Take control of your appeal with this comprehensive guide to key terms.
The VA often uses terminology that can be difficult to understand. This glossary explains these terms clearly, so you can follow what’s happening with your claim. With a better understanding of the process, you’ll be better equipped to secure the benefits you deserve.
Accredited representative
Acute
Adaptive equipment
Adjudication
Agent Orange
Aggravation
Aid and Attendance
AMA (American Medical Association) Guides
Appeal
Appellate jurisdiction
Beneficiary
Blue Water Navy
Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA)
Burden of proof
C&P Exam
CAVC (Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims)
CHAMPVA
Character of discharge
Chronic
Claim
Claims file
Combat veteran
Compensation
Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam
Contention
Contested claim
Decision
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
Dependent
Deposition
Diagnostic Code
Disability rating
Discharge review
Due process
Duty to Assist
Effective Date
Evidence
Ex Parte Communication
Federal Register
Form 9
Functional impairment
Fully Developed Claim (FDC)
Gulf War Syndrome
Hearing
Hearing loss
Higher-Level Review
Housebound benefits
In-service
Individual Unemployability
Initial claim
Jurisdiction
Lay evidence
Legal guardian
Mental health condition
Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
Motion
Nexus
Notice of Disagreement (NOD)
Objective evidence
Physical disability
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Power of Attorney
Precedent
Pre-existing condition
Presumptive service connection
Pro bono
Rating Decision
Regulations
Remand
Reopened claim
Res judicata
Schedule of Ratings
Secondary service connection
Service-connected
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
Statement in Support of Claim
Statement of the Case (SOC)
Statute
Statute of Limitations
Subjective evidence
Supplemental claim
Temporary 100% disability
Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU)
VA
VA Form 21-0781a
VA Form 21-4138
VA Form 21-8940
VA Healthcare
VA medical opinion
Vocational rehabilitation
VSO
Waiting period
Wartime veteran
Well-grounded claim
Our office is committed to making veterans aware of their VA benefits and helping qualified veterans receive benefits that the VA has denied. In appeals, we always seek to secure the compensation our injured veterans rightfully deserve to provide for themselves and their families.