What Evidence Do I Need for a VA Disability Claim?
The core evidence veterans need for a VA disability claim: diagnosis, service connection, severity, lay evidence, and supporting records.
Direct answer
What evidence do I need for a VA disability claim?
Most VA disability claims need evidence in three areas: a current diagnosed condition, an in-service event or exposure, and a link between the two. Veterans should also document symptom severity and daily impact because the rating depends on how the condition affects work and life.
What matters most
Current diagnosis or documented symptoms from a qualified medical source.
Service treatment records, deployment records, MOS history, incident details, or exposure evidence.
A nexus opinion or credible continuity evidence when the link is not obvious.
Personal statements and buddy letters describing onset, progression, and current impact.
Recent treatment notes, prescriptions, test results, and functional limitations.
How ClaimDuty helps
ClaimDuty turns a condition into an evidence checklist so veterans can see what is strong, what is missing, and what to prepare before filing.