The VA is not exactly famous for its promptness in approving disability claims and appeals. Back in 2018, the top VA watchdog found that the VA was ignoring thousands of benefits cases.
If you are in the process of applying for benefits or appealing your VA disability rating, you will want to keep close tabs on the status of your claim so that it doesn’t slip through the cracks.
If you are wondering, “how do I check my VA claim status?” there are a few different ways you can do this. We will outline them below.
On the other hand, perhaps you have received the VA’s decision on your claim and are wondering whether you should appeal it? If so, we get into that too.
Keep reading to find out how to check your VA claim status, your VA appeal status, and the basics of filing an appeal.
In this article about checking your VA claim status:
How Do I Check My VA Claim Status?
There are a few ways you can check your VA claim status. You can either check it online, telephone the VA, or visit your regional VA office.
Checking Your VA Claim Status Online
One of the easiest ways to check up on the status of VA claims is through the VA website. All you have to do is create an account. If you have a DS Logon, My HealtheVet, or ID.me account, you can also use these to sign in.
Once signed in, you will need to navigate to the “My VA” dashboard, by clicking on the link at the top right-hand corner of the page. Then, scroll down to “Track Claims.” Here you should be able to see a list of any open claims as well as appeals.
To check the VA status of a claim in more detail, click on “View Status.” Here you will also be able to view supporting evidence such as medical reports and test results.
Besides viewing existing evidence, you can also use the portal to upload additional evidence to support your claim. Take note that this will only work for a disability claim, not for an appeal.
If you have an eBenefits account, you can also use this to view your claim status. Simply log in, navigate to “manage benefits,” and the portal will redirect you.
Checking Your VA Status by Phone
Another way you can check up on the status of your VA claim is by phone. All you’ll need to do is call the VA and follow the prompts.
The number to call is currently 1-800-827-1000.
Contact the VA through IRIS
Alternatively, you can also contact the VA through their website by filling out this contact form. Here you can ask them about your VA claim status. They will then send you an email, or respond to you via telephone or US mail if that is what you request.
This system is called IRIS, and we have dedicated staff that spend their whole day checking the status of our clients’ claims there. When you work with us, your case manager might mention IRIS. We keep track of all of our cases on a daily basis to stay current on deadlines and any new developments for our clients.
In this video from one of our VA disability lawyers, we explain how to service connect your disability that was caused by your military service.
Checking Your VA Claim Status by Visiting a VA Office
Lastly, you can also check your VA claim status by visiting your regional VA office. (Also known as an R-O.)
If you don’t know the address of yours, you can use this location finder on the VA site. Once you have located the regional office, it is a good idea to phone in and enquire what their operating hours are.
Once you know the opening hours, you will need to travel to the regional VA office. Be sure to have your personal details, ID, and claim number at hand so that the representative you speak with will be able to find your claim easily.
Compared to all of the work, this is probably the least efficient of all of the ways to check your status.
Now that you know that answer to “How do I check my VA claim status?”, let’s take a look at what the different claim statuses mean.
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Claim Status Break Down
Once you have checked the status of your VA claim, you will want to know exactly what each status type means. Here are the mains ones and what they say about the progress of your claim:
Claim Received Status
Once the VA receives your claim, it’s status will be “claim received.” You don’t get more details than this, but at least you know they got it.
Under Review Status
If your claim is “under review,” this means that a VA representative is reviewing it to find out if any more evidence is needed. During this stage, the VA representative will also analyze the results of your VA Compensation and Pension exam.
Gathering of Evidence
If a claim is in the “gathering of evidence” stage, this means that the representative has deemed that more evidence is required. They will collect this evidence, either from you, your doctor, or any other appropriate sources. If the VA representative needs additional evidence from you, you will be notified.
If you are working with us on your claim, they may contact us or you via mail. If you get anything, call your case manager right away and we’ll start working on the next steps. If we get anything from the VA, we’ll start working on it right away and we’ll only contact you to give you an update on your case or ask for more information.
Review of Evidence
During this stage, all the evidence needed for your claim is present, and the claim is undergoing review by the VA.
Preparing for Decision
If your claim’s status is “preparing for decision,” the VA representative has reached a recommendation decision. They are busy preparing the documents necessary to present this.
Pending Decision Approval
At this point, the VA representative has filed their decision, and it is awaiting approval.
Preparation for Notification
If you see this status on your claim, it means that the decision is being prepared to be mailed to you.
Complete Status
“Complete” means that your claim has been fully finalized and that the award/decision has been sent to you in the mail.
How Long Do VA Claims Take?
If you’re trying to find out how to check your application status after filing your benefits claim with the VA, chances are you’re also wondering how long VA claims typically take.
The VA stipulates that benefits claims will be processed within four months. Unfortunately, one in five claims takes longer.
