BENEFITKARMA
    Intent to File

    Protect your effective date today

    File Your VA Intent to File — Free, in About 3 Minutes

    An Intent to File locks in the date the VA uses to back-pay your benefits. We make it simple to file one today so you do not lose a single month of benefits while you gather evidence.

    • Free to file — no cost, no obligation
    • Protects your effective date for back pay
    • Takes about 3 minutes to complete
    • Secure — your information is private

    BenefitKarma is a free educational platform for Veterans. We do not charge to help you submit your Intent to File.

    Start your Intent to File

    Create your free BenefitKarma account so we can save your Intent to File, send you a copy, and remind you to follow up with your full claim.

    Already have an account? Sign in

    Every day you wait to file is a day of back pay you may lose. The VA uses the date they receive your Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) to set your effective date for back pay — not the date your final claim is decided.

    You do not have to have all your evidence ready. The Intent to File buys you up to one year to gather records, get exams, and submit your full claim while protecting your start date.

    Filing an Intent to File today is the single fastest thing most Veterans can do to protect future back pay.

    What this page is for

    This is for any Veteran who plans to file a VA disability claim (or increase an existing rating) and wants to lock in their effective date now while they gather the rest of their evidence.

    You will sign in or create a free account, fill out a short form, and we will help you submit VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File).

    This is right for you if...

    You plan to file a new VA disability claim in the next year
    You plan to ask for an increase on an existing rating
    You are still gathering medical records or evidence
    You want to protect the earliest possible back-pay date

    If any of those sound like you, file your Intent to File today — it is free and only takes a few minutes.

    Filing an Intent to File is one of the simplest, highest-impact things a Veteran can do to protect future back pay.

    How it works

    Create your free account

    Takes about 30 seconds

    Answer a few short questions

    About 3 minutes total

    We help submit your Intent to File

    VA Form 21-0966

    Get a copy and next steps

    Saved to your account

    Why file an Intent to File

    An Intent to File tells the VA you plan to file a claim. The VA then uses that date — not the date your claim is finished — to calculate your back pay when you are approved.

    You have up to one year after filing your Intent to File to submit the full claim. That gives you time to collect medical records, get exams, and build the strongest possible case without losing back pay.

    BenefitKarma walks you through it for free. There is no obligation, and we never charge to help you submit your Intent to File.

    Free tools from BenefitKarma

    VA Disability Calculator
    VA Records Request (C-File)
    VA Disability Application
    Intent to File Guide

    Common questions

    An Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) is a short form that tells the VA you plan to file a disability claim. It locks in the date the VA uses to calculate back pay when your claim is later approved.

    You have up to one year after the VA receives your Intent to File to submit the full disability claim. If you miss that one-year window, you would have to start the Intent to File process over.

    No. BenefitKarma is a free educational platform for Veterans. There is no cost to file your Intent to File and no obligation to use any other service.

    We save your Intent to File to your account so you have a copy, and we remind you before the one-year deadline so you do not lose your protected date.

    No. Filing an Intent to File does not change or affect any benefits you already receive. It only protects the effective date of a future claim or increase.

    Yes. If you plan to ask the VA for a higher rating on a condition you are already service-connected for, an Intent to File protects the back-pay date for that increase.

    Protect Your Effective Date — Today

    Free to file. Takes about 3 minutes. No obligation, no cost.

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