Many veterans are confused by VA’s acronyms and specific terms. Some abbreviations mean different things depending on context. For example, SC is usually short for service connection but in the review process it can mean a Supplemental Claim. VSO is the acronym for a Veterans Service Organization as well as the Veterans Service Officer who helps with a claim.
Certain words carry a narrow legal meaning in a claim or a VA decision, and someone who reads pyramiding, aggravation or “benefit of the doubt” in their everyday sense will come away with the wrong idea of what VA actually decided.
The terms below follow the path of a claim, from forms and initial procedures to the VA compensation and programs, with explanations and links to our dedicated resources to help you better understand VA and its processes.
VA Claims, Forms, and Evidence
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| ACE | Acceptable Clinical Evidence, a records-review process that usually avoids an in-person examination. The clinician reviews the existing medical evidence and may contact the veteran by telephone for additional information before completing the DBQ. |
| At least as likely as not | A medical-opinion phrase meaning the evidence for and against a relationship is at least approximately balanced. Veterans often see it in C&P nexus opinions. The evidence doesn’t need to show medical certainty, only a 50% probability. |
| Buddy statement | A buddy statement is a written account from someone who served with the veteran or who has watched the disability up close, filed on VA Form 21-4138 or 21-10210. |
| C&P | Compensation and Pension examination is the medical exam VA orders to measure how severe a condition is and, in many cases, to get an opinion on whether service caused it. |
| C-file | The claims file, or c-file, is the complete VA claims record on a veteran: applications, service records, exam reports, decisions and correspondence. |
| DBQ | Disability Benefits Questionnaire is the standardized form an examiner completes at a C&P exam. A private treating physician can complete the same form. |
| DSM-5 | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition is the diagnostic standard 38 CFR 4.125 requires for mental health claims. |
| DTA | Duty to Assist represents VA’s obligation to make reasonable efforts to obtain relevant records and, when the legal standard is met, provide a medical examination or opinion. In Higher-Level Review, a predecisional DTA error can require VA to return the issue for correction. A Supplemental Claim instead requires new and relevant evidence. |
| FDC | Fully Developed Claim is a claim filed with all private evidence already attached, which historically moved through VA faster than a standard claim. |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act is the statute veterans and representatives use to request a copy of the C-file. |
| GAF | Global Assessment of Functioning is a 0 to 100 mental health score VA examiners once reported. It was dropped from the DSM in DSM-5 and no longer appears in new exams, but it still turns up in older records. |
| ILER | Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record, the joint DoD and VA database of a service member’s documented exposures. |
| IME | Independent Medical Examination, an examination a veteran obtains from a private physician rather than from VA. |
| IMO | Independent Medical Opinion, a written opinion from a private physician, usually on causation. A nexus letter is the most common form. |
| ITF | Intent to File, a notice that can preserve a potential effective date while a claimant completes an application. In most cases, VA must receive the completed claim within one year of the ITF for that protection to apply. |
| Lay evidence | Lay evidence is a statement from someone without medical training about what they saw or experienced. It can establish symptoms, an in-service event and continuity, and VA cannot dismiss it simply because it is not medical. |
| NPRC | National Personnel Records Center, the St. Louis facility that holds most service records. A 1973 fire there destroyed millions of files, which affects how VA develops older claims. Veterans can however recover lost service records or provide alternative evidence. |
| OMPF | Official Military Personnel File, the personnel side of a service record: assignments, duty stations, evaluations. |
| ROI | Release of Information: the VA office and the authorization form used to release records. |
| SMR | Service medical records, an older label for service treatment records. |
| STR | Service treatment records, the medical records created during active duty. |
| VA Form 21-526EZ | Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits, the form that opens an original or increased disability claim. |
| VA Form 21-4138 | Statement in Support of Claim, the open-text form used for a veteran’s own account or a witness statement. See VA attorney tips for writing a compelling statement. |
| VA Form 21-4142 | Authorization to Disclose Information to VA, which lets VA request records directly from a private provider. |
| VA Form 21-4192 | Request for Employment Information in Connection with Claim for Disability Benefits, the employer questionnaire used in unemployability claims. |
