When you have already filed a claim and want to submit more evidence, the form you use depends on where your claim currently stands in the process.
If your claim is still open and under initial review (you have not yet received a decision), you generally do not need a special form to add evidence. You can submit new documents directly to the VA through the evidence upload feature on VA.gov, by mailing them to the Evidence Intake Center, or by bringing them to a VA regional office. It can help to include a cover letter or use VA Form 21-4138 (Statement in Support of Claim) to explain what the new evidence is and how it relates to your claim, but this form itself is not mandatory just to attach documents.
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 already received a decision on your claim and disagree with it, and now want to submit new and relevant evidence, the correct path is different. You would typically file a Supplemental Claim using VA Form 20-0995. This form is specifically designed for situations where you have new evidence that was not previously considered and you want VA to review the claim again in light of it. This is distinct from a Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996), which does not allow new evidence, and a Board Appeal (VA Form 10182), which has its own evidence submission rules depending on the docket you choose.
If your claim is open and you are within the one-year evidence window after filing an intent to file or initial claim, submitting additional evidence through the same claim is usually straightforward and does not require a formal form beyond noting it is for that pending claim.
Timing also matters. Evidence submitted while a claim is still pending will be considered as part of that same decision. Evidence submitted after a decision has already been issued generally requires one of the appeal or supplemental claim options described above to be formally reviewed.
Because the correct step depends on whether your claim is still pending or already decided, the concrete next step is to check the status of your claim on VA.gov or by calling the VA to confirm whether it is still open; if it is open, upload the evidence directly to that claim, and if a decision has already been issued, file a Supplemental Claim using VA Form 20-0995 along with the new evidence.
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