Part II, Subpart iii, Chapter 1, Section CScreening Applications for Substantial Completeness and Notification Requirements

Revised September 11, 2025

II.iii.1.C.1.a#Required Notice of Information Needed to Complete an Application

Under 38 U.S.C. 5102, if an application for a benefit is incomplete, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is required to notify the claimant and the claimant’s representative, if applicable, of the information necessary to complete the application. Reference: For more information on sending notice of an incomplete application, see

• 38 CFR 3.159(b)(2), and
• M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.2.b.

II.iii.1.C.1.b#Determining if a Claim Is Complete or Incomplete

An application is considered incomplete if it is not substantially complete. A substantially complete application is defined in M21-1, Part I, Subpart i, 1.A.4.f. Notes:_ _

• Beginning March 24, 2015, unless specifically excluded under M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.1.b, all claims governed by VA’s adjudication regulations must be filed on standard forms prescribed by the Secretary, regardless of the type of claim or posture in which the claim arises. Statements received without a prescribed form on or after March 24, 2015, will be considered a request for application.
• A claim for an increased evaluation of a service-connected disability based on a statement from the claimant that the disability has worsened constitutes a substantially complete application, if received prior to March 24, 2015.

References: For more information on

• complete claims, see
  • 38 CFR 3.159(a)(3), and
  • 38 CFR 3.160(a)
• prescribed forms for claims, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.1.a
• when VA will consider a form complete with blank fields, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.A.2
• signature requirements, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.B.2, and
• requests for application, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.G.1.

II.iii.1.C.1.c#Considerations When a Statement of Income Is Required

A statement of income is required for all pension claims. To satisfy this requirement, at least one entry in the income section of the form is required. If no statement of income is provided, contact the claimant by telephone, documenting the call on a VA Form 27-0820, Report of General Information, to obtain a statement of income. If no statement is obtained, return the application as incomplete in accordance with M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.2.b. If a statement of income is provided and the claim is at least substantially complete, the claim is accepted and processed. At this point, the claim may be

• granted, if warranted,
• denied under 38 CFR 3.159(d), or
• developed.

Exceptions :

• Some survivor claims may need development when no income and/or net worth information is provided. VA Form 21P-534EZ, Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits, is a claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), pension, and accrued benefits. The income and net worth section of this form does not always need to be complete for the application to be considered substantially complete.
• In pension, claimants are required to report dependents and dependents’ income and net worth. If a dependent is claimed and no income and/or net worth information is provided for the dependent, develop for the dependent’s income and net worth information.

References: For more information on development for

• income and/or net worth information on a survivors benefit application, see M21-1, Part XII, Subpart i, 1.B.1.c
• specific types of income, see M21-1, Part IX, Subpart i, 3.B.3.a, and
• dependents and dependents' income and net worth when processing claims for pension, see M21-1, Part VII, Subpart i, 1.A.1.f.

II.iii.1.C.1.d#Determining the Action to Take When a Claim Is Substantially Complete or Incomplete

After determining whether an application is substantially complete or incomplete, refer to the table below to determine the appropriate action(s) to take.

Important :

• When the status of an ITF requires correction, submit a ticket in the YourIT Service Portal and include
  • the information currently displayed on the INTENT TO FILE screen in VBMS, with attached screenshots, and
  • a summary of the correction needed (e.g., Change status of ITF from “claim received,” to “active,” as the VA Form 21P-534EZ was not substantially complete).
• Do not send a Section 5103 notice.

Reference : For more information on viewing ITF information in VBMS, see

• M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A.2.d and e, and
• the VBMS Core User Guide.

2Notification Requirements Based on Screening

This topic contains information about providing notification requirements for

• a complete application
• an incomplete application
• an incomplete application based on
  • exposure allegation, and
  • experiencing military sexual trauma (MST)
• a request for application or an ITF, and
• claims that are inherently incredible or lack merit.

Revised July 14, 2025

II.iii.1.C.2.a#Notification Requirements for a Complete Application

If an application is complete, the claims processor must check whether the claimant has already received 38 U.S.C. 5103 notification regarding the information and evidence that is necessary to substantiate the claim, when the notice is required. Reference : For more information on VA’s notification requirements, see

• 38 U.S.C. 5103
• 38 CFR 3.159(b)(1), and
• M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 2.B.

II.iii.1.C.2.b#Notification Requirements for an Incomplete Application

When an incomplete application is received, notify the claimant that a complete application is necessary. Follow the steps in the table below to notify the claimant of the information necessary to complete the claim.

Notes:

• If a complete claim is submitted within the required time period from the date of receipt of an incomplete application,
  • consider the complete application filed as of the date the incomplete application form was received, but
  • use the date of receipt of the complete claim as the date of claim.
• If review of an incomplete application reveals that additional evidence exists that could be relevant to the corresponding claim, simultaneously ask the claimant to provide both the additional evidence and the information that is missing from the application.