| VA Form 21-8940 | Veteran’s Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability, the TDIU application. |
| VA Form 21-10210 | Lay/Witness Statement, the sworn declaration form for statements made under penalty of perjury. |
| VAE | VA examination, shorthand on scheduling letters and claim status screens for a VA-ordered exam. |
| VCAA | Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 is the statute that created VA’s duty to tell a claimant what evidence is needed and to help obtain it. |
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VA Offices and Decision-Makers
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Accreditation | VA’s authorization for an attorney, claims agent or representative to act on a veteran’s behalf. The Office of General Counsel keeps the list, and anyone charging a fee must be on it. |
| NCA | National Cemetery Administration, the branch that runs national cemeteries and burial benefits. |
| OGC | Office of General Counsel, VA’s legal office, which also maintains the accreditation list. |
| PMC | Pension Management Center, the regional office that handles pension, DIC and survivor claims. |
| RO or VARO | The VA’s Regional Office, the Veterans Benefits Administration office that develops and decides the claim. |
| RVSR | Rating Veterans Service Representative is the VA employee who applies the rating schedule and issues the rating decision. |
| VBA | Veterans Benefits Administration, the branch that decides disability claims, pension, education and home loan benefits. |
| VHA | Veterans Health Administration, the branch that runs medical care. VHA treats; VBA decides claims. A treating VA physician’s records become evidence, but VHA does not rate anything. |
| VSO | Veterans Service Organization, an accredited organization such as the DAV, VFW, American Legion or a state department of VA, OR Veterans Service Officer: the accredited individual, usually working for one of those organizations or for a county, who helps file the claim. |
| VSR | Veterans Service Representative, the VBA employee who develops the claim and gathers evidence. |
Military Service and Discharge Records
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| ACDUTRA / ADT | Active Duty for Training, a period of full-time duty performed by Reserve or National Guard members for training. Whether a disability from this period qualifies for VA compensation depends on the type of service and how the disability was incurred or aggravated. |
| BCD | Bad Conduct Discharge, a punitive discharge from a court-martial. |
| BCMR or BCNR | Board for Correction of Military Records, or Board for Correction of Naval Records, the service boards that correct military records, including discharges outside the 15-year window. |
| BDD | Benefits Delivery at Discharge, which lets a service member file a disability claim 180 to 90 days before separation so a decision can issue soon after. |
| Character of discharge | VA’s determination whether service was under conditions other than dishonorable, which controls eligibility when a discharge is less than honorable. |
| DD | Dishonorable Discharge is the most severe punitive discharge and a statutory bar to most VA benefits. |
| DD214 | Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, the single most important document in most claims. It establishes service dates, character of discharge, decorations and duty assignments. |
| DD215 | Correction to DD Form 214, issued when the DD214 is amended. |
| DRB | Discharge Review Board is the service board that can upgrade a discharge within 15 years. |
| ETS | Expiration of Term of Service is the scheduled end of an enlistment. |
| IDES | Integrated Disability Evaluation System is the joint DoD and VA process that produces both a military disability rating and a VA rating from one set of exams. |
| MEB | Medical Evaluation Board, the military board that decides whether a service member still meets retention standards. |
| MOS | Military Occupational Specialty, the Army and Marine Corps job code. It is often the evidence that proves noise exposure, toxic exposure or a stressor. |
| INACDUTRA / IDT | Inactive Duty Training, such as many drill periods performed by Reserve or National Guard members. Different service-connection rules can apply than for active duty or ACDUTRA. |
| NGB-22 | National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service is the National Guard equivalent of the DD214. |
| OTH or UOTHC | Other Than Honorable, or Under Other Than Honorable Conditions, is an administrative discharge that can bar VA benefits unless VA issues a favorable character of discharge determination. |
| PDRL | Permanent Disability Retired List, meaning permanent medical retirement. |
| PEB | Physical Evaluation Board, the military board that decides fitness for duty and assigns a DoD disability rating. |
| TAP | Transition Assistance Program, the mandatory pre-separation briefing series, which includes VA benefits. |
| TDRL | Temporary Disability Retired List, medical retirement subject to periodic re-evaluation. |
Claim Status Wording on VA.gov
VA.gov may display status labels like the ones below. The wording and number of stages can change over time, and a status label does not by itself explain whether VA will grant or deny the claim.
