About The VA Claim Playbook: Plain-English VA Disability Help

The VA Claim Playbook is a free, independent guide to VA disability compensation, written in plain English. It exists because the rules that decide a veteran’s claim are public, but they are written in regulation-speak and scattered across dozens of government pages.

This site puts them in order, from the first step to the last, and tells you what to do at each one.

Who is behind this site

Norman Wong in his U.S. Navy dress blue uniform during a port call in Australia — Norman Wong, U.S. Navy, during a port call in Australia.

My name is Norman Wong. I served in the United States Navy from 2004 to 2008 as an Aviation Electronics Technician. I was stationed in Atsugi, Japan, with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 51 (HSL-51), attached to the USS Lassen.

Norman Wong on the black sand beach at Iwo Jima, with Mount Suribachi behind him — At Iwo Jima, with Mount Suribachi behind me.

A Navy SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, number 711, on a ship's flight deck at sunset — One of the aircraft I worked on: an HSL-51 SH-60B Seahawk.

Norman Wong at a harbor in South Korea, beside a South Korean flag — In South Korea.

Navy ships and aircraft sailing in formation in the Pacific — Ships and aircraft in formation in the Pacific.

When I left the Navy, nobody told me VA disability compensation existed. I did not file a claim until 2020, twelve years after I got out. I had no idea what I was doing, and I did not know enough to tell whether the decision I received was right.

That changed when I went to work for the VA. Other veterans there explained what I had been missing, and I started reading the rules for myself. Today I work on VA disability claims for law firms, under accredited agents. In that work I see the same thing over and over: veterans losing claims they should have won, not because their cases were weak, but because nobody had explained how the system works.

I built this site to be the explanation I never got. Twelve years of benefits I did not know to ask for is time I cannot get back. If this site saves one veteran from that, it has done its job.

What you will find here

The Playbook. Step-by-step guides that follow a claim from Intent to File through the decision, appeals, and increases.
Condition guides. How VA rates the most commonly claimed conditions, with the actual criteria.
Exposure guides. The PACT Act, Agent Orange, Gulf War illness, and Camp Lejeune.
A free calculator for combined ratings and monthly pay.

Every guide is built the same way: a short summary, the rules, what evidence matters, common mistakes, and what to do next.

How the guides are researched

Each guide is checked against VA.gov and the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 38. The sources are listed at the bottom of every page so you can read the original.
Pay rates and processing times are taken from VA’s published figures and updated when VA updates them.
Each page shows the date it was last reviewed.
If a rule is proposed but not final, the page says so.

What this site is not

The VA Claim Playbook is not a law firm, a Veterans Service Organization, or a claims company. I am not an accredited representative. This site does not file claims, represent veterans, or give advice about individual cases.

It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency.

Nothing here is legal or medical advice. For help with your own claim, work with an accredited Veterans Service Officer, claims agent, or attorney. VSOs are free. See who can help with your claim.

How the site is funded

The site is free to read. It is supported by advertising. Advertisers have no say over what is written here, and the site does not accept payment to recommend any company or service. See the disclaimer.

Found a mistake?

VA rules change, and I want this site to be right. If you see something that is out of date or wrong, please tell me through the contact page. Corrections are made promptly.

Thank you for your service, and welcome aboard.