When you file a supplemental claim, VA has a duty to assist you in gathering evidence, which includes trying to obtain private treatment records that might be relevant to your claim. Form 21-4142 (Authorization to Disclose Information to the VA) and its companion 21-4142a are simply the tools VA uses to request those records directly from a private provider, or to document that it attempted to do so. VA sends this form as a routine step any time a private provider is mentioned anywhere in your file, even if you no longer remember the details or believe the records don't exist. This is procedural, not a sign that something is wrong with your claim.
If your prior doctor's office has confirmed there are no records, or the practice has closed, retired, or purged old files, you are not required to produce something that doesn't exist. What you should do is respond to VA's request rather than ignore it. You can return the form noting that the provider has no records, or submit a brief statement (a simple letter or a VA Form 21-4138 statement in support of claim works fine) explaining that you contacted the provider and were told no records are available, or that you cannot locate the provider. VA is required to document a negative response when a records custodian confirms nothing exists, and then it must proceed to decide the claim based on the evidence actually in the file, including your lay statements, service treatment records, and any other medical evidence you do have.
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 |
Does your rating decision hold up under a real audit?
Upload your decision letter and C&P exams — VetAid's analyzer reads the full file, checks every examiner statement word-for-word against your records, and shows which arguments for a higher rating actually hold. Free, and we never take a cut of your back pay.
Analyze my claim free →It's worth noting that under 38 CFR 3.159, VA's duty to assist has limits: it must make reasonable efforts to obtain identified records, but it cannot force a private provider to produce something that was never created or no longer exists. Failing to respond to the 21-4142 request at all, rather than explaining the records don't exist, is the real risk, since VA may interpret non-response as abandonment of that evidentiary avenue and decide the claim without pursuing it further, potentially weakening your supplemental claim if that evidence was meant to be new and relevant under 38 CFR 3.156(a).
The concrete next step is to contact the VA claims line or your VSO, confirm in writing (by returning the form or submitting a short statement) that the provider has no records, and ask that your claim proceed based on the evidence already of record.
Need a deeper analysis?
Our AI checks your situation against outcome data from 1,900,000+ Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) decisions (1992–2025).
Analyze Your Claim FreeVetAid is a free veterans claims tool, not a VA-accredited representative — it does not file anything with VA for you, and it works alongside your accredited VSO, claims agent or attorney. About VetAid