What is the VA Preparation for Decision Stage?

When you’ve filed a claim for VA disability benefits, you can expect to wait about 135 days for a determination. You generally won’t need to do anything else during that time unless the VA reaches out to ask you for more information or schedules an exam or testing for you.

Of course, the timeline is different for everyone–135 days is just an average. If you choose to, you can track the status of your claim on the VA’s website.

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VA Disability Claim Status

Most of the claim status options are self-explanatory. However, we hear some questions about the “preparation for decision” or “preparing decision letter” status. The VA preparation for decision status doesn’t tell you anything about the outcome of your claim–it’s neither good nor bad news except in the sense that it tells you a decision is coming soon.

When you see this status, it means that the VA has received your claim, conducted the initial review, gathered evidence, reviewed the evidence, assessed the appropriate VA disability rating, and is putting together the decision letter.

The decision letter advises you of the outcome of your claim. If your claim was approved, the letter will contain additional information, such as your VA disability rating, the amount of your monthly benefits, and when you will start receiving benefits.

Preparation of the decision letter isn’t the final stage, though. When the letter has been prepared, a senior reviewer will look over your claim and the decision letter before it becomes official. When that’s done, your status will change to “claim decided.” At that point, you’ll be able to review the decision letter online. You’ll also receive a copy in the mail, but that will take a bit longer–usually about 10 days.

Call 1-888-373-4722 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form

Keep Your VA Disability Claim Moving Forward

When you see “preparation for decision,” you know you’re in the home stretch. But that process can be delayed significantly if there are errors in your claim or there is missing documentation. Working with an experienced VA disability benefits advocate can be the best way to ensure that your claim is completed correctly and you have provided all of the information the VA will need to decide your claim.

To learn more about how Disabled Vets can help, call 888-373-4722 right now or fill out our contact form here.