References: For more information on

• time limits to respond to a notice of an incomplete claim, see 38 CFR 3.155

• determining if a dependency claim is substantially complete, see M21-1, Part VII, Subpart i, 1.A

• the criteria for a substantially complete application, see

  • 38 CFR 3.159(a)(3), and
  • M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.1.b

• handling incomplete applications based on

  • allegations of exposure only, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.2.c, and
  • military sexual trauma (MST) without a claimed disability, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.2.d, and

• claimant requirements for submitting information in pension claims, see M21-1, Part IX, Subpart i, 3.B.4.a.

II.iii.1.C.2.c#Notification Requirements for an Incomplete Application Based on Exposure Allegation

An allegation of exposure to a potentially hazardous substance during service without an associated claim for service connection (SC) for a specific disability resulting from the exposure is not a substantially complete claim. In these cases, follow the procedures in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.2.b. In the notification letter, also

• inform the Veteran that exposure, in and of itself, is not a disability, and
• ask the Veteran to identify the disability(ies) that resulted from exposure during service.

Important: Do not

• process the claim as a denial, or
• establish EP control for the incomplete claim unless there are other complete claims also submitted.

Reference: For more information on handling claims for disability arising from toxic exposures, see M21-1, Part VIII.

II.iii.1.C.2.d#Notification Requirements for an Incomplete Application Based on Experiencing MST

An allegation of experiencing MST during service without an associated claim for SC for a specific disability resulting from the trauma experience is not a substantially complete claim. Use the table below to determine what action(s) to take when MST is identified without a disability that resulted from the trauma experience.

Important: Do not

• contact the Veteran by telephone to clarify the disability(ies) that resulted from experiencing MST (in compliance with trauma informed practices)

• process the claim as a denial, or

• establish EP control for the incomplete claim unless there are other complete claims also submitted.

• an allegation of MST is identified with no resulting disability specified, and

• a disability(ies) is claimed on or with the prescribed form

• add the MST special issue to a claimed disability to allow the claim to be routed for review by an MST claims processor, and

• do not

  • list MST as a contention, or
  • take the actions in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.2.b.

Example: The Veteran submitted a VA Form 21-526EZ, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits , claiming SC for left knee injury and also listed MST with no resulting disability. Result:

• Add left knee injury as a contention
• affix the MST special issue to the left knee contention, and
• do not
  • enter MST as a contention, or
  • take the actions in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.2.b.

Note: For the purpose of routing the claim for review by an MST claims processor in accordance with the procedures in this table, affix the MST special issue to only one contention when multiple disabilities are claimed.

Note: When a claim is routed to an MST claims processor for review, as described in the table above, the MST claims processor will

• review the claim and all associated evidence to determine which of the specifically claimed disabilities are potentially related to the experience of MST
• develop the claim accordingly, following standard personal trauma development procedures, and
• adjust assignment of the MST special issue indicator to the appropriate contention(s), as necessary.

If, at any time during the claims process, it is determined that the Veteran did not intend to claim any of the specifically identified disabilities as related to MST, then the MST claims processor will follow the instructions in the table above to notify the Veteran of the incomplete application and ask for the specific disability(ies) that resulted from MST.

References: For more information on

• claims for disability arising from MST, see M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iv, 1.B and E
• assigning claim attributes to claims based on personal trauma, see M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iv, 1.B.1.c, and
• processing additional correspondence received with a prescribed form, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.2.c.

II.iii.1.C.2.e#Notification Requirements for a Request for Application or an ITF

Effective March 24, 2015, VA requires all claims to be filed on a standard form. Therefore, VA must provide the prescribed application forms to the claimant when the claimant

• submits a request for application or desire for benefits either in writing or through electronic communications that is not on the required standard claim form, or
• files an ITF by the means outlined in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A.1.a.

Note: After the ITF has been entered into the corporate database, a one-time correspondence is automatically generated and sent to the claimant the following day. References: For more information on

• furnishing applications to claimants, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.4.g
• handling an ITF, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A
• reviewing application completeness and handling variances, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.4, and
• the letter generated by Hines acknowledging receipt of a communication of an ITF that includes all required elements, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A.1.l.

II.iii.1.C.2.f#Notification Requirements for Claims That Are Inherently Incredible or Lack Merit

Upon identification of a compensation claim that is inherently incredible or clearly lacks merit

• ensure the claimant received a Section 5103 notice, and
• defer assistance, including scheduling an examination, until that evidence is received.

If the evidence requested is not received within 30 days, decide the claim based upon all available evidence. Note: No notice is required beyond the Section 5103 notice for claims that are inherently incredible or clearly lack merit. Reference: For the definition of claims that are inherently incredible or lack merit, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart i, 1.A.4.c.