Valor First Claim

We Represent Veterans on Initial VA Disability Claims at No Charge

Free Initial Claims

Your first claim, built right the first time

Most veterans file their first VA claim alone, or pay a claims company that can't represent them. Then the denial or the lowball rating arrives, and the real fight starts from behind.


We built this program to change the order of operations. Valor First Claim is full representation on your initial VA disability claim by accredited veteran attorneys, at no charge. Not reduced fee. Not free-unless. No charge for the initial claim, from your first conversation with us through the VA's decision.



Federal law doesn't allow accredited attorneys to charge for work on an initial claim before the VA decides it. We think that's the right rule, and we'd rather do the claim properly as your lawyers than watch you pay someone who isn't.

Who This Program Is For

Valor First Claim is built for claims with real complexity, where getting the record right the first time matters most. We accept a limited number of veterans each month, and the strongest fits include:


  • Multiple conditions, or conditions that may be connected to each other
  • Toxic exposure histories, including burn pits, PFAS, and other PACT Act exposures
  • Conditions that were never treated or documented in service
  • A prior denial or a rating that doesn't match how you actually live
  • Conditions that keep you from working or holding steady employment



If your claim is a straightforward single condition with clean records, a Veterans Service Organization may serve you well at no cost, and we're glad to point you to one. If the VA later gets it wrong, come back to us.

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How the VA Decides Initial Claims

When you file, the VA reviews your service records, medical evidence, and statements, usually schedules one or more Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams, and issues a rating decision. That decision sets your service connection, your percentage, and your effective date, and every one of those carries real money and real consequences.


A claim that arrives complete, with the evidence organized and the gaps closed, gives the VA what it needs to decide correctly. A thin claim invites the VA to develop the record itself, which adds months and mistakes. Our job is to make sure your claim arrives complete.

What We Look For in Your Records

Before anything gets filed, we review your service treatment records, medical records, and any prior VA decisions. We're looking for:



  • Every condition your evidence supports, including ones veterans commonly stop counting
  • Secondary conditions, where one service-connected problem causes or worsens another
  • In-service events, injuries, and exposures that connect your conditions to your service
  • Evidence gaps that need a statement, a record request, or a medical opinion before filing
  • Presumptive pathways that may apply to your service era and locations


You'll see everything we find. Every veteran in this program receives a written Claim Roadmap: one page showing what we're claiming, why, and what happens next.

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What Representation Includes

The Valor First Claim process is structured and methodical. Representation includes:


  • One thorough interview where you tell your story once, completely, and never have to repeat it
  • Full review of your service and medical records
  • A written Claim Roadmap laying out the plan in plain language
  • Your personal statement and supporting statements, developed with our guidance
  • Preparation before any C&P exam, including a prep call with our team
  • Filing your claim, as a Fully Developed Claim where the evidence supports it
  • A plain-language walkthrough of the VA's decision when it arrives


We file a VA Form 21-22a as your representative, which means the VA's decision comes to us the same day it goes to you, and we review it against the record we built.

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Scope of Representation

Valor First Claim is a limited-scope engagement, and we put that in writing before we begin. Representation under this program covers your initial claim, from intake through the VA's initial rating decision, at no charge.


Our representation under this agreement ends when the VA issues its decision. If the decision is wrong and you choose to challenge it, that's a new, separate engagement, offered only at that point and only if you want it. Appeals are handled under a standard contingency fee regulated by federal law: no attorney fee unless the appeal results in an award of past-due benefits. You're never obligated to continue with us, and nothing about the free initial claim requires it.

The Fee

Initial claim representation under Valor First Claim is provided at no charge.


  • Total fee: $0. No deposit, no percentage, no charge for our review of your records.
  • If your claim would benefit from an independent medical opinion, that's obtained from an independent provider at your own expense, and we'll tell you before any cost exists. Many claims need none.


Companies now charge veterans $1,000 or more to prepare an initial claim. They're not accredited, they can't file for you, they can't represent you, and they can't stand behind the claim when the VA gets it wrong. We can, and the initial claim costs you nothing.

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What the Program Can and Cannot Do

What we control:


  • How complete, organized, and well-supported your claim is when it's filed
  • Whether every condition your evidence supports is actually claimed
  • How prepared you are for your C&P exam
  • How clearly you understand the VA's decision when it arrives


What we don't control:



  • The VA's processing queue or its timelines
  • The outcome. No attorney can promise a rating, a grant, or a decision date, and you should be cautious of anyone who does


Initial claims currently take the VA several months to decide on average, and individual cases vary. We'll give you honest timelines at every stage.

Why We Do This at No Charge

Every attorney at Valor is a veteran. We've watched too many veterans file alone, get denied for fixable reasons, and spend years appealing a claim that could've been built right in the first place. We've also watched an industry grow up around charging veterans for claim preparation it isn't accredited to stand behind.



The initial claim is where the record gets made. We'd rather make it correctly, as your lawyers, for free, than profit from cleaning it up later. If the VA decides your claim correctly, we shake hands and you owe us nothing. If the VA gets it wrong, you'll already have a law firm that knows your case.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is it really free? What's the catch?

    There's no catch. Federal law bars accredited attorneys from charging fees for initial claim work before the VA's decision, and we follow it. You'll sign a written agreement stating the fee is zero. If the VA later denies or underrates your claim and you choose to appeal, that would be a separate agreement with its own terms, and the choice is entirely yours.

  • Do you accept every veteran who applies?

    No. We accept a limited number of veterans each month so every claim gets full attention, and we prioritize claims with real complexity. If your claim is a better fit for a Veterans Service Organization, we'll tell you honestly and point you in the right direction.

  • What do you need from me?

    One thorough interview, your cooperation gathering records, a careful review of the statements we draft together, and showing up to any C&P exam the VA schedules. We handle the rest.

  • Will you prepare me for the C&P exam?

    Yes. Before any exam, you'll receive our preparation guide and a prep call with our team. The exam is where many claims are won or lost, and no veteran in this program walks into one cold.

  • What happens when the VA decides?

    Because we're your representative, the decision comes to us as well as to you. We review it against your record, then walk you through exactly what it says and what it means in plain language. If it's correct, we close your file and you owe nothing. If it's wrong, we'll explain your options.

  • I already started a claim on my own. Can you still help?

    Often, yes. Reach out and tell us where things stand. If your claim's already been decided and you disagree with the result, that's an appeal, which we also handle.

Start Your Free Claim

Book a free claim review call below. We'll talk through your situation, answer your questions, and tell you honestly whether Valor First Claim is the right fit. There's no cost and no obligation.

Booking a call does not create an attorney-client relationship. Representation begins only after a conflicts check and a signed written agreement. Valor First Claim is provided under a limited-scope agreement covering the initial claim through the VA's decision. No attorney can promise a particular VA outcome, rating, or timeline.