Getting your records in

What file format works best here?

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

Plain text (.txt) is best — the analysis reads every word. A digital PDF works too. Avoid scanned or photographed pages: those are images and no text can be pulled from them without OCR.

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?
• 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 PDF is password protected. What do I do?
• 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.