| Status shown | What is happening |
|---|---|
| Claim received | VA has the claim and is checking it for basic information. |
| Initial review | VA is confirming which evidence it already has and what it still needs. |
| Evidence gathering | Records requests and exam scheduling. Usually the longest stage by a wide margin. |
| Preparation for decision | The rating decision and decision letter are being written. |
| Preparation for notification | A senior reviewer does a final check before the letter goes out. |
A status can move backward. That often means VA returned the claim for additional development, such as another examination or records request; the status change alone does not show whether the eventual decision will be favorable or unfavorable.
Service Connection Terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1151 claim | A claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for qualifying additional disability or death connected to VA hospital care, medical or surgical treatment, examination, vocational rehabilitation, or compensated work therapy. For medical-treatment claims, the rules generally require more than a bad outcome alone, and they depend on VA fault or an event not reasonably foreseeable. |
| Aggravation | Aggravation means worsening of a disability. VA uses the word in two different settings: a condition that existed before service and increased in disability during service, and a non-service-connected condition worsened by a service-connected disability. The legal standards are different, so the decision should be read carefully to see which type VA means. |
| Benefit of the doubt | The benefit of the doubt rule decides an issue in the veteran’s favor when the positive and negative evidence is in approximate balance. A claimant never has to prove the case beyond a tie. |
| Combat presumption | For a veteran who engaged in combat, satisfactory lay evidence can establish that an injury, disease, or event occurred in service when it is consistent with the circumstances of combat, even without an official record. This does not automatically establish every other element of service connection, such as a current disability or medical nexus. |
| Continuity of symptomatology | A way of showing an ongoing pattern of symptoms from service forward. For some chronic conditions, VA has a special rule that can allow a veteran to show service connection by proving that symptoms started in service and continued afterward. The rule only applies to certain diseases, but a veteran’s history of ongoing symptoms can still be important evidence in other claims. |
| Direct service connection | The standard way to establish that military service contributed to a disability, direct service connection requires 3 elements: a current disability, an event / injury / illness in service, and a medical link between the two. |
| Line of duty | The determination that an injury or illness happened while on duty and was not the result of misconduct. |
| Marker evidence | Evidence of behavioral or other changes that may help corroborate an in-service personal assault, including MST, when the service record does not directly document the event. |
| Nexus | The nexus is the medical link between the current condition and service. Usually the most important (and disputed) element in a VA claim. |
| PACT Act | The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act expanded VA eligibility and presumptions for certain toxic-exposed veterans, including many veterans exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards. A PACT Act presumption can change what a veteran must prove to establish service connection. |
| PTSD stressor | The traumatic event supporting a PTSD claim. Depending on the type of stressor, VA may apply different evidentiary rules for proving that it occurred. |
| Presumption of aggravation | When a disability was noted at entry and the evidence shows it increased in disability during service, VA applies the presumption of aggravation unless the evidence meets the legal standard for showing the increase was due to the natural progress of the condition. Temporary flare-ups alone may not establish an increase in the underlying disability. |
| Presumption of soundness | A veteran is presumed to have entered service in sound condition unless the entrance examination noted the defect, or clear and unmistakable evidence shows it existed before service and was not aggravated by it. |
| Presumptive service connection | Presumptive service connection applies when law or regulation presumes a connection between qualifying service or exposure and a listed disability. The veteran still must meet the eligibility requirements for the particular presumption, including any required service, exposure, diagnosis, or timing rules. |
