Interactive Benefits Screeners & Checklists
I built seven practical tools for the questions women veterans are usually left to answer alone, with nobody in the room to help: what counts as an MST marker, whether a toxic-exposure path may fit, how to prepare for an MST C&P exam, what your discharge status means, whether you may qualify for extra special monthly compensation after losing a reproductive organ, roughly where a family caregiver could land in the stipend program, and whether your rating is protected by the 5-, 10-, and 20-year rules.
Your answers stay in this browser session. Nothing is submitted, saved to an account, or sent to the VA.
Interactive MST Marker Checklist
Check anything that changed around or after the trauma. A marker is not proof by itself, and you do not need a particular score. The purpose is to help you see the evidence trail the VA is required to consider under 38 CFR §3.304(f).
0 possible markers identified
Save the records that support each checked item. A timeline connecting the change to the approximate period of the trauma can make scattered records understandable.
PACT Act Eligibility Screener
This educational screen checks the two building blocks of a toxic-exposure claim: a covered exposure path and a current diagnosis. It does not make an official eligibility decision.
1. Which service or exposure path fits best?
2. Do you have a current diagnosed condition?
Printable MST C&P Examination Checklist
Preparation aid only. Bring what helps you communicate clearly; the examiner may not accept or review new evidence.
0 of 14 preparation steps checked
Discharge-Status Benefits Screener
Your DD-214 label is important, but it is not always the final answer. This screen identifies the type of review that may be needed.
Did MST, PTSD, TBI, intimate-partner violence, or another mental-health condition contribute to the conduct or separation?
What these tools can and cannot do
They organize facts, surface possible paths, and help you prepare. They do not diagnose a condition, decide eligibility, predict an award, or replace an individualized review of your service and medical records.
SMC-K Screener — The Extra Payment Women Miss Most
Special Monthly Compensation under 38 U.S.C. §1114(k) pays extra, on top of your combined rating, for the loss or loss of use of a reproductive organ. It is one of the most frequently overlooked awards on women’s claims. This screen checks whether it is worth asking for. It does not make an official decision.
1. Have you had any of the following?
2. Is the underlying condition service-connected?
Caregiver Stipend (PCAFC) Tier Estimator
Many women veterans are also the family caregiver — for a spouse, a parent, or an adult child who served. The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers pays an eligible primary caregiver a monthly stipend. The amount depends on how much daily help the veteran needs and on the local wage rate. This estimator points you to the likely tier; it does not set an official amount.
How much in-person help does the veteran need each day?
Rating Protection Checker — The 5/10/20-Year Rules
The longer a rating stays in place, the harder it is for the VA to touch it. Enter how long you have held your current rating and see which protections already apply — and when the next one arrives. This is an educational tool, not a legal determination.
Need the law and filing steps behind the result?
A number on a screen does not win a claim — the record behind it does. Every tool on this page is tied to a full guide that walks the same ground the rater will walk: the exact diagnostic code your condition falls under, the criteria tiers that separate a 30 percent from a 70 percent, the evidence the VA is legally required to develop on your behalf under 38 CFR §3.159, and the forms that lock in your money. Start with the estimate so you know what is on the table, then read the guide so you know how to defend it. If you are close to filing, submit an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) first — it freezes your effective date for a full year while you gather records, and it costs you nothing. Accredited representation is free by law under 38 CFR §14.636; nobody should ever charge you to file an original claim.
More free tools & calculators
The screeners above are only part of the toolkit. These free calculators and guides answer the money questions — what your rating is worth, what special monthly compensation may apply, and whether your rating is protected. All private, no account, no catch.
