Do I Need a Nexus Letter?

Not always. If your condition is on a presumptive list (for example PACT Act burn pits or Agent Orange) and you had qualifying service, the law presumes the link and no nexus opinion is needed. For a direct or secondary claim VA needs medical evidence linking the condition to service, or to your service-connected condition. A VA exam can supply that opinion; a private one helps most when your records don't show the link clearly or a VA exam went against you.

No. A nexus opinion is a medical opinion, and only a qualified medical professional can write one. This checker tells you whether your claim likely needs one and what the examiner needs to see, so you can ask the right person.

No and no. This is general information, not legal advice and not representation. The check runs on fixed rules with no account, and nothing you enter is stored. An accredited representative (a VSO, attorney or claims agent) can represent you, and VSOs help for free.

A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is the form an examiner fills out to record the diagnosis and how severe it is. The checker shows the matching form from VA's public DBQ list, or tells you when VA examines the condition with its own exam instead. Try the DBQ finder.