| Secondary service connection | Secondary service connection covers a condition caused or worsened by an already service-connected condition, and it pays the same as a directly connected one. |
| TERA | Toxic Exposure Risk Activity, a VA determination that a veteran’s service involved qualifying toxic exposure. It is not a benefit on its own; when the applicable requirements are met, it may require VA to obtain a toxic-exposure medical examination or opinion. |
| Willful misconduct | Deliberate wrongdoing that caused the disability. A willful misconduct finding bars compensation for that disability. |
VA Decisions and Appeals
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| AMA | Appeals Modernization Act, the 2017 law, effective February 19, 2019, that created the current three-lane decision review system. |
| AOJ | Agency of Original Jurisdiction, the VA office that issued the decision being challenged in an appeal, usually a regional office. |
| BVA | Board of Veterans’ Appeals, the Washington, D.C. body that decides appeals from VA decisions. |
| CAFC | U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the next court above the CAVC, which reviews questions of law. |
| CAVC | U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the federal court that reviews Board decisions. 120 days to file after the Board decides. |
| CUE | Clear and unmistakable error, a narrow challenge to a final decision, available at any time, where the error is undebatable and would have changed the outcome. It is one of the few routes to an earlier effective date after a decision is final. |
| Docket | The Board queue associated with an appeal. Under the AMA there are Direct Review, Evidence Submission, and Hearing dockets. Changing the selected Board review option is restricted and generally must be done within specific time limits. |
| EAJA | Equal Access to Justice Act, the statute that can require the government to pay attorney fees when a veteran prevails at the CAVC. |
| Favorable finding | A factual or legal point VA decided in the claimant’s favor. Under the AMA, favorable findings are generally binding on later VA adjudicators unless the applicable standard for revisiting the finding is met, so the veteran usually does not need to prove that point again. |
| Final decision / finality | A decision becomes final when the claimant does not use an available review or appeal option within the applicable time limit. Finality can affect the effective date of a later award, although a Supplemental Claim may still be filed after finality and CUE provides a separate, narrow way to challenge certain final decisions. |
| HLR | Higher-Level Review, VA Form 20-0996. A more senior reviewer looks at the same evidence (no new evidence is allowed). The reviewer can change the decision and can identify a predecisional duty-to-assist error that VA must correct. One year to file. |
| JMR | Joint Motion for Remand, an agreement between the veteran’s attorney and VA’s counsel at the CAVC to send the case back to the Board. A Joint Motion for Partial Remand, or JMPR, does the same on some issues while leaving others decided. |
| New and relevant evidence | The standard for a Supplemental Claim: evidence VA has not seen that tends to prove or disprove a matter at issue. It is a lower bar than the old new and material standard. |
| NOD | Notice of Disagreement, VA Form 10182. Under the AMA this form appeals directly to the Board, with a choice of Direct Review, Evidence Submission or Hearing. One year to file, or 60 days on contested claims. |
| Reasons for Decision | The part of a VA rating decision that explains why each issue was granted, denied, deferred, or otherwise decided. It is often the best place to identify the missing element VA relied on and any favorable findings VA made. |
| Remand | An order sending the case back for more development instead of deciding it. The Board remands to the regional office; the court remands to the Board. |
| SC | Supplemental Claim, VA Form 20-0995. A claimant submits new and relevant evidence and asks VA to readjudicate an issue. There is generally no regulatory time limit to file a Supplemental Claim, but filing within one year of the prior decision can be critical to preserving the earlier effective-date chain. |
| VLJ | Veterans Law Judge, the Board attorney-judge who decides the appeal and conducts hearings. |
Legacy Appeals Terms and What Replaced Them
Decisions issued before February 19, 2019, and claims that stayed in the old system, use a different vocabulary.
