Claims 101 — The 5-Piece Evidence Packet to File a Strong First VA Claim

Filing your first VA disability claim is terrifying because the VA treats evidence like a puzzle—and most veterans don’t know which pieces matter. In this 10-minute episode Gary walks you through a practical, kitchen-table checklist: the five pieces of evidence you should assemble and send with your initial claim so it lands on an examiner’s desk ready to grant service connection. No fluff, no legalese: exactly which service records to pull (and where to get them), which medical notes matter, how to draft a tight buddy statement, when you need a nexus statement or DBQ, and which VA forms you must complete and how to fill the key sections. Listeners leave with a real filing packet blueprint, the exact forms to download, and language templates you can copy into a statement today.