Sarge leads
A straight-talking leader who explains how VA disability claims work — in plain English, one step at a time — so you can file a basic claim yourself on VA.gov.
Coming soon · Built for veterans
Sarge & Trigger
You can file your own VA claim with the right guidance and training.
We’ll show you how.
Your benefits belong to you. Never surrender a percentage of your VA disability award.
Sarge leads the mission. Trigger fetches the intel. Clear lessons, checklists, and links to official VA pages — so you can handle the steps yourself on VA.gov. We never take a cut of your increase.
- We train and organize. We do not file or prepare your claim.
- You stay in charge — you submit on VA.gov.
- Every fact we train on links back to an official source.
What the app does
You can file your own VA claim with the right guidance and training. We’ll show you how — with clear lessons and checklists so you can handle the steps yourself on VA.gov.
Trigger fetches the intel
Trigger is the paid companion on the road toward 100%. He adds ongoing, deeper walkthroughs, organizing tools, daily veteran news, Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) guidance, state benefits tailored to your selected state, and planned email support with your subscription. This is guidance — it does not promise a rating, and a paid plan is not required to file a basic claim.
Learn the process
Plain-English lessons on how claims work — service connection, evidence, C&P exams, ratings, Intent to File, and your review options. Every lesson links to the official VA page.
Organize your mission
Checklists you tick yourself. Pick up where you left off. On the paid plan, set your own deadline reminders. We never upload or store your claim files.
Keep your increase
The paid plan is a flat subscription for VA claim training — not a share of your back pay.
Road to 100%
You can study what each rating level can unlock — and decide your next step with clear training. The Road to 100% is a paid learning track with Trigger as your companion. It covers combined ratings, increases, reviews, TDIU, and permanent & total (P&T). This is guidance, not a promise you will get there. The VA makes the final call.
“The road to 100% isn’t just for you. It can open doors for your family too.”
What ratings can unlock Preview
A simplified look at meaningful milestones under current federal rules. Eligibility is conditional — the VA (and for federal jobs, OPM or the hiring agency) decides who qualifies. This is training, not a promise. Facts checked (America/New_York). State and local hiring rules are separate.
0%
service-connected
service-connected
Service connection counts — even without monthly pay
A 0% service-connected rating means VA found a service-connected condition. Non-compensable 0% does not pay monthly compensation. You may still unlock:
- Commissary, exchange, and MWR retail access (if honorably discharged and otherwise eligible).
- Care for the service-connected condition (rules and income limits can apply).
- Federal hiring: a present service-connected disability rated under 10% may qualify for 10-point veterans’ preference (OPM category XP). This is not automatic for every veteran — you must meet OPM eligibility (for example, honorable or general discharge) and claim preference. It does not apply the same way to most state or private jobs.
- Compensable 0% only: if you are receiving (or eligible for) VA disability compensation at 0%, you may also get a VA home-loan funding-fee waiver. Non-compensable 0% does not waive the fee under current VA rules.
Sources: VA Benefit Eligibility Matrix · VA — Commissary and exchange · OPM — Preference groups · VA — Funding fee · Checked Nov 9, 2026
10–20%
Monthly pay starts · funding-fee waiver
At a compensable 10% or higher rating, VA disability compensation generally begins. You may also qualify for a VA home-loan funding-fee waiver if you receive (or are eligible to receive) compensation. Federal 10-point preference moves into the compensable categories (CP at 10%–under 30%). Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) may apply — at 10% usually with a serious employment handicap; broader at 20%.
Sources: VA Benefit Eligibility Matrix · VA — Funding fee · OPM — Preference groups · Checked Nov 9, 2026
30–40%
Extra pay for eligible dependents
If you receive VA disability compensation and your combined rating is at least 30%, you may get additional monthly compensation for an eligible spouse, child, or dependent parent. At 30% or more, federal preference is in the CPS group (still 10 points, with extra protections in some hiring actions). VA’s matrix also lists direct-hire authority at this range.
Sources: VA — Add dependents · VA Benefit Eligibility Matrix · OPM — Preference groups · Checked Nov 9, 2026
50–90%
Fewer VA care copays · path to TDIU
At 50% or higher, enrolled veterans generally do not pay VA medical or prescription copays for covered care (urgent care can still have a copay). Concurrent receipt of military retired pay may apply for eligible retirees. At 60–90%, if service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful work, Individual Unemployability (TDIU) may pay at the 100% rate — VA decides. Family programs like CHAMPVA or DEA need permanence (see P&T).
