CombatProse

VA 21-4140 vs 21-8940: Recert vs Apply
You already get Individual Unemployability pay. A letter shows up. Someone says file 21-8940 again. Someone else says fill the employment questionnaire. Those are different papers. VA Form 21-4140 is the IU employment questionnaire. VA Form 21-8940 is how you apply. What it actually is VA Form 21-4140 (revision August 2024) is Employment Questionnaire. VA.gov’s…

VA 20-10206: FOIA vs Privacy Act
You need your C-File. Someone says file a FOIA. Someone else says Privacy Act. Those are different asks on the same paper. VA Form 20-10206 is one form. Privacy Act is your own file. FOIA is a public records ask. What it actually is VA Form 20-10206 (revision August 2023) is Freedom of Information Act…

VA 21-0845 vs 21-4142: Not a Records Pull
VA Form 21-0845 lets one named person hear about your claim. 21-4142 is the clinic pull. Only one 0845 on file.

VA 20-10207: Waiting Is Not a Qualifier
VA Form 20-10207 is not a claim. It is not an Intent to File. It is not a way to skip the line because the claim has been sitting. It is a written request to mark an existing claim for priority — and only if you check a box the August 2023 PDF actually lists,…

VA 21-4142 vs 21-4142a: Expire in 12 Months
Two forms. One job: let VA pull private treatment records. Filing the wrong one, filing only one, or letting both die at month 12 is how a private DBQ never reaches the rater. What it actually is VA Form 21-4142 (revision August 2024) is the Authorization to Disclose Information to the Department of Veterans Affairs.…

VA 20-0995 vs 20-0996: You Cannot File Both
Two forms. One issue. Filing both is not belt-and-suspenders. It is a concurrent election VA is not allowed to run. What it actually is VA Form 20-0995 (revision May 2024) is the Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim. You use it when you have new and relevant evidence VA did not consider last time, or when…

VA 21-686c: When Dependent Pay Starts
Adding a spouse or child after a rating is not a wedding-day payday. Two clocks control the money: the effective date, then the first of the month after.

VA Intent to File 21-0966: Received vs Submitted
VA Form 21-0966 locks your effective date only if VA receives the complete claim within 1 year. Postmark does not count. Do this today.

Military to Civilian Transition Book TAP Skips
TAP will not hand you a civilian job. Mission Transition is the field manual for the year before you separate. What it covers, what it misses, who it is for.
Schedule Policy/Career: What Vets Must Know
EO 14410 created Schedule Policy/Career for policy roles. Here’s what it means for veterans applying to federal jobs in 2026.
