Question 1

What is VeteranAI?

Accepted Answer

AI-powered self-help software for veterans filing their own VA claims. You upload records you already have a right to — your C-File, your decision letter — and the software helps you read and understand them in plain English. You operate it, you decide, you file. We are not accredited by the VA, we do not represent you, and we never contact the VA on your behalf.

Question 2

Who is it for?

Accepted Answer

US veterans who are filing, have already filed, or have never gotten around to filing. Family members and friends also use it to write buddy statements in their own words. Every document assumes the veteran is the primary user.

Question 3

I've never filed anything. Is this still for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Plenty of veterans put it off for years — sometimes decades — because the paperwork was overwhelming and nobody explained it. You're not behind and you're not alone. A reasonable first step is simply reading your own record, before you decide anything at all.

Question 4

Is VeteranAI affiliated with the VA?

Accepted Answer

No. VeteranAI is an independent, veteran-owned company. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, we hold no VA accreditation, and we never log in to or touch VA systems.

Question 5

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Create a free account, add the conditions you're tracking, and upload any records you already have. New accounts start on a 17-day free Pro trial; cancel before it converts and you stay on the free tier.

Question 6

How is this different from a claims agency or consultant?

Accepted Answer

Structurally, in four ways: it's a flat $25 a month you can cancel in two clicks; we never take a percentage of your benefits or your back pay; we never contact the VA for you; and nobody calls you, chases you, or sends you to collections. Unaccredited consulting outfits commonly charge $1,250–$3,000 flat, or a multiple of your monthly increase. We also tell you outright that accredited VSOs will help you for free — because you should know all your options.

Question 7

Do I still need a VSO?

Accepted Answer

We recommend one. Accredited representatives — county VSOs, DAV, VFW, the American Legion and others — can represent you before the VA at no cost. VeteranAI is software you run on your own records; it is not representation and does not replace it. You can find an accredited rep through the VA.gov accreditation search.

Question 8

Is VeteranAI legit?

Accepted Answer

It's a real, veteran-owned company, founded by a Navy submarine veteran whose name and face are on the site. 30,000+ veterans have used the software since 2023, and users rate it 4.8 out of 5. We publish what the tools do and don't do, charge a flat price with no hidden fees, and point you to free accredited help.

Question 9

Are you accredited by the VA?

Accepted Answer

No. We don't prepare, present or prosecute claims, so accreditation doesn't apply to what we do — VA's own guidance allows unaccredited parties to provide other services to veterans. VeteranAI is self-help software you operate on your own records. Only a VA-accredited representative, agent or attorney can represent you before the VA.

Question 10

Do you file my claim for me?

Accepted Answer

No. We never file, never submit, never sign anything, never contact the VA, and never access VA systems. You file — on VA.gov, by mail, or through your accredited representative.

Question 11

Do you take a percentage of my back pay?

Accepted Answer

Never. The subscription is the same price whatever happens with your claim. No contingency fee, no invoice tied to your benefits, no bill that scales with your monthly increase, no collections.

Question 12

How do I tell a legitimate service from a claim shark?

Accepted Answer

Warning signs veterans' organizations consistently flag: Promises a rating, an approval, or a specific increase Charges a percentage of back pay, or a multiple of your monthly benefit Uses countdown timers, limited spots, or high-pressure phone calls Isn't accredited, but files or advises on your specific claim anyway Never mentions that accredited VSOs do this for free

Question 13

Will using VeteranAI guarantee my claim is approved?

Accepted Answer

No — and nothing else can either. No software, agency, consultant or attorney can promise you a VA decision. Anyone who does is telling you something they cannot know. What the software can do is help you understand your own records and the process you're in.

Question 14

What's actually in the platform?

Accepted Answer

C-File Analyzer — read your own claims file in plain English Decision Letter Analyzer — what was granted, denied or deferred, and the reason VA gave Personal statement writing, in your own words Buddy statement requests, written and reviewed by the person signing Nexus letter explainer and template to take to your own clinician Symptom and treatment logging across multiple conditions Six, an AI reference tool for looking up how VA claims work

Question 15

What does the C-File Analyzer do?

Accepted Answer

The VA has a file on you. Most veterans have never read it. It's your record and you're entitled to it — often hundreds or thousands of pages covering decades. The analyzer reads it and tells you, in ordinary language, what's in there: conditions noted, exams performed, records the VA already holds, what a rater saw. It describes what your record contains. It does not tell you what to claim or what to do next — those are your decisions, and a good conversation to have with an accredited VSO.

