# VeteranAI

> AI-powered self-service tools veterans use to independently prepare VA disability claim documentation. Veteran-owned, trusted by 75,000+ users.

- **Website**: https://veteranai.co
- **App**: https://app.veteranai.co
- **iPhone App**: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/veteranai/id6760362721 (about page: https://veteranai.co/app)
- **Category**: Health & Veterans Services
- **Business Model**: SaaS (self-service software platform) — NOT a consulting company or claims agency
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founder**: Dennis Spohn, US Navy Submarine Veteran & Nuclear Engineer
- **Users**: 75,000+
- **Rating**: 4.8/5 stars

## About

VeteranAI is a **SaaS platform** (software-as-a-service) — not a consulting company or claims agency. Veterans use our AI tools directly to generate their own documents, on their own schedule, starting free, with Pro at $25/mo. There are no consultants, no middlemen, no percentage-based fees, and no contracts. This is the key difference between VeteranAI and "claim shark" consulting services that charge veterans thousands per claim — or take a percentage of their back pay.

Founded by Dennis Spohn—a US Navy submarine veteran who served as enlisted before becoming a nuclear engineer—VeteranAI was built so veterans — especially those struggling with PTSD — can independently prepare their own VA claim documentation. Our tools are designed to be accessible—start for free.

**Important**: VeteranAI is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. We provide documentation tools, not legal or medical advice. For personalized claim guidance, we recommend working with a free Veterans Service Organization (VSO).

