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All information & resources here are free. Optional accredited representation is a paid service - and upfront fees for an initial VA claim are never allowed.

Crisis Line: 988702-992-4883
VADIS logoThe Aging Veteran

You Earned It

The Checklist Every Veteran Should Run Through

You spent years earning what the VA owes you. This is the short, plain-language list that makes sure none of it slips through the cracks - 14 things worth an afternoon of your time. Work through it in any order, checking off what you have already handled and flagging what you have not. No jargon, no cost, and no one rushing you.

A diverse group of senior veterans standing together outdoors at golden hour, proud and at ease

Start anywhere. Skip what does not apply. Come back any time.

Nobody gets through all of this in one sitting, and you do not have to. Work down the list at your own pace. When you are ready to actually check items off and keep track, do it in your free Document Vault - it saves your progress and lets a spouse or adult child help.

Track it in your VaultNot sure where you stand? Take the 2-minute check

Documents

3 items

The papers every claim and every survivor benefit is built on. Find them and keep copies safe.

Find your DD-214 and save a copy in your Document Vault

It is the single most important military document. Almost every benefit starts with it.

How to get your DD-214

Locate your most recent VA rating decision letter

This proves your disability rating and controls your monthly compensation.

Recover your records

Gather marriage, birth, and any death certificates

Survivors need certified copies to claim benefits. Keep them together and easy to find.

Organize your documents

Benefits

4 items

Money and care you earned. Some of it is easy to miss - so check each one, even if you think it does not apply.

Confirm you are enrolled in VA health care

Enrollment can unlock care and prescriptions. You can check or apply on VA.gov.

VA health care

See if you qualify for Aid & Attendance

Extra tax-free monthly money if you need help with daily activities or are housebound.

Aid & Attendance

Check the PACT Act list for toxic-exposure conditions

The PACT Act added many presumptive conditions. You may be owed compensation you never claimed.

PACT Act & exposure

Make sure the VA has your current direct deposit and contact info

Outdated banking or address info is a common reason payments and letters go missing.

Key VA contacts

Legal & Wishes

4 items

The decisions that spare your family confusion later - and make sure your voice is heard if you cannot speak for yourself.

Put a financial power of attorney in place

Names someone you trust to handle money and bills if you cannot. Store it in your Vault.

Wills & estate basics

Put a health care power of attorney and advance directive in place

Lets a trusted person make medical decisions and records your care wishes.

Wills & estate basics

Make or update your will

Spells out your wishes and spares your family confusion and delay.

Wills & estate basics

Write down your burial and military-honors wishes

Veterans have earned burial benefits, including a VA national cemetery and military honors.

Burial & memorial benefits

Family

3 items

The part most veterans skip. Everything above only helps if the people you love know it exists.

Fill out the "Sit Down Together" worksheet with your family

One place with your service history, VA status, contacts, and where everything is kept.

The Sit-Down Together worksheet

Add your spouse or adult child as a Trusted Person in your Vault

They get their own secure sign-in so nothing is ever locked away when they need it.

Open your Document Vault

Tell your family where your important papers are kept

Even the best documents do not help if no one can find them. Say it out loud, today.

Plan it together

Keep a copy where your family can find it

Print this page for the folder, the safe, or the kitchen drawer. Then sit down with your spouse or an adult child and go through it together with the Sit-Down Together worksheet.

Plan it together

Information only - not legal advice

For information purposes only - this is not legal, financial, or medical advice. The Aging Veteran is a private service and is not part of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Benefits are subject to VA eligibility rules. Always confirm your specifics on va.gov or with a qualified professional.

Two ways to move forward — both free

Want help working through your list?

Ask Albert, our free assistant, about any item on this checklist, whether it is which benefits you may be owed, how to find a document, or what to do first. Tell it where you are stuck and it will point you to the next step. It is private, and it is here any time you need it. There is no cost to ask, and no obligation to go further.

Have a question? Get free information

Ask a question, learn what you may be owed, or find out where you stand. Confidential, free, and no obligation to go any further.

Call 702-992-4883

Ready to hire us? Register

Decided you want us to work your claim? Registering is free — we match you with an accredited advocate and get you started. We cannot begin until you sign VA Form 21-22a, and fees, if any, are always disclosed up front.

It is not too late

There is no age limit. You are not out of the game.

Far too many veterans - older veterans most of all - decide on their own that they are too old, that they waited too long, or that because nobody ever gave them the information they must be out of the game. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you file a disability claim, the VA does not look at your age. There is no age limit and no deadline on filing a first claim, and veterans in their fifties, sixties, seventies and beyond are approved every single day.

That is the entire point of this website: to make you aware of the benefits you are entitled to right now, as an aging veteran, so you can protect your health, protect your family, and protect your benefits. So do not give up, do not talk yourself out of it, and do not wait until you are no longer able to seek care. The best day to start was years ago. The next best day is today.

A veteran in his seventies sitting at his kitchen table with coffee and a legal pad, calmly thinking through his VA benefits

“I’m too old for this.”

There is no age limit on a VA claim. The VA does not look at your age - it looks at whether your condition is connected to your service.

“I waited too long, so I missed my chance.”

There is no deadline to file a first claim. You can file decades after you separated, and your effective date starts protecting you the day you file.

“I never got the information, so I’m out of the game.”

Nobody handed most veterans a list of what they earned. That is exactly why this site exists - the facts are here, in plain language, at no cost.

“I’ll deal with it when I really need care.”

Do not wait until you are too sick to fight for it. Filing while you can still gather records and attend exams is the single biggest advantage you have.

Both options are free · No obligation

Two ways to work with us — both free

Talking to a VA-accredited claims agent costs nothing either way. Pick the one that fits: get answers to your questions, or register to hire us to take on your claim.

Free information — just ask

Tell us what’s going on or what you’d like to know. We’ll read your question and get back to you personally — no cost, no obligation.

A VA-accredited agent consulting with an elderly veteran

Ready to hire us? Register with us

For veterans who’ve decided they want us on their claim — registering is free too, and it does not make you our client or obligate you to anything. Here is exactly how it works:

  • You register. This simply starts the conversation — you are not our client yet, and you owe us nothing.
  • You sign and return VA Form 21-22a. It appoints us as your accredited representative and gives us access to your VA file.
  • Once we have your signed 21-22a and access to your case, we verify everything is in order.

It involves the registration form and signing VA Form 21-22a — by law we can’t accept your claim, work on it, or contact the VA for you until that power of attorney is signed. You decide whether to move forward.

Call us: 702-992-4883

An accredited agent personally reviews every request — we’ll reach out within 48 hours.