Question 16

Do you request my C-File for me?

Accepted Answer

No. You request your own file from the VA and upload it yourself. We'll show you how the request works and where to send it, but we never make the request, and we never contact the VA on your behalf.

Question 17

What does the Decision Letter Analyzer do?

Accepted Answer

It puts your decision letter into plain English: what was granted, what was denied, what was deferred, the percentage and effective date for anything granted, and the reason the VA gave for each. It also explains what your review options are — supplemental claim, higher-level review, Board appeal — so you can look them up and decide for yourself.

Question 18

What is Six?

Accepted Answer

Six is an AI reference tool for looking up how VA claims work — the process, the terminology, the forms, the timelines. Typical questions: “What does deferred mean?” · “What's the difference between a supplemental claim and a higher-level review?” · “What is the ‘at least as likely as not' standard?” Six explains the rules; you decide what to do with them. It's available around the clock, which is useful when a VSO appointment is three weeks out. It is not an advisor, a representative, or a physician.

Question 19

Do you write nexus letters?

Accepted Answer

We write the draft. From the records you upload we produce a complete letter — diagnosis, service link, the “at least as likely as not” standard, and a rationale argued from PubMed and NIH literature with the citation behind every line. What we can't do is hold the medical judgment. A draft becomes a nexus opinion only when a qualified clinician reviews it, edits it to match what they actually believe, and signs it. It goes to your own doctor with instructions on what to verify, change or strike — and we never send it anywhere ourselves.

Question 20

What is a buddy statement, and who writes it?

Accepted Answer

A buddy or lay statement is a first-person account from someone who knows you — a spouse, a friend, someone you served with — describing what they have personally observed. They write it, in their own words. We send them a secure link and questions to jog their memory; nothing is finished until they have read every line and confirmed it's accurate. No statement is ever submitted under someone's name without them reading it first.

Question 21

How does the personal statement tool work?

Accepted Answer

It asks you structured questions about your symptoms, when they started, and how they affect your day, then organises your own answers into a clean, readable statement. You edit every line and you decide what goes in it. It's your account of your life — we just stop it turning into a blank page.

Question 22

Can I track more than one condition?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each condition gets its own space for symptoms, treatments, daily impact and documents, so nothing gets muddled together. Disability tracking and the symptom logger are never metered, on any plan.

Question 23

Why did the nexus explainer come back empty?

Accepted Answer

The explainer draws on published medical literature. Where we can't find sound sources connecting a condition to a given exposure or event, we'd rather show you nothing than invent something. An empty result isn't a verdict on your claim — it means the literature search came up short, and that's a question for your clinician.

Question 24

Is my information secure?

Accepted Answer

Your documents are encrypted at rest and in transit and stored on enterprise-grade infrastructure. A C-File contains your whole medical history and your file number, and we treat it that way.

Question 25

Who can see my documents?

Accepted Answer

You. We don't sell your information, we don't share it with third parties, and our staff can't open your documents without your explicit permission — typically only when you ask support to look at something with you.

Question 26

Do you use my documents to train AI?

Accepted Answer

Your records are never sold and never used to train public AI models. We do look at anonymised, aggregated usage — which features people use, where they get stuck — to improve the product. Your name, your file number and your medical history are not part of that.

Question 27

Can I delete my data?

Accepted Answer

Yes — individual documents or your whole account, at any time, without asking us. Delete the account and every page goes with it.

Question 28

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Every account starts with a 17-day free Pro trial. After that it's $25 a month, or $250 a year for the whole toolkit — a flat price, cancel any time, no contract. Cancel before the trial converts and you keep a free tier with the basic tools.

Question 29

Is there a free option?

Accepted Answer

Yes. There's a free tier with the basic AI tools, and disability tracking, the symptom logger and buddy statements are never metered on any plan. And the most complete free option isn't us: an accredited VSO will represent you at no cost at all.

Question 30

What's included in the paid plans?

Accepted Answer

Unlimited sessions with Six, the document tools, the nexus explainer, decision letter analysis and email support. C-File analysis is a one-time purchase on any tier and is included with annual plans.

Question 31

Can I change or cancel my plan?

Accepted Answer

Any time, from your account settings. Upgrades apply immediately, downgrades at the end of the billing period, and cancelling takes two clicks. Nobody will call you to talk you out of it.

Question 32

What is a C-File, and what's in it?