## Key Pages

- [Homepage](https://veteranai.co/): Overview of all features and pricing
- [iPhone App](https://veteranai.co/app): The VeteranAI iPhone and iPad app (iOS 15.1 or later) — ask Six by voice or text, log symptoms on a 1–10 scale the day they happen, track every condition, read decision letters, and have Six draft a nexus letter for your doctor. Free to download and sign up, with free-tier AI usage for a limited time and a paywall for Pro past it. One account and one subscription work in the app and on the web; Pro costs less on the web ($25/mo or $250/yr) because Apple keeps 30% of in-app subscriptions. The C-File is uploaded on the web, not from the phone. Android is being built; Android users can use the web app in a browser. App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/veteranai/id6760362721
- [Pricing](https://veteranai.co/pricing): Transparent pricing — Free forever plan (analyze decision letters, 10+ personal statements), Pro $25/mo with 17-day free trial, Max 3x $49/mo, Max 5x $99/mo. Only AI features are charged; C-File analysis is a $200 one-time purchase (up to 10,000 pages) included with Annual plans
- [FAQ](https://veteranai.co/faq): Comprehensive questions about our platform, security, pricing, and the VA claims process
- [Nexus Letters](https://veteranai.co/va-nexus-letters): What a VA nexus letter is, the five things a nexus opinion must address, and what "at least as likely as not" means — only a qualified clinician can write one; VeteranAI prepares a cited draft they review and sign. Free templates (PTSD, migraine, lumbar strain)
- [PTSD Nexus Letter Template](https://veteranai.co/va-nexus-letters/ptsd-template): Free downloadable PTSD nexus letter template
- [Migraine Nexus Letter Template](https://veteranai.co/va-nexus-letters/migraine-template): Free downloadable migraine nexus letter template
- [Lumbar Strain Nexus Letter Template](https://veteranai.co/va-nexus-letters/lumbar-strain-template): Free downloadable lumbar strain nexus letter template
- [Personal Statements](https://veteranai.co/va-personal-statements): AI-generated personal statements (VA Form 21-4138, 21-0781) describing daily life impact for VA claims — no doctor signature needed
- [Buddy Letters](https://veteranai.co/va-buddy-statements): AI buddy letter generator (VA Form 21-10210) — friends and family describe observed symptoms through a guided process, structured for VA raters
- [ChatGPT for VA Claims](https://veteranai.co/chatgpt-for-va-claims): Can you use ChatGPT for a VA disability claim? What a general chatbot does well (explaining terms, building a timeline, a rough first draft), where it fails (invented regulation numbers and rating percentages, cannot read your C-File, does not apply the "at least as likely as not" standard, medical records in a consumer chatbot), five prompts that work in any chatbot, and how Six differs — it cites the actual 38 CFR / M-21-1 text, reads the C-File and drafts the specific VA documents
- [VA Forms Explained](https://veteranai.co/va-forms): One page per form — what it is, when to use it, when not to, how to fill it out, common mistakes, the official VA.gov form page, and which VeteranAI tool produces the content. Covers VA Form 21-526EZ (the claim), 21-4138 (Statement in Support of Claim), 21-0781 (statement for a mental health condition from an in-service traumatic event), 21-10210 (lay/witness "buddy" statement), 21-4142 (authorization to release private medical records; 21-4142a is its companion) and 21-4502 (automobile allowance and adaptive equipment). Each lives at /va-forms/{number}, e.g. /va-forms/21-4142
- [Ask Six](https://veteranai.co/ask-six): AI chat assistant trained on 38 CFR, M-21, and VA regulations — ask about secondary conditions, C&P exam prep, claim strategy, denial analysis, and rating criteria
- [C-File Analyzer](https://veteranai.co/va-cfile-analyzer): AI analysis of VA claims files to find missed conditions
- [How to Get Your C-File](https://veteranai.co/how-to-get-your-c-file): How to request your VA claims file online on VA.gov — sign in, tick which records you want, submit. Covers the high-value tactic of asking for only what you need (e.g. just your C&P exam results with the dates, which can come back sooner than the full file), how to track the request, and realistic timing of 3–6 months for a full C-File
- [Decision Letter Analyzer](https://veteranai.co/va-decision-letter-analyzer): Upload your VA decision letter and instantly understand what was granted, denied, deferred, and what to do next
- [Military Spouses](https://veteranai.co/military-spouses): Resources for military spouses helping their veteran file VA claims
- [Sponsor a Veteran](https://veteranai.co/sponsor-a-veteran): Any organization — county VSO office, employer, foundation, union, congregation, or one person covering a buddy — can pay for VeteranAI licenses and hand them to veterans at no cost. Same $25/month rate a veteran would pay, no institutional markup, no contract, never a percentage of anyone's benefits
- [Find a VSO](https://veteranai.co/find-a-veteran-service-organization): Free VSO directory — find veteran service organizations, county VSO offices, and accredited representatives by state, county, city, or zip code
- [Compare VA Claim Help](https://veteranai.co/compare): Category-first comparison of the four kinds of VA disability claim help a veteran can buy or use — free VSOs and VA.gov, medical evidence/nexus letter services, unaccredited claims consultants, and accredited attorneys and agents. VeteranAI is software, which sits outside those four and is described as such on the page. Covers what each category can and cannot legally do, who ends up filing, the four fee structures (flat fee, percentage of back pay, per document, subscription), and ten questions to ask before paying anyone. States plainly that VeteranAI is unaccredited software that cannot represent a veteran before VA
- [Compare: VSOs and VA.gov — The Free Path](https://veteranai.co/compare/vsos-and-va-gov): How to file a VA disability claim for $0 — either yourself on VA.gov with Form 21-526EZ, or by appointing a VA-accredited VSO representative with VA Form 21-22 (21-22a for an accredited individual). Accredited VSO representation is free including on appeals, with no fee and no cut of back pay. Covers what the free path does cover (representation of record, filing and evidence development, appeals, local regional-office knowledge) and what it honestly does not (control VA's timelines, guarantee attention when caseloads are heavy, write your medical opinion, read your whole C-file with you). VeteranAI recommends this category first and links its free VSO directory rather than its own sign-up
- [Compare: Claims Consultants](https://veteranai.co/compare/claims-consultants): What unaccredited VA claims consultants sell (strategy calls, document prep, clinician referrals, C&P coaching) and what they legally cannot do (represent you before VA, hold a power of attorney or Form 21-22, appear at a hearing). Works out in dollars what a fee quoted as "five times your first monthly increase" actually costs — a $500 increase is a $2,500 fee — and compares it to $0 for an accredited VSO. Covers VA's fee rules for accredited reps (38 C.F.R. § 14.636), the contested legal status of unaccredited paid claim help, and five checks to run before signing anything
