How this works
Three steps, and nobody can charge you for the first claim.
The VA claims process has a shape. Once you can see it, the whole thing stops feeling like a maze.
The order it actually happens in
Let the VA know you intend to file
If you file on paper, or need time, it is one short form, and filing it can preserve an earlier effective date while you gather everything else. You do not need evidence, a diagnosis, or a decision about what to claim before you send it.
Pick someone accredited to represent you
An accredited representative, agent or attorney can act for you with the VA. Representatives at county offices and veterans organizations cannot charge you for help with an initial claim. You choose who; nobody assigns you one.
Work the claim with them
They file it, track it, and deal with the VA on your behalf. Decisions take time, and a decision you disagree with can be reviewed. This is the part we stay out of — our job was getting you to the right person.
You should never pay to file an initial claim. Accredited representatives at county offices and veterans organizations do this for free, and the VA says so on its own page about accredited representatives. If someone asks you for a fee to start a claim, stop and get a second opinion from a county service officer first.