How Pathfinder works and what you control

Overview

Pathfinder is self-guided educational software from Claim Raven. It can explain general concepts, organize information you provide, surface questions to review, and help you work through your own records at your own pace. It does not represent you before VA, choose a benefit or claim for you, create facts, make a medical diagnosis, sign a form, or submit anything to VA for you. You make every consequential choice You decide which facts are accurate, which records belong with an issue, what possibilities deserve more research, whether a draft reflects your experience, which official form or route applies, and whether, when, and what you submit to VA. A software-generated possibility is not a VA decision or an instruction to file.

Keep these six decisions in your hands

Confirm the facts Check names, dates, service periods, symptoms, treatment, events, and every other factual detail against what you know and the records you trust. Only facts you can support remain in your work. Connect records carefully Decide which record or statement belongs with each issue. Do not accept an automatic match just because the wording looks similar. Each connection reflects your review, not a software assumption. Choose what to investigate Treat a suggested condition, relationship, gap, or research path as a question. You decide whether it fits your circumstances and deserves more work. Possibilities stay separate from verified conclusions. Approve your own words Read every draft and remove language that is uncertain, inaccurate, too broad, or unlike the way you would describe your experience. You can personally stand behind each factual sentence. Verify the official process Use the current notice, VA form instructions, and VA.gov page to confirm the form, deadline, evidence rules, and submission route that apply. A current official source, not a product summary, controls the next filing step. Authorize any submission Review the final materials and personally decide whether, when, and what to send. Saving or downloading work in Claim Raven does not file it with VA. Nothing is treated as submitted until you complete and verify the official process.

The three roles in the process

The veteran remains at the center while Pathfinder provides educational tools and VA makes benefit decisions. Role What that role does You, the veteran Provide and verify facts, choose what to explore, review evidence, approve your own statements, decide whether to seek help, and personally authorize any submission. Pathfinder Explain general concepts, organize user-provided information, show available sources, identify questions or possible gaps, preserve progress, and provide educational practice. VA Receive applications and evidence, develop the record under applicable rules, schedule examinations when needed, and decide eligibility, service connection, ratings, effective dates, and payment.

What Pathfinder can help with

Learn unfamiliar VA terms in plain language and open the cited source when one is provided. Build a timeline from information you enter or records you choose to use. Keep conditions, events, records, and open questions organized. Compare a summary or statement with the underlying facts and source coverage. Notice a missing date, unexplained contradiction, or document that may deserve review. Turn a broad concern into a smaller research or record-gathering task. Practice describing symptoms and functional effects honestly without memorizing a script. Stop, verify, correct your work, and return later. Helpful output can still be wrong or incomplete An AI-assisted summary, timeline, task, or educational brief can contain an error, omit context, overstate a possibility, or rely on incomplete records. Review important facts and sources before using the result.

What Pathfinder should never decide for you

Whether you are legally eligible for a benefit or likely to receive a particular outcome. Which condition, claim type, theory, review lane, form, or evidence item you should choose. Whether an in-service event, diagnosis, symptom, date, witness, exposure, or medical relationship exists. Whether a statistical pattern, common association, Board decision, or Theory Bank match proves something about your health or claim. Whether a statement is accurate before you personally review and confirm it. Whether to sign, certify, or submit a form in your name. Whether to share a VA.gov password, multifactor code, or recovery code. Claim Raven should never ask for those secrets. What rating, effective date, processing time, or result VA will assign.

Review an AI-assisted result with five checks

Facts Are the names, dates, service periods, conditions, treatment details, and document references accurate? Keep an uncertain date uncertain instead of accepting invented precision. Factual statements match what you know or a reliable record. Source Can you trace an important fact to what you entered or a specific record? Can you open the official source behind a rule or process statement? Important claims have a source you can inspect, or remain marked unverified. Scope Is the result describing an educational possibility, or does it sound like a legal, medical, or VA conclusion? A possibility remains a question until evidence and the applicable rule support it. Missing context Does another record contradict the result? Is a different service period, diagnosis, decision, or later event missing? The result does not silently treat one record as the entire history. Your confirmation Would you personally stand behind every factual sentence? Edit, mark uncertain, or remove anything you cannot confirm. Polished language never replaces your own review.

Pause and use an official source

Open the current notice, form instructions, or VA.gov source before acting when the question involves a filing or response deadline, the current version of a form, a submission route, notice-specific instructions, evidence allowed in a decision-review lane, appointment or fee rules for a representative, or a change in a regulation or rating criterion. The notice you received and the current official instructions control over a Pathfinder explanation.

Accredited help is your choice

VA does not automatically assign you a representative. If you choose claim-specific assistance or representation, VA recognizes accredited VSO representatives, attorneys, and claims agents. VA says services from an accredited VSO representative on a VA benefit claim are always free. Accredited attorneys and claims agents may charge fees when VA rules allow. Check the individual person's current accreditation in VA's directory, not just a company name or website. Ask who will actually handle your matter and confirm that person's current VA accreditation. Ask what the representative will do and what remains your responsibility. Ask about fees, expenses, and when any charge is allowed before signing an agreement. Ask how sensitive records will be exchanged and who can access them. Ask how to end the representation or retrieve your file. Software is not representation Using or paying for Claim Raven does not appoint a representative and does not create an attorney-client or representative relationship. Pathfinder should support your choice whether you remain self-guided or obtain VA-accredited help.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating a Pathfinder possibility as a VA finding. Accepting a polished summary without checking its source records. Assuming an evidence checklist means every listed item is required. Letting uncertain dates become exact through repeated summaries. Copying language that does not sound like you or describe your experience. Sharing VA.gov credentials, multifactor codes, or recovery codes with a tool or helper. Assuming a saved or downloaded draft has been filed with VA. Depending on a predicted rating, processing time, or outcome.

Official sources for accredited help

Official sources for accredited help VA: Get help from an accredited representative or VSO https://www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/ VA accredited representative FAQs https://www.va.gov/resources/va-accredited-representative-faqs/ VA Office of General Counsel accreditation search https://www.va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation/

Related guidance

Related guidance Is this an official VA website? /help-center/getting-started/faq-is-this-official-va How accurate are the AI tools? /help-center/ask-raven/faq-are-ai-tools-accurate How does AI consent work? /help-center/ask-raven/faq-ai-consent Keep personal records and support requests safe /help-center/privacy-and-security/feature-data-protection Compare self-guided and VA-accredited help /claims-guide/help Review Claim Raven's security boundaries /security

More information

Continue when the information reflects what you know When the current screen offers Back, Edit, or an uncertainty option, use it whenever something needs correction or more evidence. Those controls protect accuracy. Return to Pathfinder /guided-program

Common questions