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A class action in the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is forcing the VA to audit tens of thousands of legacy appeals it closed automatically — many of which were filed on time. If your appeal was pending between December 12, 1990 and February 6, 2025, here's what the Freund v. Collins settlement means for you.
Aggravation claims grant at 25.3% across 11,084 BVA condition records. The 9-point grant gap hides a 32-point remand gap that's the real story under Allen v. Brown.
The VA revised M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, Chapter 6, Section F, updating how examinations are developed for claims involving an undiagnosed illness or MUCMI in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System. If you are a transitioning service member or Gulf War veteran with unexplained symptoms, this affects your exam.
The VA has revised M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart ii, Chapter 1, Section B, relocating and revising pre-discharge examination instructions for Persian Gulf veterans pursuing presumptive service connection. If you served in the Southwest Asia theater and are filing or refiling, this procedural change affects how your claim gets developed.
The VA updated its M21-1 manual section on reviewing diagnoses to bring example language in line with the Spicer v. McDonough decision. The change affects how raters evaluate diagnostic evidence in your claim file and what counts as adequate medical evidence of a current disability.
A plain-language explanation of VA's M21-1 CUE due-process and authorization update, what stayed the same, and when ordinary review lanes may fit better.
The VA revised M21-1, Part IV, Subpart i, Chapter 3, Section A, updating qualification requirements for clinicians who perform mental health C&P examinations. If your claim involves PTSD, MST, depression, or anxiety, the credentials of your examiner now sit at the center of any sufficiency challenge.
The VA added new guidance to M21-1 on acute and transitory conditions within the direct service connection framework. If your claim hinges on an in-service injury or illness that resolved before separation, this update changes how raters may evaluate your evidence.
The VA's M21-1 manual now includes specific guidance on identifying which document or documents established that a PTSD or personal trauma claim is based on military sexual trauma (MST). If you have an MST-related claim pending, this affects how raters document your file.
The VA revised its M21-1 manual section governing how raters evaluate genitourinary disabilities. If you have a kidney, bladder, urinary, or reproductive system claim pending or planned, this internal guidance shift affects how your evidence gets read.
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