Accepted Answer

Your Claims File is everything the VA holds on your benefits: service treatment records, VA and private medical records it has gathered, C&P examination reports, prior rating decisions, correspondence and forms. It's frequently hundreds or thousands of pages, and it's the record your decisions were made from.

Question 33

How do I request my C-File?

Accepted Answer

You have a right to it. Veterans generally request it through VA.gov or by submitting a Privacy Act / FOIA request to the VA, and it usually arrives as a digital file. Delivery times vary from weeks to several months. An accredited representative can also request it on your behalf — we can't and don't.

Question 34

What does “deferred” mean on a decision?

Accepted Answer

It means that issue hasn't been decided yet — not that it was denied. The VA is usually waiting on an examination or a records request. Your letter states which, and nothing is normally required from you unless the VA asks.

Question 35

What's the difference between a supplemental claim, a higher-level review and a Board appeal?

Accepted Answer

They are three separate review lanes the VA offers after a decision. A supplemental claim is for when there is new and relevant evidence the VA hasn't seen. A higher-level review is a senior reviewer taking a fresh look at the same evidence — no new evidence allowed. A Board appeal is review by a Veterans Law Judge, with three docket options; it's the most formal and generally the longest. We explain what each one is. Which one fits your situation is your decision, and exactly the sort of thing a free accredited VSO is there for.

Question 36

How long do I have after a decision?

Accepted Answer

You generally have one year from the date on your decision letter to choose a review option. That's the standard rule; specifics and exceptions are on VA.gov, and an accredited representative can confirm how it applies to you.

Question 37

What happens at a C&P exam?

Accepted Answer

A Compensation & Pension exam is an examination the VA schedules so a clinician can record the current state of a claimed condition. It isn't a treatment appointment and the examiner doesn't decide your claim — they document findings on a standard form. Veterans commonly use the symptom log to have an accurate, dated record of their own symptoms to refer to. What you say is yours to say; we don't script it.

Question 38

Why do some claims get denied more often than others?

Accepted Answer

Service connection rests on three links: something that happened in service, a current diagnosis, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Conditions that surface long after service, or where service records are thin, more often turn on that third link — the nexus. Understanding which link a decision says was missing is usually more useful than knowing category-level statistics.

Question 39

Can I use VeteranAI for an appeal?

Accepted Answer

You can use it to understand the decision you received and to read up on what each review option involves. We do not draft, prepare or file appeals, and we do not recommend which route you should take. If you're heading into an appeal, take what you've learned to an accredited representative.

Question 40

How long does the work take?

Accepted Answer

Reading an analysed decision letter takes minutes. A C-File analysis returns in minutes too, though reading through it properly is an evening's work. Writing your own statements is the slow part — most veterans do it across a few sittings, and there's no penalty for taking your time.

Question 41

What if I get stuck using the platform?

Accepted Answer

Email support and help documentation. Support helps you use the software. For questions about your particular claim, that's an accredited VSO's job, not ours.

Question 42

How do I contact support?

Accepted Answer

Email team@veteranai.co. Real people, and no sales calls.

Question 43

Is there a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. VeteranAI runs in the browser and works on phones and tablets. It works on current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge.

Question 44

Do I have to upload my medical records?

Accepted Answer

No. Nothing is required. Uploading records you already hold gives you a fuller picture of your own history, but you can use the symptom log and the explainers without uploading a thing.

Question 45

Can I import from another platform, or export what I've written?

Accepted Answer

Importing is manual for now — we're working on common document formats. Exporting is not: anything you write, you can download and keep, whether you stay subscribed or not.

Question 46

How long do I keep access to my documents?

Accepted Answer

For as long as your account is open. We'd still suggest downloading anything important for your own records — that's true of any service.

Question 47

Can a spouse or friend use it alongside a veteran?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and many do — sitting beside the veteran, or writing their own buddy statement. Every document assumes the veteran is the primary user, and the veteran should review anything written in their name and authorise its use.

Question 48

Is there a community?

Accepted Answer

There's an active Discord where veterans compare notes on the process and help each other find their footing. It's veterans talking to veterans — not advice from us, and not a substitute for an accredited representative.

Question 49

Do you publish anything I can read for free?

Accepted Answer

Yes — guides on how to request your C-File, what's in one, how to read a decision letter, and what the common terms mean. All free, no account needed.

Straight answers, including the uncomfortable ones.

What we are

What we are not

The basics

Is VeteranAI legit?

The tools

Security & privacy

Plans & pricing

Understanding the VA process

Platform, support & documents

Start by reading your own record.