Yes. An Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) is not limited to new claims — it can be used to preserve an effective date for an increased rating claim, a new secondary condition, or a supplemental claim, as long as the condition is already service-connected or you are adding a new issue tied to an existing rating. Filing the Intent to File starts a one-year window during which you can submit the actual claim (VA Form 21-526EZ for original or increased rating claims) and still have the effective date potentially set back to the date VA received your Intent to File, rather than the date you finished gathering evidence and filed the complete claim.
This matters a great deal when a service-connected condition worsens or, as in the case of a cancer that goes into remission and later recurs, becomes active again. If the recurrence is clearly a continuation of the same service-connected disease process, you are generally filing for an increased evaluation of the existing service-connected condition rather than a brand new claim, since VA already recognizes the condition as connected to service. Active cancer that is service-connected is typically rated at the 100 percent schedular rate under the relevant diagnostic code for as long as treatment is ongoing, with a mandatory VA examination scheduled six months after treatment ends to determine the residual rating going forward.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →To file the Intent to File, you can submit VA Form 21-0966 directly, call the VA, or in many cases simply start a claim online through VA.gov and save it in draft form, which itself can function as an Intent to File. After submitting it, gather current medical evidence documenting the recurrence, including oncology records, pathology reports, and treatment notes, and file the increased rating claim within the one-year window to lock in the earlier effective date.
Because effective dates directly affect back pay, it is worth filing the Intent to File as soon as a veteran suspects a service-connected condition has worsened or recurred, even before all medical records are in hand, rather than waiting until the full claim package is ready.
The concrete next step is to submit VA Form 21-0966, or start and save a draft claim on VA.gov, right away to lock in that earlier potential effective date, then follow up with the complete increased rating claim and supporting medical records within the one-year window.
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