Your First Year After Separation: A VA Checklist

Why the First Year Matters

A few VA benefits work best when you act early. The biggest one is the disability claim: filing within one year of separation can put your effective date as early as the day after you leave. Everything else in this checklist makes that year easier to manage.

Before You Separate

• Find out whether you can file through BDD. The window is 180 to 90 days before your separation date.
• Get copies of your service treatment records and your DD214.
• Note your separation date from your orders and put every key date on a calendar. The free BDD calculator does the counting.

In the First 30 Days

• Apply for VA health care. VA lists four ways: online with VA Form 10-10EZ, by phone at 877-222-8387 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET), by mail to the Health Eligibility Center in Janesville, Wisconsin, or in person at a VA medical center, clinic, or state veterans office. You will need Social Security numbers for you and your dependents, your discharge papers, insurance details, and household income information.
• VA typically decides in less than a week. If you have not heard back, VA says to call rather than reapply.
• If you have not filed a disability claim yet, at least submit an intent to file to protect your start date.

Months 1 to 6

• Gather your evidence and file the claim.
• Attend your C&P exams and keep notes on each one.
• Track your claim status and read your decision letter carefully.

Months 6 to 12

• If you disagree with a decision, compare your review options and watch the deadlines.
• Check your state's veteran benefits, which are separate from the VA. Property tax breaks, education benefits, and vehicle discounts vary widely by state.
• Review your life insurance conversion deadlines. Your calendar dates are in the BDD calculator.