BDD Claim: VA Benefits Delivery at Discharge

A BDD claim is a VA disability claim you file before you leave the military. VA uses the months before your separation to review your service treatment records, schedule exams and evaluate the claim, so a decision can come soon after you get out. The window is short and the rules are specific, so count your days before you do anything else.

What is a BDD claim?

VA's claims manual calls any claim from a service member who is still on active duty a pre-discharge claim (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.A). The Benefits Delivery at Discharge program is the route for filing one 180 to 90 days before you leave. VA's pre-discharge claim page says the program may help speed up the decision so you can get your benefits sooner.

BDD is a claim process, not a separate benefit. It changes when VA can start working on your claim. It does not change what you have to show: VA's eligibility page still asks for a current condition and a link between that condition and your service.

Which route you use depends on how many days you have left on active duty:

BDD eligibility: the 180 to 90 day window

VA says you may be eligible for BDD if all of these are true:

• You are a service member on full-time active duty, including a member of the National Guard, Reserve or Coast Guard.
• You have a known separation date with 180 to 90 days left on active duty.
• You can go to VA exams within 45 days of the date you submitted your claim.

When you file, you also submit a completed Separation Health Assessment Part A Self-Assessment. If you file the BDD claim online, VA says it will get your service treatment records for you. If you file another way, you provide a copy of your service treatment records with the claim.

VA's manual says any service member on active duty may file a pre-discharge claim. That includes Reserve members serving in an Active Guard Reserve (AGR) role under Title 10, full-time National Guard members in an AGR role under Title 32, and service members going through a medical or physical evaluation board who are not enrolled in IDES (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.A.1.b).

A known date matters. VA's manual says a claim filed with no known discharge date is incomplete, and VA asks the service member to refile within 180 days of discharge (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B.3.i).

Fictional example: your separation date is April 30, 2027. The window opens 180 days before, on November 1, 2026, and closes 90 days before, on January 30, 2027. If you file on December 1, 2026, you have 150 days left, and you need to be available for exams through January 15, 2027. VA's manual counts the 45 days the same way in its own example: a claim received January 3, 2022 needed exam availability through February 17, 2022.

When you can't use BDD

VA says you can't use BDD if your claim needs special handling, even with more than 90 days left. VA lists these:

• you need case management for a serious injury or illness
• you are terminally ill
• you are waiting for discharge while being treated at a VA hospital or military treatment facility
• you are waiting for VA to decide your character of discharge
• you can't go to a VA exam during the 45 days after you submit your claim

VA's manual adds a few more: a claim from a service member enrolled in IDES, a service member who has lost a body part, and a claim that needs a VA exam in a foreign country, except exams arranged through the VA offices at Landstuhl, Germany and Camp Humphreys, Korea (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B.1.b).

An excluded claim is not thrown out. VA's manual says it is processed as a BDD-excluded claim under the Fully Developed Claim program, the standard claims process or another available program.

How long does a BDD claim take?

VBA's Benefits Delivery at Discharge program page says the 180 to 90 day timeframe lets VA review service treatment records, schedule exams and evaluate the claim before separation, and that "BDD's goal is to deliver a decision within 30 days after separation." VA's manual states the same goal. That is a goal, not a promise for your claim, and the VA pages cited here do not publish an average processing time for BDD claims.

The reason a decision can come quickly is that most of the work happens while you are still serving. VA's manual tells its staff to request all needed exams at the same time, complete the rating before discharge and authorize the award as soon as possible after discharge. It also says you will not receive the rating decision while you are on active duty. After you separate, VA verifies your discharge date and that your character of discharge is other than dishonorable, then releases the decision. A DD 214 satisfies that check (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.C). VA does not request that service verification until the day after your expected discharge date.

BDD claim timeline

The things that slow a BDD claim are mostly on the calendar: a missed exam, a separation date that changed without VA knowing, a missing SHA Part A, and conditions added after day 90. Each of those is covered below.