| Legacy term | What it was | Status today |
|---|---|---|
| DRO review | Review by a Decision Review Officer at the regional office | Legacy appeals only. The AMA equivalent is a Higher-Level Review. |
| New and material evidence | The old standard for reopening a finally denied claim | Replaced by the new and relevant standard in a Supplemental Claim. |
| NOD (legacy meaning) | The filing that started an appeal at the regional office | The words Notice of Disagreement survived, the meaning changed. VA Form 10182 now goes straight to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. |
| RAMP | Rapid Appeals Modernization Program, the 2017 to 2019 pilot that let veterans opt into the new lanes early | Closed |
| SOC | Statement of the Case, issued after a Notice of Disagreement in the old system | Legacy appeals only. VA does not issue an SOC in the AMA lanes. |
| SSOC | Supplemental Statement of the Case, issued after new evidence arrived | Legacy appeals only. |
| VA Form 9 | Substantive Appeal, the form used after an SOC to perfect a legacy appeal to the Board. | Legacy appeals only. Under the AMA, Board appeals are filed on VA Form 10182. |
VA Ratings and Compensation
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| A&A | Aid and attendance, a benefit based on needing regular help with activities of daily living or protection from hazards. For disability compensation, qualifying need can support Special Monthly Compensation; aid and attendance also appears in the pension system under separate rules. |
| Analogous rating | A rating assigned under the diagnostic code for a closely related condition when the veteran’s condition is unlisted. VA considers similarity in the functions affected, anatomical location, and symptoms. Analogous codes often appear as hyphenated diagnostic codes. |
| Bilateral factor | The bilateral factor generally adds 10 percent of the combined value of compensable disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles before that value is combined with other ratings. Under the current rule, VA does not apply the bilateral factor when doing so would produce a lower combined evaluation. |
| Code sheet | The rating code sheet is the technical summary behind a rating decision. It can list each service-connected disability, diagnostic code, percentage, effective date, combined evaluation, and whether a disability is considered static or subject to a future examination. |
| Combined rating | The single percentage VA pays on. Each individual rating applies to the portion of the body still whole or unimpaired, so 50% and 30% combine to 65 and round to 70% rather than 80%. |
| DC | Diagnostic code, the four-digit code that identifies the condition and the criteria used to rate it. |
| Deferred issue | An issue VA holds open in a rating decision because it needs more development. A deferral is not a denial and does not start an appeal clock. |
| Extraschedular rating | An extraschedular rating falls outside the schedule, granted when the criteria do not capture how disabling the condition actually is. |
| Flare-up | A period when a disability becomes worse than its usual baseline. In musculoskeletal claims, VA examiners may need to estimate additional functional loss during flare-ups even when the examination does not occur during one. |
| Housebound | A veteran is considered housebound and eligible for SMC-S when substantially confined to the home by a service-connected disability or under the statutory route when rating requirements are met, even if the veteran is not bedridden or literally housebound. |
| Functional loss | The actual loss of ability to use part of the body normally because of pain, weakness, fatigability, incoordination, restricted movement, or similar factors. For musculoskeletal ratings, functional loss can matter in addition to the range-of-motion number measured at an exam. |
| Loss of use | A term used when a service-connected disability leaves a hand, foot, or certain other body part with essentially no remaining effective function. Loss of use can qualify a veteran for Special Monthly Compensation and, in some cases, other ancillary benefits. |
| IR | Increased rating, a request to raise the percentage on a condition VA has already service-connected. |
| NSC | Non-service-connected, meaning the condition is not linked to service. A veteran may still qualify for non-service-connected pension on the basis of wartime service, age or disability and limited income. |
| Marginal employment | Employment that VA does not treat as substantially gainful employment for TDIU purposes. Earnings below the applicable poverty threshold generally qualify, and employment may also be marginal on a facts-found basis in a protected environment. |
| P&T | Permanent and total, a status indicating that the disability is total and not expected to improve. VA generally does not schedule routine future examinations when a disability is permanent and total, and certain dependent benefits may become available. |
