Helping veterans understand
and move their benefits forward.
A free, plain-language information platform for veterans — and a secure clinical portal to bring evaluations in-house — so a veteran can see where they stand, understand the process, and get to the right care without handing over a share of their benefits. General information; free accredited help always in reach.
The initiative
Most claims stall on one thing: a missing diagnosis or medical form the VA needs. Today that means a slow, fax-based back-and-forth, or paying an accredited adjuster a slice of back benefits to manage it. Revive Veteran Institute's initiative is two connected systems that make the path clearer and keep veterans in control.
Two systems, one program
Built as separate services on purpose: the public tool holds no personal health information, which keeps it simple and safe; the clinical portal is where accounts, records, and the paid service live, behind full HIPAA controls.
Veteran Benefits Navigator
Public, PHI-free, bilingual. Rating calculator, benefits directory, claims guide, crisis support, and more. Installable on a phone with offline access. Production-verified: automated tests, accessibility scans, and real-device testing.
Revive Clinical Portal
Authenticated, PHI-handling, HIPAA scope. Accounts, claim tracking, advisor workflow, and a yearly subscription. Security core built and tested (encryption, access control, audit, payment/PHI separation); auth, KMS, and the HIPAA program remain before real data.
What veterans can do
Eight tools in the public Navigator. Every path ends by pointing to free, VA-accredited help.
Rating Calculator ›
Combine VA ratings the way the VA actually does the math — not simple addition.
Benefits & Resources ›
Federal benefits by rating level, plus programs for all 50 states and DC.
Aid & Attendance ›
A quick check for the enhanced pension that helps pay for long-term care.
Presumptive (PACT) ›
Conditions the VA presumes are connected to specific exposures.
Eligibility Explorer ›
What a claim needs, and how each condition is evaluated.
Claims Process ›
The full lifecycle and appeals, with a one-year deadline helper.
Ask ›
A plain-language assistant for general questions.
Support & Crisis ›
The Veterans Crisis Line and peer support, always one tap away.
2026 VA disability compensation
Monthly basic rates effective December 1, 2025 (2.8% COLA), pulled from VA.gov. 10% and 20% are flat regardless of dependents.
| Rating | Veteran alone | With spouse |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 |
Source: va.gov/disability/compensation-rates. Re-verify each December when the new COLA lands.
Federal benefits by rating level
Resources unlock as a rating rises. Each links to the official VA.gov page.
- VA health care — Enrollment; priority and copays improve with rating.
- Veteran Readiness & Employment — Training and career support.
- VA home loan — Funding fee waived with a service-connected rating.
- VALife insurance — Guaranteed-acceptance whole life.
- Monthly disability compensation — Tax-free payment begins at 10%.
- Current compensation rates — Official rate tables.
- Additional pay for dependents — Added compensation for spouse, children, dependent parents.
- VA health care eligibility / priority — Higher priority group; reduced or no copays for care.
- Individual Unemployability (TDIU) — Pay at the 100% rate if disabilities prevent work.
- CHAMPVA (family health coverage) — Coverage for dependents of P&T veterans.
- Dependents' Educational Assistance (Ch.35) — Education benefits for dependents.
- Specially Adapted Housing grant — Grants for an accessible home.
Care-based & dependent benefits
- Aid & Attendance / Housebound pension — Enhanced pension toward the cost of daily care.
State benefits — all 50 states + DC
Every jurisdiction's official veterans-affairs agency, verified against a current directory. The Navigator surfaces state-specific programs on top of these.
How a VA claim works
The lifecycle from intent-to-file to decision, the three elements of service connection, and the appeal options — general information, not case advice.
The claim lifecycle
- 1Intent to File (optional)
Filing an Intent to File reserves a potential effective date and gives you up to a year to gather evidence before submitting the claim. - 2Claim submitted
You, a VSO, or your representative submits the claim through VA.gov or by mail to the intake center. - 3Open / development
The VA gathers evidence: C&P exams, private and VA medical records, service treatment and personnel records, and records from other agencies like the SSA. - 4Ready for decision
Development is complete. The claim is assigned to a Rating Veteran Service Representative (RVSR) to be rated. - 5Rating decision complete
After the RVSR rates each condition, an authorization team reviews everything for accuracy, discrepancies, and errors. - 6Closed / decision issued
The claim closes and you receive a decision letter explaining what was decided and why.
Three things a claim needs (service connection)
- 1. A current diagnosis
Medical evidence of a condition you have now. - 2. An in-service event, injury, or disease
Shown by treatment or complaints in your service records, your military job, or assignment to a location where exposure is presumed (such as Vietnam or Southwest Asia). - 3. A nexus (link) between the two
Medical evidence connecting your current condition to that in-service event, injury, or disease.
If you disagree: the three appeal options
Two must be requested within one year of the decision — miss that window and you may lose your earliest effective date.
For when you have new and relevant evidence the VA didn't have before.
A senior reviewer re-examines the same evidence for an error or difference of opinion. No new evidence is allowed.
A Veterans Law Judge reviews your case.
Presumptive conditions (PACT Act)
Conditions the VA presumes are connected to certain exposures, so the burden of proof is lighter. Representative list — see VA.gov for the complete, current set.
- Various cancers (respiratory, certain GI)
- Chronic bronchitis, asthma, COPD
- Chronic rhinitis / sinusitis
- Constrictive bronchiolitis
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ischemic heart disease
- Parkinsonism
- Certain cancers (prostate, respiratory)
- Kidney / bladder / liver cancer
- Parkinson's disease
- Adult leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Certain leukemias and cancers
- Thyroid and site-specific cancers
You don't have to be in crisis to reach out
The Veterans Crisis Line is free, confidential, and available 24/7. You do not need to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care — no matter when, where, or how you served, no matter your discharge status.
- TTY: dial 711, then 988, or call 1-800-799-4889
- In Spanish: dial 988 and press 2, or text AYUDA to 988
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.
Peer support & ongoing help
- Vet Centers No VA enrollment needed
Community-based counseling centers offering free, confidential readjustment counseling — including group and peer support. Many staff are veterans themselves. - Suicide Prevention Coordinators
Every VA medical center has one. They connect veterans to counseling, services, and ongoing programs after a crisis contact. - VA Peer Support Specialists
Veterans in recovery themselves, trained and certified to support others. Ask your VA care team or Vet Center to connect you. - Caregiver Support Line
Support for family members and caregivers of veterans: 1-855-260-3274. - Coaching Into Care
Free help for family and friends who want to encourage a veteran to seek care: 1-888-823-7458. - National Call Center for Homeless Veterans No VA enrollment needed
Free, confidential support for veterans facing housing instability: 1-877-424-3838.
Crisis information verified 2026-07-23.
Build status
An honest picture of what's verified and what remains, so nothing is assumed.
- Public app: live in production — automated tests, end-to-end and accessibility scans, cloud database
- Privacy Policy and Terms of Use reviewed and approved by compliance and outside counsel
- 2026 VA rates from VA.gov
- All 50 states + DC agency links, re-checked by a weekly automated audit
- Crisis contact details
- Real-device testing completed on iPhone
- Portal security core: encryption, access control, audit (unit-tested); paid model cleared by regulatory counsel
- Real-device testing on Android
- Portal: auth with MFA, KMS encryption, document upload, API/UI
- HIPAA program: BAA, risk analysis, pen test, training