Your VA claims file (often called the C-file or eFolder) is the record used for compensation, pension, and related adjudication. It can include applications, service records, submitted medical evidence, VA examination reports, decision letters, notices, correspondence, and rating code sheets. The file is useful when a decision says evidence was missing, an examination relied on incorrect facts, or an old issue may have been overlooked.

Know which record you are requesting

The VBA claims file is not the same thing as your complete VHA health record. A C-file may contain selected medical records that VA used for a benefits decision, but it is not a substitute for every clinical note, laboratory result, imaging report, or community-care record held by the Veterans Health Administration. Request each record from the office that maintains it.

  • For the VBA claims file and benefits records, use VA Form 20-10206 or the current VA records-request workflow. State that you want your complete compensation and pension claims file, including the electronic folder, rating decisions, code sheets, examination reports, medical opinions, evidence list, and correspondence.
  • For VHA treatment records, contact the Release of Information office at the VA medical center or use the health-record request process described by VA. VA Form 10-5345a is the request for an individual's own health information. VA Form 10-5345 authorizes VA to disclose health information to another person or organization. Follow the medical center's instructions rather than assuming the C-file request will produce the chart.
  • A request for one document can be narrower and easier to process. Name the document, facility or program, date range, condition, and the claim or decision it relates to. Keep a copy of your request and the date VA received it.

The Privacy Act governs access to records about you. The Freedom of Information Act is a separate public-records process; it does not mean you should send a broad, unprotected request containing your Social Security number or medical history. Use VA's designated form and secure channel, and provide only the identifying information needed to locate your own records.

What to do while you wait

Save the request confirmation, reference number, and date. A C-file can take time, so do not let the request replace a pending review deadline. While it is processing, gather the decision letters already in your VA.gov account, list each claimed condition and theory, and make a timeline of examinations, deployments, treatment, and prior decisions. If you have a live appeal, review Chapter 16: Appeal Options and protect the one-year deadline separately.

Review the file in a repeatable order

When the file arrives, preserve the original download and make a working copy. Start with the newest rating decision and notice letter, then review:

  1. Favorable findings and reasons for decision. Confirm what VA conceded and what element it said was missing. A denial audit is more useful than reading thousands of pages in random order; see Chapter 18: Common Reasons Claims Are Denied.
  2. C&P examination reports and medical opinions. Check the history, diagnoses, measurements, functional descriptions, and rationale. Note whether the examiner answered the correct direct, secondary, presumptive, or exposure theory.
  3. Rating code sheets. Code sheets can show the diagnostic code, evaluation percentage, effective date, and service-connected conditions. Compare them with the decision letter and your award records; flag discrepancies instead of assuming the code sheet is a new decision.
  4. Evidence list and correspondence. Check whether VA received the records you submitted, requested identified records, sent examination notices, and documented responses. A missing upload may require a targeted follow-up or review argument.
  5. Service and treatment records. Verify dates, duty locations, MOS or duties, deployments, and medical history. Separate VBA documents from VHA clinical records so you know what still needs to be requested.

You can use Claim Raven's C-file request checklist to record the request date and documents requested. When the file arrives, Raven Cipher can help organize a copy for a guided preview. Treat any uploaded file as sensitive: use a private account, verify the destination before upload, do not share public links, and remove unnecessary identifiers from copies you send to a third party. Claim Raven is an organizational tool, not a substitute for a VA-accredited representative or medical provider.

Official sources