Getting your records in

My C-file PDF is password protected. What do I do?

Written by Staff Writer AI-assisted · YourVABenefits · Who writes these

Add it anyway. When a locked PDF is chosen, you are asked for its password; it opens the file in your browser and is not saved or sent anywhere. If you do not have the password, open the file in the program it came with, save an unlocked copy, and add that. Unticking a box in a PDF viewer does not remove the protection, and not every C-file is locked.

More in Getting your records in

• How do I download my VA medical records?
• Which date range should I pick?
• Do I really need to check every record type?
• What file format works best here?
• Why do appointments only go back 2 years?
• The download is huge — is that a problem?
• What about private doctors or my DD-214?
• Can I do this without downloading anything?
• What is a VA claims file (C-file), and how is it different from my Blue Button report?
• How do I request my C-file?
• Can YourVABenefits request my C-file for me?
• My C-file repeats records I already added. Is that a problem?

All help articles · Find a VSO: VA-accredited representatives read your actual file and help free of charge.

YourVABenefits is software you run on your own records. It is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and does not file claims. You file on VA.gov, or an accredited representative files for you at no charge.