What to submit with a BDD claim

BDD uses the same claim form as any disability claim. VA's manual says the form for a pre-discharge claim is VA Form 21-526EZ, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits, which is what the online application files. Put these together before you file:

1. The claim itself, online or on VA Form 21-526EZ, with every condition you are claiming.
2. The Separation Health Assessment Part A Self-Assessment, downloaded from VA, with VA's instructions for filling it out.
3. Your service treatment records for the current period of service. VA gets them for an online BDD claim; include a copy if you file another way.
4. Other records that document the injuries, illnesses or events behind your claim, including dental and mental health records if they apply.
5. Dependent information if you are claiming a spouse or children. VBA's BDD page lists birth certificates, and VA's manual looks for VA Form 21-686c, Application Request to Add and/or Remove Dependents.
6. Direct deposit information: account number, name of the financial institution and routing number.
7. DD 214s for any earlier periods of service, and the one for your current service once it is issued.

VBA's BDD page also tells you to keep a complete set of your service treatment records for yourself. It says a copy should include, as they apply, your military entrance physical and periodic health assessments, inpatient and outpatient records, military and private medical documents, traumatic brain injury records, behavioral health records and dental records.

Organize your records by condition

Build one row for each condition you are actually claiming, so each one has its service record, any civilian record and current test results in one place:

Include referrals, imaging, prescriptions and off-base specialist records that may not be in your service treatment file. If you don't have a private record, name the provider and the dates; VA's standard claims page says VA will make every reasonable effort to request non-federal records you authorize it to get. A filled row shows what you have. It does not show that VA has enough evidence or that a condition is service connected.

Fictional example: a service member claiming a knee condition lists a 2023 sick call visit and a 2024 MRI from the military clinic, a 2025 visit to an off-base orthopedist and a current physical therapy note. The orthopedist's note is not in the service file, so the row names the practice and the visit month, and the member either uploads the note or asks VA to request it.

Service treatment records can be long, and a condition treated once years ago is easy to leave off your list. Raven Scan reads long medical records and lists the diagnoses, symptoms, medications and treatment history it finds, with page references, so you can compare them with your condition list before day 90. To understand one record or letter first, the free Claim Readiness Review explains a single document. If a condition started with an event your records don't show, the free personal statement builder walks you through describing it in your own words.

The Separation Health Assessment and exams before discharge

VBA's Separation Health Assessment page describes the SHA as a single separation examination that supports both VA's disability compensation process and the Defense Department's separation or retirement process. It has two parts:

• Part A is a medical history questionnaire. You complete it before your clinical assessment.
• Part B is the clinical assessment. The examiner reviews your Part A and your service treatment records, examines you and records the findings.

VA conducts the SHA for service members filing through BDD or IDES. The Defense Department conducts the separation exam for service members who are not in BDD or IDES, or who have fewer than 90 days left on active duty. For a BDD claim, VA's pre-discharge page also says to finish all phases of the VA and Defense Department medical separation exam process before your release.

Part A is your account of your health history, so fill it out completely and accurately. Claim Raven's SHA Part A guide explains its important sections. A few rules from VA's manual (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B and 6.C) are worth knowing:

• VA will not request your exams until it has a completed Part A. VA accepts an unsigned Part A as complete.
• A missing Part A does not remove you from BDD right away. VA contacts you for it, and if it still does not have your service treatment records or Part A on day 89 before your discharge, it moves the claim out of BDD and processes it under another program.
• If you add conditions while 180 to 90 days remain and your SHA is already done, VA does not order a second SHA. It requests exams for the new conditions.
• Some exams, such as sleep studies, may not be possible before discharge. VA does not remove you from BDD for that.
• If you miss the 45-day exam period because of a delay on VA's side, VA does not remove the claim from BDD.
• For a PTSD claim, the manual says VA Form 21-0781, the statement about an in-service traumatic event, is generally not necessary in a BDD claim, though VA may still ask for it if it needs to corroborate a stressor.

Attend every exam. If you can't make an appointment, use the contact information on the notice right away. C&P Exam Prep helps you organize the symptoms and limits you can truthfully describe, and the C&P exam guide covers the exam itself.

What if you miss the BDD window?

Missing BDD does not cost you the claim. With fewer than 90 days left on active duty, VA says you can still file a pre-discharge claim before you separate. It is a standard claim: you submit the evidence you have, and VA helps gather the evidence it needs to decide. VBA's BDD page says service members who don't meet the BDD requirements can file through the Fully Developed Claim program or the standard claim process.

If VA requests your first exams after you have already separated, VA's manual says it orders a general medical exam and any needed specialist exams instead of the SHA.

