Those who serve in the military put themselves in harm’s way to protect the country in its time of need, and benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs are in place to return that protection when they need it. Unfortunately, an increasing number of veterans are finding their claims being denied.

The VA claims process is rife with misinformation — a fact acknowledged by VA Secretary Doug Collins. Veterans who hope to take advantage of the benefits they have rightfully earned through their time in the service must pay close and careful attention to their claims, or risk becoming part of the more than one-third of claims that are denied by the VA annually.

Many veterans take the approach of “just file and see what happens” because that is the only guidance the VA system provides, and it rarely works. Nobody teaches veterans what they actually need to know to get the VA to approve their claim. It is a result of a system that is not designed to educate the people it is supposed to serve, nor does it have the capacity to do so.

The biggest myth that veterans believe about the VA benefits process is that the VA will “connect the dots.” That does not happen.

The VA’s system is built on a legal standard — it requires evidence, not assumptions. You can’t just assume that your service records will speak for themselves; thousands of veterans get their claims denied, not because they weren’t injured or don’t deserve it, but because they don’t know what the VA needs to see to process and approve their claim.

When reviewing claims for benefits, the VA is looking for specific things. You need credible lay evidence — a documented account of what happened and how it has affected you — along with a nexus letter from a medical professional that ties your current condition to service. That is all that is required by law. You don’t need to have a diagnosis in your military medical records or even to have reported your injury while you were in the service to win.

That said, many veterans mistakenly believe a nexus letter is a “silver bullet” that guarantees their claim will be approved. A weak nexus letter with no rationale, no citation of medical literature, and no connection to the veteran’s actual service history is worthless.

It’s important to remember that the VA’s raters aren’t naive. They can spot a template letter from a mile away, and if you are attempting to check all the boxes to get your claim approved, they will see right through it.

To be successful, veterans must understand what makes evidence legally sufficient and defensible, not just what checks a box.

Thankfully, there are resources available to help veterans navigate the VA claim process. It’s a complicated, often intimidating process, and one mistake can cost you dearly. But every veteran deserves accurate guidance and honest representation, and that is what we strive to do.

Veterans earned their benefits by giving everything to their mission and service to the country. Don’t let a mistake get in the way of veterans getting what they deserve.

Jordan Anderson is a veteran and the founder of VA Claims Academy/InsideSources