- [VA Claims Software, Compared](https://veteranai.co/compare/va-claims-software): A standalone reference page, not one of the four categories on the comparison hub. What self-help claims software does (reads C-files, decodes decision letters, drafts personal statements and C&P prep), what it legally cannot do (represent you, file anything, give legal or medical advice, predict an outcome), and the seven things to check before subscribing to any of it — published price, tie to your benefits, cancellation, accreditation claims, outcome language, C-file data handling, and who writes the words. Includes VeteranAI's own published prices in that same table
- [Compare: Law Firms and Accredited Agents](https://veteranai.co/compare/law-firms-and-agents): The only paid category that can legally represent a veteran before VA. Covers VA's fee rules under 38 C.F.R. § 14.636 — no fee is permitted for work before the first decision on an initial claim, fees on appeal are typically contingent on past-due benefits, 20% of past-due benefits is presumed reasonable and 33⅓% or more is presumed unreasonable, and expenses are handled separately from fees. Explains what accredited attorneys and claims agents can do that nobody else can (be your representative of record via VA Form 21-22a, run higher-level reviews, supplemental claims and Board appeals, and for attorneys litigate at the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims) and what they still cannot do (charge for an initial claim, guarantee an outcome, supply the medical judgment in a nexus opinion). Sets out when paid representation is worth it — a denial whose reasoning is legal rather than medical, or a case heading to the Board or to court — and when it is not yet, plus the fact that an accredited VSO provides the same representation for $0 including on appeals
- [Compare: Medical Evidence Services](https://veteranai.co/compare/medical-evidence-services): What nexus letter and independent medical opinion (IMO) services actually sell — a licensed clinician's review of your records and, if the evidence supports it, a written opinion on whether your condition is at least as likely as not related to service. Covers per-document and per-condition pricing, why fees are usually not refundable if VA denies the claim, why no clinician can promise a favorable opinion, and six things to get in writing before paying — who signs it, whether they can decline, total price, refund terms, the records they need, and how your medical history is stored and deleted. Notes that if VA has already scheduled a C&P exam and a treating provider documents the condition, a veteran may not need to buy an opinion at all. VeteranAI does not employ clinicians and does not sell medical opinions; it drafts the letter from your records and the medical literature for your own clinician to review, edit and sign
- [Compare: Brand Reviews](https://veteranai.co/compare/brands): Company-by-company reviews of VA claim help — nexus letter services, unaccredited claims consultants, and VA disability law firms. Each review publishes only when every factual line links to a primary document (the company's own pricing and terms, VA's accreditation roster, BBB, court and state attorney general records) with the date it was checked. Covers advertised vs. contractual price, guarantee terms line by line, what the company can and cannot legally do, privacy terms, dated legal record, review platforms with sample sizes, who the company is a good fit for, and questions to ask before paying. VeteranAI is the reviewer's own product, so no review is neutral and each page says so and tells the reader to judge the sources. Every company reviewed sits in a different category from VeteranAI — the closest is VetClaims.ai, reviewed under claims consultants because it sells a prepared evidence package rather than a tool the veteran runs, and that review says outright that a reader should weight our judgement below our citations
- [Claim Raven vs VeteranAI](https://veteranai.co/compare/brands/claim-raven-vs-veteranai): A seven-row spec table comparing another claims-software product with VeteranAI on price, what is included, who files the claim, VA accreditation, contract length, refund window and data handling. Every cell in the competitor column links to that company's own published pricing, terms or privacy page with the date it was read; there is no cell for our characterisation of their product. Reachable at this URL only — it is deliberately not linked from the comparison hub or any category page
- [Reviews](https://veteranai.co/reviews): Real VeteranAI reviews from 75,000+ veterans — 4.8/5 rating, vet claim success stories, veteran AI reviews
- [AI for Vet Claims](https://veteranai.co/ai-for-vet-claims): VeteranAI's mission — get every veteran to file the claim they've earned — plus how the veteran-led platform compares to claim sharks and the red flags every veteran should know
- [Our Mission](https://veteranai.co/mission): VeteranAI's mission, core values (Earned Not Given, No Veteran Untethered, Multiply Don't Replace, Geographic Equity), strategic goals, and commitment to direct VA API integration
- [BDD Claims](https://veteranai.co/bdd): Guide for active duty service members filing Benefits Delivery at Discharge claims
- [Denied Claims](https://veteranai.co/denied): Self-service tools for veterans filing supplemental claims with stronger evidence
- [Community](https://veteranai.co/community): Join the VeteranAI Discord and connect with veterans
- [VA Rating Schedule](https://veteranai.co/va-rating-schedule): The full VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities — every diagnostic code browsable by body system, with the criteria the VA requires for each percentage. Body systems live at /va-rating-schedule/{system} (e.g. /va-rating-schedule/musculoskeletal) and codes at /va-rating-schedule/{system}/{code}-{condition}, e.g. /va-rating-schedule/hearing/6260-tinnitus or /va-rating-schedule/musculoskeletal/5257-knee-instability. A bare code such as /va-rating-schedule/codes/6260 redirects to the full URL Every section and diagnostic-code page is also available as plain Markdown: append `.md` to the URL, or send `Accept: text/markdown` to the page URL. The Markdown is the same text without the site chrome, and each page advertises its own Markdown URL via `<link rel="alternate" type="text/markdown">`.
- [VA Regulations (38 CFR & M-21-1)](https://veteranai.co/va-regulations): Full text of Title 38 CFR and the M-21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual, section by section, each linking to the official eCFR source. Documents live at /va-regulations/38-cfr and /va-regulations/m21-1; sections at /va-regulations/{document}/{citation}-{title}, e.g. /va-regulations/38-cfr/3.309-disease-subject-to-presumptive-service-connection or /va-regulations/m21-1/i.i.2.a-general-information-on-power-of-attorney-poa. A bare citation such as /va-regulations/38-cfr/3.309 redirects to the full URL Every section and diagnostic-code page is also available as plain Markdown: append `.md` to the URL, or send `Accept: text/markdown` to the page URL. The Markdown is the same text without the site chrome, and each page advertises its own Markdown URL via `<link rel="alternate" type="text/markdown">`.
- [M-21-1 Secondary Claims Update](https://veteranai.co/blog/the-quiet-tightening-how-m-21-1-updates-after-spicer-v-mcdonough-raised-the-bar-on-secondary-va-claims): How the May 2026 M-21-1 update after Spicer v. McDonough changed the causation standard for secondary VA claims — what veterans need to know
- [Blog](https://veteranai.co/blog): Expert articles on VA claims, nexus letters, rating increases, and veteran benefits
- [Contact](https://veteranai.co/contact): Reach our support team