If you have already separated, file within one year. VA's effective date page says that if VA gets your claim within one year of the day you left active service, the effective date can be as early as the day after separation.

You may see older guides describe Quick Start, an earlier VA pre-discharge program. VA's current pre-discharge pages do not offer it; with fewer than 90 days left, VA says you can file a standard claim. VA's catalogue of tracking codes lists Quick Start's code as historical (M21-4, Appendix B).

Adding conditions and changing your separation date

VA says you can add medical conditions to your BDD claim until day 90 before your expected discharge date, and VA includes them with your original claim. If you add a condition with fewer than 90 days left, VA may not process it until after your discharge. VA's manual handles those late conditions outside BDD, under a separate claim control.

If your separation date changes, tell VA quickly, and keep proof of the contact. VA's manual tells staff to keep the reported separation date accurate because the claim's dates depend on it, and it says what happens when your service is extended (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.C):

BDD effective date and back pay

For a pre-discharge claim, VA's manual sets the date of claim as the first day after your expected release from active duty, no matter when VA received the claim (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B.2.b).

The effective date rule for direct service connection is in 38 CFR 3.400(b)(2): the day after separation from active service, or the date entitlement arose, if VA receives the claim within one year after separation; otherwise the date VA receives the claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later. VA's effective date page puts it this way: a claim received within one year of leaving active service can have an effective date as early as the day after separation.

So BDD does not give you an earlier effective date than a claim filed in your first year out. What it changes is when VA starts working. Payment follows 38 CFR 3.31: payment for an award starts on the first day of the month after the month the award becomes effective.

Check the effective date on every issue in your decision letter. If one looks wrong, an accredited representative can help you choose a review option.

How VA tracks a pre-discharge claim

VA tracks its work with end product (EP) codes from its M21-4 manual. You may see these on letters or in your file:

VA's manual says intake staff set up a BDD claim under EP 336, and claims filed online with 180 to 90 days left are set up under it automatically. After development, VA changes it to the rating code for the claim type: 110 for a first claim, 010 for a first claim with eight or more issues, or 020 for a later claim (M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B.2). Claims filed online with fewer than 90 days left go straight to 010, 110 or 020. The code tells you what kind of work VA thinks it is doing. It is not a progress bar. For the eight status steps and the other common codes, see the VA claim status guide.

How to file a BDD claim

1. Confirm your separation date from your orders or separation paperwork, and count back 180 and 90 days.
2. Complete the SHA Part A using VA's form and instructions.
3. Gather your records by condition, and keep your own complete copy of your service treatment records.
4. File online at VA.gov or with an accredited representative, and list every condition.
5. Keep 45 days open for VA exams, and watch for exam notices.
6. Save your confirmation, and tell VA about any change to your separation date or contact information.

If you are on a base or other installation, VA suggests contacting your local Transition Assistance Office, or the ACAP Center if you are in the Army. They can help you schedule a VA benefits briefing, where you learn how to start your claim. You can also call VA at 800-827-1000 (TTY 711), or find a VSO near you.

If you are stationed overseas, VA's overseas filing page says you can start your claim at a BDD office, file online or work with an accredited representative. It lists two offices:

Overseas, you also need enough time to finish your exams in the country where you are, which may mean visits to several specialty clinics.

National Guard and Reserve claims: duty status under 38 CFR 3.6

If you are a Guard or Reserve member on full-time active duty, the BDD rules above apply to you. Outside full-time active duty, a different question comes first: what kind of duty were you on the day the injury or illness started? 38 CFR 3.6 answers it, and VA's Guard and Reserve benefits page summarizes it: VA pays compensation for injuries or diseases incurred or aggravated during active duty or active duty for training, and for an injury, heart attack or stroke during inactive duty training.

Active duty for training and inactive duty training

The difference between the two kinds of training matters most for illness. An illness that starts on a drill weekend is not covered for that period unless it is one of the three listed cardiac or stroke events, because the rule for inactive duty training names injuries. During annual training, diseases are covered too.

For travel, VA decides whether you were ordered to the training and considers the hour you left, the hour you were due to arrive or were released, how you traveled, your route and the immediate cause of the injury. The regulation puts the burden of proof on you, so keep the drill schedule, your sign-in or release time and any accident report.

