If I could get every veteran to do one thing before they do anything else, it would be this: file an Intent to File. It is short, it is free, and it can be worth thousands of dollars.
What it does
An Intent to File establishes a placeholder effective date. Once it is on record, you generally have up to a year to complete and submit your actual claim, and if you do, your effective date reaches back to the Intent to File date — not the day you finally finished the paperwork.
Why the date is money
VA back pay runs from your effective date. Every month you protect on the front end is a month of retroactive compensation on the back end. Veterans who spend six months gathering evidence without an Intent to File often give away six months of pay for no reason.
File the Intent to File first. Then build the claim right.