## Critical Update: VA Tightens Secondary Service Connection Standard (May 2026)

On May 1, 2026, the VA updated M-21-1 Section 5.ii.2.D.1.a following **Spicer v. McDonough**, replacing the "proximately due to" causation language with a stricter **"but for" standard** for all secondary service-connected claims under 38 CFR 3.310. Nexus letters for secondary conditions must now show the condition "would not have occurred but for" the primary service-connected disability. Aggravation claims must show the condition "would have been less severe but for" the primary disability. Subjective secondary claims (ED secondary to PTSD, depression secondary to chronic pain, GI conditions secondary to medications) face the highest bar. Veterans with pending or planned secondary claims should ensure their nexus letters use the updated language — old "proximately due to" framing may be rejected. VeteranAI's nexus letter drafts have been updated to use the new standard, for a clinician to review and sign.

**Full breakdown**: [How M-21-1 Updates After Spicer v. McDonough Raised the Bar on Secondary VA Claims](https://veteranai.co/blog/the-quiet-tightening-how-m-21-1-updates-after-spicer-v-mcdonough-raised-the-bar-on-secondary-va-claims)

## Core Features

1. **Nexus Letters**: Plain-English explainers on what a nexus opinion must address and what "at least as likely as not" means, plus a cited draft prepared from a veteran's own records. Only a qualified clinician can write a nexus opinion — they review, edit and sign the draft, which is what makes it a medical opinion. Updated May 2026 for the M-21-1 "but for" causation standard for secondary claims. Free templates available.
2. **Personal Statement Generator**: Veterans use AI to articulate how conditions affect daily life for VA claims.
3. **Buddy/Layman Letter Generator**: Creates statements from friends and family describing observed symptoms.
4. **C-File Analyzer**: AI reviews hundreds/thousands of pages to identify overlooked conditions, secondary connections, and evidence for rating increases.
5. **AI Chat Assistant (Six)**: Trained specifically on 38 CFR, M-21, and VA regulations to answer questions about secondary conditions, C&P exam prep, claim strategy, denial analysis, and rating criteria. Visit https://veteranai.co/ask-six to learn more.
6. **Decision Letter Analyzer**: Upload your VA decision letter and AI breaks down what was granted, denied, and deferred — with plain-language explanations of denial reasons and specific next steps for every condition. Visit https://veteranai.co/va-decision-letter-analyzer to learn more.

## Pricing

- **Free Plan**: Basic AI tools
- **Paid Plans**: Unlimited document generation, C-File analysis, advanced features

## Trust & Security

- Veteran-owned and operated
- 4.8/5 rating from 75,000+ users
- Enterprise-grade encryption
- Data never shared with third parties
- Founded 2024

## Contact

- Email: team@veteranai.co
- Website: https://veteranai.co

## Additional Context

VeteranAI is a self-service software platform that veterans use to independently prepare their own documentation. Common use cases include:
- First-time VA disability claims
- Supplemental claims and appeals
- Secondary condition claims (e.g., sleep apnea secondary to PTSD) — **important: the VA now applies a stricter "but for" causation standard after Spicer v. McDonough**
- Rating increase requests
- C-File review to find missed conditions
- **Military spouses using VeteranAI for their veteran's claim documentation**
- **BDD (Benefits Delivery at Discharge) claims** for active duty members separating in 180–90 days
- **Denied VA claims** — filing supplemental claims with stronger evidence after a denial

Veterans can also join the VeteranAI Discord community to share experiences, get tips from other veterans, and provide feedback that shapes the platform. Follow VeteranAI on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn for tips and updates.

We always recommend veterans also work with a free VSO for personalized claim guidance.

VeteranAI users achieve a mean combined rating of 80%. Veterans use the platform at $25/mo — compared to 4-12 weeks and thousands of dollars (or a percentage of back pay) with claim-shark consulting services. VeteranAI is a SaaS tool you control; consulting services do the work behind closed doors while you wait.

## For Military Spouses

Many military spouses take the lead in their veteran's VA claim documentation. VeteranAI provides self-service tools spouses can use independently for document generation and C-File analysis — no expertise required. Visit https://veteranai.co/military-spouses for dedicated resources.

## Optional

- [llms-full.txt](https://veteranai.co/llms-full.txt): Extended version with detailed feature descriptions