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Benefits Navigator

This tool provides estimates for educational purposes only. We are not accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs and do not file claims, provide legal advice, or represent veterans before the VA (38 U.S.C. § 5904). For official assistance, contact a VSO, CVSO, or VA-accredited attorney.

About Veterans Benefits Navigator

Based on Non-accreditation posture rests on 38 U.S.C. § 5904 and 38 CFR § 14.629, the statutes that define who may represent veterans before VA. This page is a free community resource. We are not VA-accredited and do not file claims or provide legal advice (per 38 U.S.C. § 5904).

Last reviewed: April 2026 · Next review: October 2026

Maintained by: Veterans Benefits Navigator editorial team. Every citation links to a primary federal or state source. See editorial standards and our privacy posture.

Primary sources: 38 U.S.C. § 5904 (accreditation of agents and attorneys), 38 CFR § 14.629 (requirements for accreditation), VA Office of General Counsel accreditation search

This page explains who we are, where our content comes from, and the limits of what this site can do for veterans.

Mission

Veterans Benefits Navigator is a free, non-commercial decision-support tool for veterans and their families. Our goal is to help a veteran understand the VA benefits landscape well enough to have a productive conversation with an accredited representative, a Veterans Service Officer (VSO), a County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO), or an accredited attorney, and to avoid common procedural mistakes that cost time, money, or benefits.

We do not file claims. We do not provide legal advice. We do not take fees from veterans. We do not accept paid placements, sponsored content, referral commissions, or affiliate links on this site. The tools and guides here are decision-support only; every eligibility determination is made by VA based on the full record.

Non-accreditation posture

Representation of a veteran before VA is restricted by law to accredited VSOs, claims agents, and attorneys under 38 U.S.C. § 5904[src] and 38 CFR § 14.629[src]. Veterans Benefits Navigator is not accredited. We do not represent veterans before VA, we do not prepare or file claim forms on behalf of veterans, and we do not accept fees for claim assistance. Every tool page on this site carries this disclosure.

To find an accredited representative, the VA Office of General Counsel publishes a searchable directory at va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation[src]. Representation by an accredited VSO or CVSO is free to the veteran.

Sources

Every substantive page on this site is built from a small, consistent list of primary sources:

  • The United States Code, primarily Title 38, read in the annotated form published by Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute.
  • The Code of Federal Regulations, primarily 38 CFR, read from the current version at the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
  • VA.gov official guidance and the M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual where it clarifies how VA applies the regulations.
  • Congressional legislation: we cite public laws (for example the PACT Act, Pub. L. 117-168) where the statute materially changed benefit eligibility.
  • Board of Veterans' Appeals and Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims decisions where precedential, for complicated topics like effective dates, TDIU, and SMC.

Every rating math page ties directly to 38 CFR Part 4. Every appeal page ties to 38 CFR Part 20. Every presumptive condition page ties to the specific regulation or public law that creates the presumption. Where this site paraphrases a rule, the citation is linked in the text and in the "Sources" panel at the top of the page.

Corrections and feedback

If you find an error, please tell us. We will correct promptly and update the "Last reviewed" date. Corrections can be sent via the project repository or by opening an issue; substantive corrections are acknowledged in the commit message for that page.

Feedback that is not a correction (suggestions, feature ideas, questions about scope) is also welcome. We cannot respond to individual claim questions; those should go to an accredited representative through a VSO, CVSO, or VA regional office.

Privacy and data handling

This site is designed to be usable entirely anonymously. No feature requires an account. We do not store Social Security numbers, claim numbers, medical records, income amounts, or contact information. The plan feature saves a veteran's rough inputs in local browser storage only; those inputs do not leave the browser. There are no ads, no third-party trackers, and no data sales.

Accessibility

We target WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across the site. Every tool is usable by keyboard alone, every form field has an accessible label, and every color combination meets the 4.5:1 contrast ratio for body text. If a page does not work with your assistive technology, please tell us so we can fix it.

What we do not do

  • We do not file VA claims, appeals, or supplemental forms.
  • We do not review claim files, rating decisions, or C&P exam reports.
  • We do not give individualized legal or medical advice.
  • We do not accept payments, referrals, or sponsored content from third parties.
  • We do not collect or store personally identifying information.

Where to get help with an actual claim

The most direct path to help is an accredited County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO) or a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) such as the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), VFW, or Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). Representation through these organizations is free to the veteran. The VA directory is linked above; VA.gov also publishes a facility locator at va.gov/find-locations[src].

You can always see the most recent review date at the top of every page.

Return to the homepage or browse the tools index.