The VA and its contracted partners do sometimes contact veterans by phone during the claims process, but legitimate calls follow predictable patterns and never pressure you for money or sensitive information upfront. The Veterans Benefits Administration may call to schedule a Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam, request additional evidence, or clarify something in your claim file. Contracted exam vendors such as LHI, QTC, or VES also call to schedule medical exams tied to your claim. These callers can usually confirm basic details already in your file, such as your claim number or the condition being evaluated, which can help you verify legitimacy.
What the VA will not do is call demanding immediate payment, gift cards, wire transfers, or your full banking information to "release" benefits. It will not threaten to cancel your claim if you don't act within hours, and it generally will not ask you to confirm your full Social Security number over an unsolicited call. Scammers impersonating VA representatives have become increasingly common, often using spoofed caller ID numbers, generic or vaguely official-sounding names, and urgency tactics to get personal or financial information.
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 →If you have legal representation, such as an attorney or VSO accredited to handle your claim, the VA will typically correspond through that representative or send written notices to your address of record rather than calling you directly out of the blue. Any substantive communication about a decision, request for evidence, or exam scheduling should also show up in writing, either by mail or through the VA.gov claims status portal. If a call doesn't match up with anything in your official correspondence or portal updates, that's a strong signal it isn't legitimate.
To verify a suspicious call, hang up and contact the VA directly using the number on an official letter or the general VA benefits line at 800-827-1000, or check your claim status directly on VA.gov. You can also report suspected scam calls to the VA Office of Inspector General. Never give out personal, financial, or claim-related information to an unverified caller, regardless of how official they sound.
The concrete next step is to call the VA's official number or log into VA.gov to confirm whether any contact attempt was logged on your claim, and report the suspicious call to the VA OIG if it doesn't check out.
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