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U.S. Department of War

File for VA benefits before you leave active duty.

If a medical condition is connected to your service — big or small — you can file while you are still on active duty and get a rating decision before you separate. You can file while you are still on active duty with a goal of receiving a decision on your claim 30 days after you separate.

You file between 180 and 90 days before your separation date. The VA schedules and completes your exams while you are still in uniform, then issues a decision on your claim after you separate. If your claim is approved, tax-free compensation typically begins 30 to 60 days after you separate.

Find your filing window

Enter your separation or retirement date. Nothing is stored or sent.

Enter your date

Your window opens 180 days before you separate and closes 90 days before. There are no waivers or extensions.

180–90 Days before separation — the only window in which a BDD claim can be filed.
45 Days after filing during which you must stay available for a VA exam.
30–60 Days after separation before an approved claim begins paying.

Your pathway to a successful claim

There are four steps tied to how much service time you have left. Most claims that miss the BDD window miss it because the records were not ready, so start here.

112–6 months out

Prepare early

Start as soon as you know your separation date.

  1. Create your VA.gov account so you can manage your benefits online.
  2. Secure a complete copy of your physical and mental health treatment records, inpatient and outpatient — ideally around 7 months before separation, so they are in hand when you need them.

    Service Treatment Records (STR)

    The official chronological healthcare file maintained by the Department of War. Includes your entrance physical and all periodic health assessments, plus physical, mental health, and dental records.

    Civilian healthcare records

    Notes, test results, and documents from a private doctor, civilian hospital, or network specialist. These may not automatically transfer or link to the military electronic health record — you have to collect them yourself.

    VA health care system records

    Most often applies to prior service and National Guard members.

  3. Review your records for accuracy.
If a condition was never documented, the VA has nothing to rate. Visit the clinic before you transition so a complete record actually exists.
28–6 months out

Get expert help

Schedule an appointment with a VA-accredited representative to review your STRs and prepare the claim you will submit 180 days before you separate.

  1. A representative can help you gather evidence, file the claim, and communicate with the VA on your behalf.
  2. These services are always free for your VA benefit claim.
  3. Find an accredited representative or state and county VSO.
If someone is not accredited by the VA, they cannot represent you before the VA or file a claim on your behalf.
3180–90 days out

Submit your BDD claim

Filing online at VA.gov is fastest. You can also file through your accredited representative.

  1. The BDD window opens 180 days before your separation date and closes 90 days before it.
  2. A complete claim is three things: your application, your signed Separation Health Assessment (SHA) Part A, and your Service Treatment Records.
  3. Download the SHA Part A self-assessment (PDF).
Filing by mail Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. Mailed applications must be received by the VA no later than 90 days before your separation date — postmark does not count.
4Within 45 days of filing

Attend your VA exam

The VA will schedule a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam within 45 days of your submission.

  1. The exam plays a crucial role in establishing whether your condition is linked to your service.
  2. It also documents the severity of the disability, if one is found.
Stay available for the full 45 days. Command teams are expected to provide the flexibility for you to attend.
Back to the calculator

Where to go next

Official sources for the claim itself, and for the other programs that help you land on your feet.

Questions service members actually ask

Grouped by what tends to hold people up: worries about clearance, the timeline itself, and how exams work.

The timeline and what a complete claim contains

The BDD window is strictly active between 180 and 90 days before your official separation or retirement date. There are absolutely no waivers or extensions for this timeline. Submitting a claim even one day late — 89 days or fewer before discharge — automatically disqualifies you from BDD fast-track routing. Calculate your exact dates with the calculator above and commit them to your calendar and memory.

You are no longer eligible for the BDD fast track. You can still file before you separate, but the claim will be processed as a Standard Claim and will be processed after discharge.

There are no waivers or extensions. A claim submitted one day late — 89 days or fewer before discharge — is automatically disqualified from BDD fast-track routing.

If you miss the window you can still submit a copy of your STR before separating. Include a statement with your claim including the date of submission and stating your availability to attend VA exams for 45 days. If all conditions are met, the VA will request your VA exams before you separate.

What happens after I file?

  • Once you transition to Veteran status, you will receive a rating from the Veterans Benefits Administration assessing the severity of your service-connected conditions. A rating of 10% or higher confirms your eligibility for benefits tied to that rating — including healthcare, employment training, and a range of federal and state programs. Read more about the VA's disability rating system.

The SHA Part A is a comprehensive self-assessment of your medical history and is required for BDD eligibility. To avoid delays, complete it, sign it, and upload it at the same time as your initial claim (VA Form 21-526EZ). Three ways to get it:

  • Download it (recommended). The interactive PDF is available from the VA.gov pre-discharge claims portal or the VA benefits DBQ page.
  • During online filing. VA.gov gives you a direct download link at the supporting-documents step.
  • Through a representative. A VA Military Services Coordinator or accredited Veterans Service Officer can provide a copy and upload it to your file.

Partly. The VA has a duty to assist and will coordinate with DoW to obtain your Service Treatment Record, and you may also provide it directly if you can. But if you received care outside DoW or VA, the VA may not be able to obtain those records for you — you will need to supply them. This is why it matters to visit the clinic before you transition, so a complete record exists in the first place.

Exams and exclusions

You must remain fully available to attend VA compensation and pension exams for the 45 days immediately following your claim submission. Command teams and NCO leadership are expected to provide the operational flexibility for you to make those appointments.

Service members stationed outside the continental United States must still attend all scheduled exams to keep BDD priority processing. The VA coordinates exam services in more than 140 countries using local in-person exams, telehealth, and traveling providers. A local provider is not always available, so some members need to travel to complete the exam.

A claim is routed to standard processing if any of the following apply:

  • A new condition, illness, or injury is added fewer than 90 days before discharge. The new condition may not be processed until after discharge. A new condition added with less than 90 days on active duty will be processed separately from your previously submitted BDD claim.
  • The claim requires special case management — for example very seriously injured or ill members, or cases involving the loss of a body part.
  • You are actively enrolled in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System.
  • The claim involves a terminally ill service member.

Clearance and privacy

No. Seeking mental healthcare is a proactive step that protects your career. Under Security Executive Agent Directive 4 (SEAD 4), seeking counseling is encouraged and is not by itself disqualifying for a clearance. Leaving a condition untreated is the actual risk to your clearance and your readiness.

The mental health question on the SF-86 was rewritten to remove the stigma around routine care. Counseling strictly related to service in an active combat zone, to marital or family matters, or to grief and bereavement does not have to be reported. Reporting is required only for specific circumstances such as court-ordered treatment, hospitalization, or a narrow set of clinical diagnoses.

Action plan for leadership

Leadership must operationalize health readiness early in the military lifecycle. Commanders and NCOs must mandate a formal Service Treatment Record audit for personnel at nine months from separation. This allows ample time to identify undocumented conditions, schedule "proactive maintenance" clinic visits, and ensure files are complete before the 180–90-day BDD window opens.