After Action Review (AAR)

Log service, deployments, and exposures to flag PACT Act presumptives.

100% free for every veteran — no payment required, ever

This tool is provided free of charge to all veterans. We will never charge a fee, request payment, or ask for a credit card, banking, or payment information to use it. Filing for VA benefits is also free: you are never required to pay anyone to apply. Accredited Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) help you file at no cost, and federal law (38 U.S.C. § 5904) strictly limits when an accredited agent or attorney may charge fees. If anyone asks you to pay this site to access benefits, it is not us — please do not pay.

Checking your session…

What are VA Service-Connected Benefits?

A tax-free monthly payment for veterans whose service caused or worsened a condition. A benefit you earned.

✅
Who qualifies
Any veteran with a service-connected disability, physical or mental. No combat required.
📊
How ratings work
0–100% in 10% steps. Multiple conditions combine — they don’t add.
💰
Monthly pay
~$3,938+/mo at 100% (2026). More with dependents.
📋
What you need
A diagnosis, an in-service event, and a medical nexus tying them together.

The 3 elements of a winning claim

1. Current diagnosis
From a VA or private provider, in writing.
2. In-service event
An injury, illness, exposure, or stressor that caused or worsened the condition.
3. Medical nexus
A qualified provider linking diagnosis to event. The most-missed piece.
💡 Pro tip: File an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) today, even before you’re ready — it locks in up to 12 months of back pay.

Best practices

Each tab feeds the next. Working in order turns a blank form into a full claim package — exposures linked to presumptives, ratings combined, benefits mapped, filing steps ready.

  1. Build your service record · Service record
    Branch, specialty, dates, rank, component, discharge, and every deployment. This auto-flags exposures on the next tab.
  2. Confirm exposures and presumptives · Exposures & presumptives
    Deployment-derived hazards are pre-checked. Add others (burn pits, asbestos, MST). Auto-suggest reveals linked presumptives — the easiest claims to win.
  3. Estimate and combine ratings · Estimator & Calculator
    One condition at a time, with your presumptives and exposures pre-loaded. Send each estimate to the Combined Calculator for your VA-math total with bilateral factor.
  4. See what the rating unlocks · Benefits by Rating
    Healthcare priority, dependent pay, education, housing, SMC, and more — what shifts at each threshold.
  5. Add state benefits · State Benefits
    Property-tax, tuition, license, and vehicle benefits vary by state. Veterans miss thousands a year here.
  6. File the claim · How to Apply
    Step-by-step, including the Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) — file today to lock in up to 12 months of back pay.
  7. Get help · Find Providers · AI Assistant · Resources
    VSOs and accredited reps (free), the AI Assistant for paperwork and condition questions, and Resources for official forms.

Quick tips

  • Progress autosaves — bookmark this page and your draft resumes.
  • Work the tabs in order. Each feeds the next.
  • Be precise on deployment dates. A few weeks can decide a presumptive era.
  • When in doubt, claim it. You can refine later — you can’t get back-pay for an unfiled claim.
  • Have a VA-accredited rep or VSO review before you submit. It’s free.