Prepare for a VA Higher-Level Review Informal Conference
Use a one-page issue outline to point the higher-level reviewer to an error in the record VA already had, without adding new evidence.
Intelligence Brief
Clear guides, original reporting and a closer look at VA claims.
Claims process
69 articles · All sections
TDIU Vocational Assessment Cost: Published Prices and What to Ask
Dated, published prices for TDIU vocational reports, two routes to check before paying, and the written-scope questions to ask any provider.
How to Add a Condition to a Pending VA Claim
VA lets you add conditions while a claim is pending, but only through a new application. Here is how VA's manual handles it and how to protect the date.
TDIU and Self-Employment: Records That Show Your Actual Work
Self-employment does not rule out TDIU, but current work must be marginal. Document your tasks, hours, time lost and earned income the way VA asks for them.
TDIU and a Protected Work Environment: Documenting the Facts
A protected work environment is a lower-income job shielded from competition because of service-connected disability. What the court held and what to document.
TDIU Marginal Employment: Income Records and the Poverty Threshold
Compare each year's earned income with that year's Census one-person poverty threshold. The 2020 to 2025 figures, the HHS mix-up, and the records to keep.
VA Form 20-0995 Example: Supplemental Claim, Item by Item
Walk through the current Supplemental Claim form in order: the decided issue, its notice date, the new evidence and the Item 23 notice box.
How to Fill Out VA Form 21-0781: Section-by-Section Guide and Example
VA Form 21-0781 supports a mental health claim based on an in-service traumatic event. What each section asks, why the event type matters under VA's PTSD rule, and an annotated fictional example.
SSDI and TDIU: Using Social Security Records in a VA Claim
SSDI and TDIU can be paid together. An SSA decision, medical file and earnings record each help a TDIU claim in different ways, but none decides it.
VA Effective Date Wrong? Check the Timeline First
Put your intent to file, claim, decisions and reviews on one timeline, match the award to its rule, and check whether Hoffman v. Collins applies.
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