VA's manual treats some events as injuries for drill purposes (M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 1.A.2). It cites General Counsel opinions holding that a sexual assault during inactive duty training is an injury for a PTSD claim, and that a disabling reaction to an anthrax vaccine given during drill can be an injury, with the same principle applied to other vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine. It also points to separate guidance on conceding injury for hearing loss and tinnitus claims based on noise exposure during training duty.

Title 10, Title 32 and state active duty

State orders still help you build a timeline. They just don't establish VA eligibility for that period.

Line of duty findings

Under 38 CFR 3.1(m), in line of duty means an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during a period of active service, unless it resulted from your own willful misconduct or, for claims filed after October 31, 1990, from abuse of alcohol or drugs. A service department finding that an injury or disease occurred in line of duty binds VA unless it is patently inconsistent with the laws VA administers.

You don't need a formal investigation. VA's manual says not every line of duty injury or disease is documented on DD Form 261, a formal line of duty investigation "is not a requirement," and VA considers all the evidence. It also says AGR members, including Guard AGR, are on continuous duty, so an injury or disease during AGR service is presumed to be in line of duty if no intentional negligence or willful misconduct is noted.

DA Form 2173 and other branches' line of duty forms

The Army documents an injury for line of duty purposes on DA Form 2173, Statement of Medical Examination and Duty Status. The form says it is required for a line of duty investigation and governed by Army Regulation 600-8-4. A completed form shows:

• the soldier's duty status at the time (present or excused) and whether the soldier was absent without leave
• whether the soldier was injured in authorized travel status
• the date, time and location of the duty
• whether a formal line of duty investigation is required (the form notes that an informal investigation can only result in an in line of duty finding)
• whether the injury is considered incurred in line of duty

Board decisions show why the form is worth tracking down. In Board decision 22069382 (December 16, 2022), the Board remanded heart, blood pressure and leg claims and told VA to ask the state Adjutant General and a Guard medical detachment for the formal line of duty report tied to a DA Form 2173 signed in November 2010.

Other branches use their own systems. The Department of the Air Force records line of duty determinations on AF Form 348 under DAFI 36-2910, which applies to the Regular Air Force, the Space Force, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. The Navy authorizes medical and dental care for reservists who incur or aggravate an injury, illness or disease in line of duty through its Line of Duty Healthcare (LOD-HC) program. Ask your unit which form or determination it completed for your injury, and get a copy.

Records that prove a drill or training date

VA's manual says the detailed Retirement Points Annual Statement is the most complete record of your active duty, active duty for training and inactive duty training periods (M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 1.A.2.e). It also accepts other service records that show the type and dates of service and don't conflict with the rest of the file:

The manual also notes that reservists receive no formal document when they separate or retire, which is why the points statement and pay records carry so much weight. Add the medical note closest to the event and a statement from anyone who saw what happened; the buddy letter guide covers witness statements. For getting your own records, see the medical records guide.

Why presumptions rarely help training-only service

If your only service is Guard or Reserve training, you do not have veteran status for that period until VA service connects a disability from it. VA's manual says that because training duty is not active service, the presumptions in 38 CFR 3.307 cannot apply to it, with exceptions for former prisoners of war, herbicide exposure, Camp Lejeune water (with its own service requirements) and COVID-19 (M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 1.A.2.i). The manual also says the presumption of soundness does not automatically apply to training periods, and that the presumption of aggravation does not apply, so the evidence has to show the training itself caused the worsening. It cites Smith v. Shinseki, 24 Vet. App. 40 (2010).

Once VA service connects a disability from a training period, that period counts as active service, and VA can use it when deciding whether a presumption applies to a later claim. Until then, most training-period claims need direct proof: a documented event in a qualifying period and a medical opinion linking your current condition to it. The nexus letter guide covers medical opinions.

The one-year effective date rule in 38 CFR 3.400 counts from separation from the continuous active service in which the disability was incurred or aggravated.

Discharge to change status: 38 CFR 3.13

If your record includes a discharge to reenlist, to accept a commission or warrant, or to switch between Regular and Reserve commissions, 38 CFR 3.13 decides whether VA treats it as a conditional discharge. If it is one, the whole stretch counts as one period of service, and VA decides entitlement by the character of the final release from that period.

