How to Request and Audit Your VA C-File: A Complete-Record Checklist

VA provides an online request using VA Form 20-10206 for personal records. Request the complete claims file, including rating decisions, notification letters, code sheets, examination reports, service treatment and personnel records, correspondence, and other evidence maintained in the claims record.

If a deadline is running, do not wait for the C-file before protecting the review deadline. A decision-only review can begin while the complete file is requested.

• Record the total number of files delivered and preserve the original ZIP or export.
• List every relative path, filename, file type, file size, and modified date.
• Calculate hashes when practical so later copies can be checked for change.
• Identify duplicates, corrupt files, password-protected files, blank scans, and unsupported formats.
• Track page counts and OCR status without treating OCR as a substitute for the source image.

• Every claim and intent-to-file date
• Every rating decision, notice date, and code sheet
• Every review request: Supplemental Claim, HLR, Board appeal, or Court appeal
• Every examination and medical opinion
• Every grant, denial, deferral, severance, reduction, and implementation action
• The current payment and dependency history

For each issue, compare the claimed condition and symptoms with favorable findings, service records, medical evidence, lay statements, examinations, diagnostic codes, effective dates, and ancillary benefits. Screen direct, presumptive, secondary, aggravation, TDIU, SMC, and inferred issues without inventing facts.

A defensible final report should state exactly how many files were expected, inventoried, opened, completed, duplicated, unreadable, or omitted. If exhaustive enumeration is technically impossible, label the limitation and continue a clearly identified partial review when doing so will still help protect the Veteran.