| Protected environment | A work setting with accommodations or circumstances that may support a finding of marginal employment for TDIU even when earnings exceed the poverty threshold. Whether employment is protected is decided from the facts of the individual case. |
| Proposed reduction | VA’s written notice that it intends to lower a rating. The veteran gets 60 days to submit evidence and 30 days to request a hearing before the rating reduction takes effect. |
| Protected rating | A protected rating has been in place for 20 years or longer and the VA generally cannot reduce it except for fraud. Service connection itself becomes protected after 10 years. has been in place for 20 years or longer, so VA cannot reduce it except for fraud. Service connection itself becomes protected after 10 years. |
| Pyramiding | Pyramiding is evaluating the same disability or the same manifestation under more than one diagnostic code. It is prohibited, but separate ratings may be allowed when different conditions produce distinct manifestations without compensating the same impairment twice. |
| Re-examination | A follow-up C&P examination VA may schedule to determine whether a disability has changed. VA limits routine future examinations in certain circumstances, including many static or permanent disabilities, but protection against a rating reduction does not always mean VA can never order another examination. |
| ROM | Range of motion, the measured movement in a joint, expressed in degrees, that drives most orthopedic ratings. |
| SC | Service-connected. VA has accepted that service caused or aggravated the condition. |
| Severance of service connection | VA action ending service connection for a disability. Severance is different from reducing the percentage assigned to a disability and is subject to separate procedural and legal protections. |
| Sheltered employment | Sheltered employment refers to situations where a veteran’s employer is aware of their service-connected disability and makes necessary adjustments or accommodations to their work. Not all workplace accommodations automatically qualify as sheltered employment. |
| SMC | Special Monthly Compensation, additional payment above the schedular rate for specific losses and needs, identified by letter: SMC(k) for loss or loss of use of a creative organ or a hand, foot, eye or breast tissue; SMC(l) through SMC(o) for aid and attendance and higher combinations; SMC(r)(1) and SMC(r)(2) for the highest levels of daily care; SMC(s) for housebound status. |
| Static disability | A disability VA considers unlikely to improve. Static disabilities generally are less likely to be scheduled for routine future examinations, although the label does not make a rating immune from every later review. |
| Staged rating | Different percentages for different periods, used when the severity changed over the life of the claim. |
| Temporary 100% / convalescence | A temporary total disability rating may be available in certain situations, including qualifying hospitalization or recovery from surgery or treatment for a service-connected disability. It is different from a permanent 100 percent rating. |
| TDIU | Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, which pays at the 100 percent rate when service-connected disabilities prevent a veteran from securing or following substantially gainful employment even though the combined schedular rating is lower. Marginal employment does not count as substantially gainful employment, and TDIU can be considered even when the usual percentage thresholds are not met. |
| VASRD | VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities, the rating schedule itself, published at 38 CFR Part 4. |
Payments
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Accrued benefits | Accrued benefits are money VA owed a veteran but had not paid at the time of death, payable to an eligible survivor who files within one year. |
| Apportionment | Apportionment sends part of a veteran’s compensation directly to a spouse, child or dependent parent, usually where the veteran is not supporting them. |
| COLA | Cost-of-living adjustment, the annual increase in compensation rates tied to Social Security’s adjustment. |
| Competency | VA’s determination whether a beneficiary can manage their own benefit payments. A proposed finding of incompetency can be contested. |
| CRDP | Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, which restores military retired pay for retirees with 20 or more years of service and a VA rating of 50 percent or higher. |
| CRSC | Combat-Related Special Compensation, a tax-free payment from the branch of service, not VA, that restores retired pay offset by VA compensation when the disability is combat-related. |
| Dependency claim | A request to add or update a spouse, child, or dependent parent for benefit purposes. For disability compensation, dependents can increase the monthly payment when the veteran meets the required disability-rating threshold. |
| ED | Effective date, the date benefits start, which sets the size of the retroactive payment. |
