Plain-English VA disability guidance from a Navy veteran who learned the system the hard way.
The VA Claim Playbook exists for one reason: to help veterans and their families understand a benefits system that was never written in plain English.
If you’ve ever read a VA decision letter, scrolled through 38 CFR, or tried to figure out the difference between a Higher-Level Review and a Supplemental Claim, you already know the problem. The information is technically out there. It’s just buried in legal language, scattered across agencies, and written for people who already know what it means.
This site fills that gap. Every guide here is written to do three things:
- Explain what something actually means in plain English.
- Show you what it looks like in a real claim.
- Tell you what to do next.
Who’s Behind This Site
My name is Norman Wong. I’m a disabled veteran who served in the United States Navy, and I’ve been on the other side of the VA disability process myself — filing claims, reading decision letters, going through C&P exams, dealing with denials, and learning how the system actually works the hard way.
That personal experience is why I started The VA Claim Playbook. I kept seeing other veterans go through the same frustration I did — smart, motivated people losing winnable claims because nobody explained how the system actually works in plain English. The information out there is either too legal, too vague, or too generic to help a veteran with a specific question about their specific claim.
Over the years I’ve gone deep into how the system actually works — studying 38 CFR, reading how rating decisions are made, learning what evidence tends to support a claim, and following how appeals move through the process. I built this site to share that hard-won understanding in plain English, so other veterans don’t have to learn it the way I did.
Every article on this site comes from that combined perspective: veteran who’s lived it, and professional who works in it daily. No content farms. No AI-generated filler. Just plain-English guidance from someone who actually knows this field.
Important: What This Site Is Not
The VA Claim Playbook is not a law firm and not a Veterans Service Organization. It does not provide legal advice. Reading content here does not create an attorney-client relationship or a representative-claimant relationship.
This site is general educational information. Your specific claim depends on your specific facts, and complex cases need accredited help. If you’re working on a claim — especially one that’s been denied — work with an accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO), accredited claims agent, or VA-accredited attorney. Most VSOs (DAV, VFW, American Legion, county VSOs) provide free representation. You can search accredited representatives at va.gov/ogc/accreditation.asp.
This site is also independent. It is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, any government agency, any specific law firm, or any specific claims representation company.
Why This Exists
Veterans deserve to walk into their claim with the same understanding the VA has. That’s the mission.
If something you read here helps you win your claim — or even just helps you understand a confusing rating decision — this site did its job.
Thanks for being here. Welcome aboard.