Sources: VA Benefit Eligibility Matrix · VA — Individual Unemployability · Checked Nov 9, 2026
100%
or TDIU
or TDIU
Full VA dental care (Class IV)
If you have one or more service-connected disabilities rated 100% disabling — or you get compensation at the 100% rate because of unemployability (TDIU) — you may qualify for any needed dental care. A temporary 100% rating (for example, a long hospital or rehab stay) does not qualify.
Source: VA — Dental care · Checked Nov 9, 2026
100%
P&T
P&T
Family benefits at permanent & total
When VA rates you 100% and says the disability is not expected to improve (permanent & total):
Generally, no routine future VA exams are scheduled. VA may still request an exam if it needs to verify the rating.
Source: 38 CFR 3.327 — Reexaminations (eCFR) · Checked Nov 9, 2026
Eligible family members may unlock:
- CHAMPVA — health cost-sharing for an eligible spouse or dependent child who is not eligible for TRICARE. Source: VA — CHAMPVA benefits · Checked Nov 9, 2026
- DEA / Chapter 35 — education help for an eligible spouse or child to help pay for school or job training. Source: VA — Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance · Checked Nov 9, 2026
Not every veteran reaches 100% or P&T. Paying for this app does not change what the VA awards. Family benefits and federal hiring preference have their own rules and applications. Always verify on the official page before you act.
Free Sarge · Paid Trigger
These plans are coming soon. Free Sarge gives you enough training and guidance to file a basic VA claim yourself on VA.gov — a complete self-serve path from the first steps through official forms, not a teaser. The paid plan adds ongoing, deeper guidance with Trigger — your companion on the Road to 100% — plus organizing tools, veteran news updated daily, Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) guidance, state benefits tailored to your selected state, and planned email support with your subscription. Paying is not required to file a claim or to reach a rating.
Free — Sarge Coming soon
- Core lessons that walk the basic path from start to finish: eligibility and service connection, evidence, C&P exams, ratings, TDIU, P&T, and family basics
- How to file a basic claim yourself on VA.gov, including filing options and links to official blank forms
- Complete Intent to File walkthrough (made-up example)
- How decision reviews and deadlines work — Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, and Board
- Links to free accredited help if you want a human backup
- Preview of what higher ratings can unlock
- Occasional basic VA news summaries with sources (not daily)
- No email support on the free plan (self-serve lessons only)
Paid — Sarge + Trigger Coming soon
Price details at launch
Planned: cancel anytime · no share of your increase
- Detailed walkthroughs for a first claim and for Supplemental, Higher-Level Review, and Board appeals (made-up examples)
- Trigger’s Road to 100% learning track and deeper checklists (guidance, not a promised rating)
- Deadline tracker you set yourself, with optional reminders
- Sample decision letters (clearly marked as made-up)
- Deeper evidence lessons and topic checklists
- Veteran news updated daily — sourced explainers so you can stay current
- Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) guidance — plain-English lessons on this extra VA benefit for certain severe disabilities or loss of use, to help you discover additional benefits you may not know about (eligibility is not automatic; VA decides)
- State benefits tailored to your selected state — choose your state in your profile and change it if you move; official links to help you discover state veterans programs (we do not track your precise location; eligibility is not automatic; VA and the state decide). Planned / coming soon.
- Email support included with your subscription — for questions about claims, explanations from the training, and next steps (we still do not file or represent claims). Planned access inside the paid app.
Important disclaimer
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Sarge & Trigger is a training and organizing tool from KEY Ventures USA. We are not VA-accredited representatives, attorneys, or claims agents. We do not prepare, file, or represent claims. We never ask for your VA or DoD login. Examples are made up. Results are not guaranteed.
Free accredited help is available from Veterans Service Organizations and other accredited representatives: Find an accredited representative.
Privacy Policy
This page does not include a signup form, claim-file uploads, or analytics tools. Links to official VA pages and to our accounts on X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok go to those external sites, which have their own privacy practices. Our hosting provider may process standard technical logs (such as IP address, browser type, and pages requested) to operate and secure the site.
When the Sarge & Trigger app launches, a separate privacy policy will explain any information that app collects. This site does not ask for VA or DoD logins.