| EED | Earlier effective date, a claim that benefits should have started sooner than VA said. |
| Fiduciary | A fiduciary is a person VA appoints to receive and manage benefits for a beneficiary VA has found unable to handle funds. |
| Nehmer | Nehmer refers to special effective-date rules created by the Agent Orange class action for certain covered herbicide-related claims. It can produce an earlier effective date in qualifying cases, but it does not automatically send every award back to the veteran’s first claim. |
| Overpayment | An overpayment is a debt VA says was created because benefits were paid in excess of entitlement. A beneficiary may be able to challenge whether the debt is valid or correctly calculated and, separately, request a waiver under the applicable rules. |
| Retroactive pay | The lump sum covering the stretch between the effective date and the date VA actually started paying. Hill & Ponton has a back pay calculator that helps estimate it. |
| Substitution | An eligible survivor stepping into a claim or appeal that was still pending when the veteran died, so the case continues rather than ending. The request must be made within one year of the death. |
VA Benefit Programs
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Chapter 31 | Veteran Readiness and Employment, also written VR&E. Job training, education and employment support for veterans with a service-connected disability and an employment handicap. Renamed from Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, so older letters use the former name. |
| Chapter 33 | The Post-9/11 GI Bill, education benefits based on active duty after September 10, 2001. |
| Chapter 35 | Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance, also written DEA. Education benefits for dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled or who died of a service-connected condition. |
| Chapter 1606 | Montgomery GI Bill, Selected Reserve, also written MGIB-SR. Education benefits for reserve component members. |
| COE | Certificate of Eligibility, the document confirming VA home loan entitlement. |
| DIC | Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, a monthly tax-free payment to a surviving spouse, child or dependent parent when the veteran died of a service-connected condition or was rated totally disabling for the required period. |
| IRRRL | Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, the VA streamline refinance. |
| S-DVI | Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance, the older life insurance program for service-connected veterans, now closed to new applications. |
| SAH | Specially Adapted Housing grant, funding to build or modify a home for severe service-connected disabilities. |
| SBP | Survivor Benefit Plan, a DoD annuity purchased out of military retired pay. Separate from DIC and administered by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, not VA. |
| SGLI | Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, coverage during service. |
| SHA | Special Home Adaptation grant, a smaller adaptation grant for a different set of qualifying disabilities. |
| Survivors Pension | The Survivors Pension is a needs-based benefit for low-income surviving spouses and children of wartime veterans, separate from DIC and from the wider set of benefits available to widows and widowers. |
| TOE | Transfer of Entitlement, transferring Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child. |
| VA Form 21-686c | Declaration of Status of Dependents, which adds or removes dependents and changes the monthly compensation rate at 30 percent and above. |
| VA Form 21P-534EZ | Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits, the survivor claim form. |
| VALife | Veterans Affairs Life Insurance, the current guaranteed acceptance whole life program for veterans with a service-connected disability. |
| VGLI | Veterans’ Group Life Insurance, the post-service conversion of SGLI. |
| VMLI | Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance, mortgage protection insurance tied to an SAH grant. |
A single VA decision can contain several separate determinations: whether a condition is service-connected, which diagnostic code applies, what percentage is assigned, the effective date, and whether any issue is deferred. Different determinations may have different ways to challenge them, so the decision notice and review-options notice should be read carefully.
A veteran who can identify exactly what VA decided is in a better position to choose the right review option, submit the right evidence, and protect the earliest possible effective date. Acting within one year is especially important to preserve the effective-date chain, even though some review options could still be available later.
At Hill & Ponton, we read these decisions every day and consider all the details a veteran might miss. If a VA letter does not say what you expected it to say, if a claim was denied or the rating is lower than it should be, contact us for a free case evaluation.
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