Common BDD mistakes

• Filing outside the window. Count from your expected separation date and file while 180 to 90 days remain.
• Being unavailable for exams. VA needs you available for 45 days after you file.
• Leaving out the SHA Part A. VA will not request your exams without it.
• Assuming the SHA replaces every exam. VA may still order specialist exams or opinions.
• Leaving civilian records out. An off-base provider's notes may not be in your service treatment file. Upload them or name the provider and dates.
• Adding a condition after day 90 and expecting it in the first decision. VA says it may not be processed until after discharge.
• Not telling VA about a new separation date. Your date of claim depends on it.
• Treating BDD as a guarantee. BDD changes when VA starts work; it does not establish service connection or a rating.
• Treating state active duty or a drill-weekend illness as automatically covered. Check the duty type for the date first.

Questions about BDD claims

What is a BDD claim?

A BDD claim is a VA disability claim filed through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program, 180 to 90 days before you leave active duty. VA uses that time to review your records and schedule exams so it can decide soon after you separate.

The BDD window for filing a claim is how many days before discharge?

180 to 90 days before your separation from active duty. You also need a known separation date and must be available for VA exams for 45 days after you file.

How long does a BDD claim take?

VA's stated goal is a decision within 30 days after separation. It is a goal, not a guarantee, and VA does not publish an average BDD processing time on its BDD pages. You receive the decision only after you separate and VA verifies your discharge.

What forms do I need for a BDD claim?

The disability claim itself, filed online or on VA Form 21-526EZ, and a completed Separation Health Assessment Part A Self-Assessment. If you don't file online, include a copy of your service treatment records.

Can I file a VA claim with less than 90 days left?

Yes. You can't use BDD, but VA says you can still file a pre-discharge claim before you separate. It is processed as a standard claim.

Can National Guard and Reserve members file a BDD claim?

Yes, if you are on full-time active duty and meet the other requirements. VA's manual names Reserve AGR members under Title 10 and Guard AGR members under Title 32 among those who can file pre-discharge claims.

Can I add conditions to my BDD claim after I file?

Yes, until day 90 before your expected discharge date. Conditions added with fewer than 90 days left may not be processed until after you are discharged.

What happens if my separation date changes?

Tell VA right away. If your new date is 180 days or fewer from today, VA updates your date of claim. If you will serve more than 180 more days, VA's manual says it denies the claim and asks you to resubmit when you are back inside the window.

Is a drill weekend injury covered by VA disability?

Yes, if the injury happened during inactive duty training in line of duty. Drill weekends also cover a heart attack, cardiac arrest or stroke during training. Other illnesses that begin on a drill weekend are generally not covered for that period.

Does state active duty count for VA disability?

No. VA's Guard and Reserve benefits page says state active duty on a governor's orders does not qualify as active duty for VA benefits.

Sources

Checked October 6, 2026.

• VA, Pre-discharge claim (last updated June 18, 2026): the BDD requirements, special handling exclusions, day 90 rule, IDES, filing help and phone number. VA's former Separation Health Assessment resource page now redirects here.
• VA, File a pre-discharge claim while overseas (last updated April 20, 2026): the Landstuhl and Camp Humphreys offices
• VBA, Benefits Delivery at Discharge Program (last updated April 16, 2025): the 30-day goal, the records to include and the FDC or standard claim alternative
• VBA, Separation Health Assessment for service members (last updated April 16, 2025): Parts A and B and who conducts the exam
• VA, Disability compensation effective dates (last updated September 22, 2026)
• VA, Eligibility for VA disability benefits, Fully Developed Claims program and Standard disability claims
• VBA, National Guard and Reserve: Traditional and Technician: duty types and state active duty
• M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.A, 6.B and 6.C, pre-discharge and BDD claims; M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 1.A, establishing veteran status; M21-4, Appendix B, end product codes
• 38 CFR 3.1, 3.6, 3.13, 3.31 and 3.400 (eCFR, October 1, 2026)
• Army, DA Form 2173 (June 2021); Department of the Air Force, DAFI 36-2910 and its August 18, 2026 guidance memorandum; Navy Personnel Command, Reserve Injury Management (LOD-HC)
• Board of Veterans' Appeals decision 22069382 (December 16, 2022)

Claim Raven is not a law firm, a VSO or an accredited representative, and this guide is not legal advice. For help with your claim, talk to an accredited representative.