The Top 5 Mistakes Veterans Make When Filing VA Claims
- Dr. Howard A. Friedman MD, founder of HHOM LLC
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
Updated: May 1
4-23-2025
By Dr. Howard Friedman, MD | Veteran | U.S. Army Medical Corps | Internal Medicine | HHOM LLC
Filing a VA disability claim isn’t just about telling your story—it’s about proving it. The VA is a massive federal institution with its own language, its own rules, and more than its share of red tape. Veterans know this. In fact, the old military phrase “hurry up and wait” could just as easily describe the VA claims process.
Every day, veterans miss out on benefits they should be receiving—because of technicalities, oversights, or simple errors in the application process. Many of these mistakes are avoidable. And with the right guidance, they can be prevented altogether.
Let’s walk through some of the most common pitfalls that delay or derail claims, not as a checklist, but as a conversation—because these are more than just bureaucratic missteps. These are stories that deserve to be heard, but only if told with precision, backed by evidence, and presented with authority.
The first and perhaps most damaging mistake is submitting an incomplete claim. If your record is missing even one key piece of medical documentation, the VA can and will deny your claim outright. It's not personal—it’s policy. The burden is on the veteran to connect the dots between service and disability. Without medical records, service documentation, or clear timelines, the VA won’t connect them for you.
Another mistake? Missing your Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam. That exam is not optional. It’s your opportunity to show the VA how your condition impacts your daily life. If you don’t show up—or don’t follow through—the VA assumes your condition isn’t serious. And once that assumption is baked into your record, it’s hard to undo.
Timelines matter too. You must file your claim within the proper deadlines, and if you’re denied, appeal quickly and correctly. A denial doesn’t have to be the end of the road, but it will be if you don’t act within the appeal window. Once the window closes, your claim stays denied—regardless of merit.
Veterans also tend to overlook secondary conditions—disabilities that are the result of or worsened by a service-connected condition. For example, if a veteran has service-connected PTSD and later develops hypertension or sleep apnea, that connection may not be immediately obvious. But it’s medically valid—and if documented properly, it’s compensable. Too many claims leave these secondary conditions on the table.
Finally, and this one is critical: don’t try to oversell your disability. The VA sees everything. If your reports are exaggerated or inconsistent, your credibility is shot—and your claim may be denied. What you need is truth, supported by solid, competent medical evidence. That’s where we come in.
At HHOM LLC, this is our work. As a board-certified Internal Medicine physician with over 30 years of experience—including 19 years at the VA—I’ve reviewed, written, and defended thousands of medical evaluations. I’ve seen how the system works, where it fails, and what it takes to navigate it successfully. I trained at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, served six years in Army Medicine, and went through basic training at Fort Jackson. I’ve lived the military experience and walked the VA halls. That gives me the background—and the standing—to provide medical opinions that hold up under VA scrutiny.
When you work with HHOM LLC, you're not just getting a letter. You’re getting a certified, evidence-based opinion from a provider who knows the system, has served within it, and speaks its language fluently.
If you're a veteran preparing to file or appeal a claim, know this: you don’t have to do it alone, and you don’t have to get it perfect on the first try. But with the right medical support, you can avoid the most common mistakes—and give your claim the fighting chance it deserves.
—Dr. Howard Friedman, MD
Board-Certified | Internal Medicine | Veteran | U.S. Army Medical Corps
Founder of Howard’s House of Medicine (HHOM LLC)
Question: What is the most common mistake veterans make when filing VA claims?
Answer: Submitting an incomplete claim is one of the most common and damaging mistakes. Missing medical evidence or service records can lead to automatic denial. The VA requires clear, documented connections between your condition and your military service.
Question: Can missing a C&P exam really hurt my claim?
Question: Why is it important to document secondary conditions?
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