Separation Checklist: What to Do in the 12 Months Before Discharge

12 to 7 months out — build the record

1. Schedule appointments for any condition that has been bothering you but was never documented. Service treatment records are the primary evidence of in-service incurrence under 38 CFR § 3.303, and a condition treated only after discharge has a thinner in-service record.
2. Ask that each visit record the specific complaint rather than a general note, and follow through on referrals so that specialist findings enter the record.
3. Enroll in the VA Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry if you deployed to a covered location — registry participation documents exposure alongside your deployment records.
4. Start a personal file with copies of every medical document you receive. Requesting records later is slower than keeping copies as you go.
5. Attend the Transition Assistance Program's VA benefits briefing when it is offered. Accredited representatives who support TAP can help with the claim at no charge.

6 to 4 months out — gather and verify

1. Request a complete copy of your service treatment records for your current period of service. A copy at the time of filing is one of the BDD program's stated requirements.
2. Request your Official Military Personnel File, which contains performance evaluations, awards, duty assignments, and transfer records that can corroborate in-service events.
3. Gather documentation of deployments — orders, travel vouchers, and unit location records — which is what presumptive-exposure provisions such as 38 CFR § 3.307 and § 3.317 are applied to.
4. Identify any private civilian treatment you received and request those records, or be ready to authorize their release on VA Form 21-4142.
5. Make a written list of every condition you intend to claim, including conditions that seem minor. Each is evaluated separately under the rating schedule.

180 to 90 days out — the BDD filing window

1. File your disability compensation claim on VA Form 21-526EZ during this window to have it processed under the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program.
2. Do the filing with a VA-recognized VSO, a county or state veterans service officer, or a TAP accredited representative. This assistance is free, and no accredited agent or attorney may charge for initial-claim work under 38 CFR § 14.636(c).
3. Complete your separation physical and any service-directed examinations, and keep copies.
4. Attend every VA examination VA schedules. Missed examinations are addressed by 38 CFR § 3.655.
5. Confirm VA has your post-separation mailing address, phone number, email, and direct deposit information.

Final 90 days and discharge day

1. If you did not file during the BDD window, you can still file before separation — VA processes it as a standard pre-discharge claim.
2. Collect your DD-214 and verify that the narrative reason for separation, character of service, and dates are correct before you sign for it.
3. Keep a certified copy of the DD-214 and store a digital copy. It is the document nearly every subsequent VA and state benefit request will ask for.
4. If you have not filed at all by discharge day, submit an Intent to File under 38 CFR § 3.155 to preserve an effective date for up to one year while you assemble evidence.
5. Enroll in VA health care, which is a separate application from disability compensation.

Who to contact, and when

For the initial claim, the free accredited options are the right ones: VA-recognized Veterans Service Organizations, county and state veterans service officers, and TAP representatives. VA maintains a searchable directory of accredited representatives through the Office of General Counsel.

An accredited claims agent's paid role begins only after VA issues an initial decision on the claim. If a rating decision denies service connection for a condition you believe the record supports, assigns an evaluation you believe does not match the criteria in 38 CFR Part 4, or sets an effective date you believe is inconsistent with 38 CFR § 3.400, that is the point at which the AMA review lanes — Higher-Level Review, Supplemental Claim, and Board appeal — come into play.

Documentation gaps that come up after separation

• ×Not seeking care in service for a condition because it seemed tolerable, leaving no in-service record of it.
• ×Separating without a complete personal copy of service treatment records and the personnel file.
• ×Not correcting errors on the DD-214 before signing, which is harder to resolve afterward.
• ×Missing VA examinations scheduled during the pre-separation period.
• ×Letting a year pass after an Intent to File without submitting the complete claim, which forfeits the preserved date under 38 CFR § 3.155.
• ×Paying a fee for initial-claim assistance, which accredited representatives are prohibited from charging under 38 CFR § 14.636(c).

Frequently Asked Questions

References & sources

1. 38 CFR § 3.155 — Intent to file — eCFR
2. 38 CFR § 3.655 — Failure to report for VA examination — eCFR
3. Transition Assistance Program — U.S. Department of Defense
4. Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs