
  • Current benefit and rate.
  • A benefit payment letter.
  • Payment history.
  • Information concerning a change of address or direct deposit.
  • Other information, which you specify.

Choose based on what the recipient actually needs. For example, a person helping you understand a pending claim's status may not need your payment history. The form gives you a narrower option without requiring you to write a separate authorization from scratch.

The reference to address or direct-deposit information is part of a disclosure form. Do not read it as a general power of attorney or assume it authorizes every account or claims action. Use VA's applicable process for any action beyond obtaining information.

Item 13: Set the duration, and notice the wording

Item 13 offers one time only, ongoing until written notice ends it, or a period from signing until a specified date. A broad authorization does not have to last indefinitely.

There is a wording issue worth seeing before you sign: the heading above Item 13 says it is for those selecting any information, while the page 1 instructions describe Item 13 as the place to specify the duration of consent generally. The PDF does not explain that difference for a limited-information authorization.

If you want both limited categories and a fixed end date, do not assume a blank Item 13 creates the end date you intended. Ask VA how to record that combination, or follow the prompts and confirmation in the official online authorization. Keep the resulting scope and duration clear in your copy.

This is a specific inconsistency in the printed directions, not a reason to choose broader permission than you want.

Item 14: Security question and answer

14A: Choose one of the security questions printed on the form. The options concern your mother's birth city and state, your high school, first pet, favorite teacher, or father's middle name.

14B: Supply the answer for the selected question. VA says it will ask that question each time your designated third party contacts VA.

Make sure the recipient can supply the agreed answer accurately. A correctly named recipient may still have difficulty discussing the record if they cannot answer the verification question. Do not put your answer in a public example, shared blog comment, or publicly accessible document.

This form does not require giving the recipient your VA.gov login. Keep the authorization process and your personal account credentials separate.

Section IV: Sign and date, Items 15 and 16

15: Veteran, beneficiary, or claimant's required signature. 16: Signing date, in the requested month/day/year format.

The signature belongs to the person authorizing disclosure. It is not the designated recipient's acceptance signature. Read the certification, then review the recipient, disclosure choice, duration, and security answer before signing the final version.

Keep a copy of the completed authorization. If you later need to explain which person or information you authorized, that copy is more useful than a memory of having sent some paperwork.

Fictional example: A broad authorization with an end date

This is an invented form exercise with no real names, identifiers, or security answers.

Assume a veteran wants one trusted adult relative to receive information about the veteran's benefits through December 31, 2026. The veteran has decided that the any-information option matches their wishes for this period.

  • 1 through 5: The veteran's actual identifying information in a real application.
  • 6 through 9: No separate non-veteran claimant in this example.
  • 10A and 10B: The chosen relative's full name and address.
  • 10C and 10D: Unused because the recipient is a person, not an organization.
  • 11: Any information.
  • 12: Skipped under Item 11's direction.
  • 13: The date-limited option, ending 12/31/2026.
  • 14A and 14B: One selected question and its privately supplied answer.
  • 15 and 16: The veteran's signature and actual signing date.

This example deliberately follows the any-information branch, where Item 13's printed direction is clear. It is not a recommendation that you give a relative broad permission. A limited-information request should match the actual assistance you want.

How to submit it

Online: Use the authorization tool linked from VA's 21-0845 page. You can also follow the PDF's instruction to upload the signed form through AccessVA.

Mail: Department of Veterans Affairs, Evidence Intake Center, P.O. Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. This is the address printed on page 1, including for this information-sharing form.

Fax: The current 21-0845 does not provide a fax number, and I could not verify a dedicated 21-0845 fax instruction. Use the stated online or mail route. If you need to fax it, ask VA at 800-827-1000 for the appropriate destination rather than borrowing a number for an unrelated benefit process.

Keep your submission confirmation with the signed copy. Sending the form is not the same as confirming that VA has associated it with the record. The recipient can check whether the authorization is available when contacting VA.

Changing your mind, and avoiding unnecessary delays

The page 1 instructions permit revocation in writing, by telephone at 800-827-1000, or through Ask VA. That is broader than the ongoing-duration checkbox's reference to written notice. When revoking, follow those instructions and retain a record of your request. VA cannot take back information it already released under your permission.

Before submission, check for these common problems: the recipient entered as the claimant, both a person and organization selected, no named individuals for an organization, two disclosure options checked, a missing security answer, or the recipient signing instead of the claimant.

If you actually want someone to represent you, review 21-22 or 21-22a. If you want VA to request private medical records, use 21-4142 and 21-4142a. Those releases bring information to VA; 21-0845 authorizes information to go from VA to your chosen recipient.

For a separate written explanation VA requests, Claim Raven's 21-4138 walkthrough shows how to organize the response. Raven Scribe can help put your own factual account into an editable draft. It does not create or submit the disclosure authorization.

Sources and scope

Verified September 25, 2026: the May 2026 21-0845 PDF, its official form page and linked online tool, and VA's representative-appointment guidance. The PDF's limited-information duration wording remains ambiguous as described above. No dedicated fax route or guaranteed processing time was verified. The example is fictional.

Where to go next

Disclaimer

I'm Landon, founder of Claim Raven and a U.S. Army veteran, not a lawyer, VSO, or VA-accredited representative. Claim Raven is data analysis, not legal, medical, or VA-accredited advice. Choose the disclosure you actually intend. Ask VA or an accredited representative about authority, fiduciary status, or an unclear authorization.