Intent to file

An intent to file is formal notice to the VA that a veteran plans to file a claim for benefits. It does not start the claim. Its effect is on dates: if the complete claim reaches the VA within one year, the VA can use the date it received the intent to file as the effective date for benefits it later grants on that claim. The rule sits at 38 CFR 3.155.

The VA accepts an intent to file online through its benefits system, by telephone with a VA employee who records it, or in writing on the form the VA prescribes for the purpose. The one-year window runs from the date the VA receives it. Once that window closes the intent to file expires, and the effective date question falls back to the date the claim itself arrived.

The date and the evidence are separate questions. An intent to file bears on when benefits can begin if the VA grants them, and not at all on the strength of the record the VA reads when it decides. Whether to file, and when, is claims work for the veteran and their accredited representative or VSO, and representation through a recognized VSO is free.