These stats do not include appeals. Appeals follow a different process than benefits claims. In some cases, they can take years to resolve. If you take your appeal to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, the VA states that your appeal could take between 5-7 years. Since it takes so long, you want to make sure you have everything right!
I appreciate the work you did on my case, it took a long time but it did happen and I am now waiting for my next monthly check, I am trying to get on e benefits so I can track the payments.
Thanks to all the team members who applied their hard work for me.
K.S. – On google Reviews
How to Speed up the Claims Process
As the VA claims process can become drawn out, it is important you do everything in your power not to slow it down.
Here are three basic things you can do to ensure that your VA claim is finalized as soon as possible:
- Keep on top of your claim status and submit any additional evidence promptly
- Keep your address up to date with the VA
- File all your claims at once (to reduce unnecessary waiting time for compensation)
Additionally, if you decide to appeal a claim, make sure that you do this before the deadline. Veterans have one year in which to file an appeal. Do not let this lapse, as then you will have to start from the beginning, and possibly miss out on accrued compensation.
Figuring out Whether You Should Appeal Your Claim
Once you have received a determination from the VA, you will need to decide whether it is fair.
If you have been unfairly denied disability compensation or have been granted a disability rating that is too low, you may want to appeal your claim.
As mentioned above, appealing your claim can take a long time. However, if, at the end of the appeal process, you can receive just compensation, it’s worth it. For instance, the difference between a 90% disability rating and a 100% disability rating is over $1,000 a month, and you have a right to fight for this.
How to Appeal VA Claims
If you have received an unfair ruling from the VA, you can appeal this through the following steps:
- Filing a written appeal in the form of a Notice of Disagreement with the VA
- After this, the VA will send you a Statement of Case and VA Form 9 (Appeal to the Board of Veterans Appeals), which you will need to complete and submit to them within a year of their initial ruling, or six months from the date the Statement of Case was mailed
- Once you have submitted VA Form 9, you will need to choose whether to represent yourself during the appeal or have an attorney or a Veteran’s Service Organization (VSO) or state veteran department do so
- After you have filed your appeal, you will have 90 days to submit further supporting evidence or request a hearing
The above steps are the basic stages involved in appealing a VA claim. However, there is often a lot more to appealing a claim.
The claims appeal process is typically tough, and according to data released by the Board of Veteran Appeals, only 35.75% of appeals are granted by the VA.
Because of this low claims appeal success rate, it is usually a good idea to hire a VA disability lawyer who can guide you through the process.
Here is a review of Woods and Woods from one of our clients.
What’s more, experienced attorneys may also have a better command of complex veterans’ law. If you have multiple and complex disabilities, such as PTSD, military sexual trauma, or alcoholism, you stand a higher chance of fair compensation if you have a representative who understands veterans’ laws from back to front.
In a nutshell, if you want representation that is passionate and motivated about winning your claim, you will probably be better off with a private VA disability lawyer presenting your case. This is particularly true if your case is complex.
Our veterans disability lawyers explain how VA math and the VA Combined Ratings Table work.
Higher Level Reviews vs. Appeals
If you have received an unfair evaluation, you may also want to look into filing for a higher-level review, rather than an appeal. Higher-level reviews can be a good route if the initial evaluation was made in error, and you have no further evidence you want to submit.
However, if you do have further evidence to submit to support your claim, then you should rather opt for an appeal.
How to Check VA Appeal Status
Once you have filed an appeal on a claim, you will want to know how to check your VA appeal status. You can do this by following the same channels as mentioned above for checking claim status.
These are:
- Checking online by creating an account on the VA site or an eBenefits account
- Telephone the VA with your appeal number
- Visiting a regional VA office
In general, we would recommend that you use the online portal as you can use this to upload documents.
It is essential that you keep tabs on your VA claim appeal, as you may need to submit supporting evidence. If you fail to do so, this can prolong the appeal process.
If you choose a private veterans’ law attorney to represent you, they will be able to keep you up to speed on what is required of you throughout the appeal. We keep in contact with you as we work on your claim and have a whole team dedicated to every veteran we serve.
Do You Need Help With Your VA Claim Appeal?
Now that you know the answer to “how do I check my VA claim status?” you can see that checking up on your claim is not hard.
What can be tough, however, is receiving a fair disability rating and rate of compensation. If you have suffered a disability thanks to your time in service, you deserve to be compensated for it.
This is where we come in. We help veterans across the country gain fair compensation for their disabilities.
If you have received an unfair evaluation from the VA, we will represent you during the appeal process and do everything in our power to ensure that your appeal is successful.
We keep on the VA and make it our mission to speed up the process. We also notify you of every development. You won’t need to phone us up and check on things.
What’s more, we don’t charge a dime unless we win your case for you. We have been assisting the injured and disable for over 35 years and specialize in VA appeals. Reach out today and let us assist in you winning your VA appeal.
Yet to apply for VA benefits? We offer free assistance with the process. Contact us today to get the help you need.