The Evidence Brief September 2026: A Bulletproof VA Claim Starts With Accurate & Objective Evidence
THE EVIDENCE BRIEF by MRPY Professional Services | V4 - Sept 2026
Empowering lessons from real VA disability benefit claims
Ever encountered someone who talks in circles with great confidence?
Their points feel convincing until you realize it's just a bunch of talk without substance or connection to back it up. More information doesn't equal credibility, and it's the same thing when it comes to VA disability benefits claims.
I've seen 18 page Nexus Letters that would put your average VA rater to sleep, jam packed with repeat information that distracts from the entire point (not to mention, they definitely don't have time for all of that).
Real credibility comes from accurate and concise evidence, backed by a narrative that acknowledges what the records do and don't prove. In this month's Evidence Brief, we're digging into how to build the VA's trust through accurate and objective evidence.
– Tara Thompson, PA-C and Founder of MRPY Professional Services
This month's case study: Getting service-connected for sleep apnea secondary to anxiety
A real example from a veteran – here's what happens when a claim has supporting evidence, but the opinion overreaches.
Case basics
What happened?
The veteran wanted our medical provider to use "more likely than not" in their Nexus Letter (a common VA statement that means service-connection is probable), but the provider refused due to a lack of evidence. The veteran found someone else willing to write this statement, only to get denied by the VA right away.
Why did the veteran get denied by the VA?
The claim had supporting evidence, but the statement used was an overreach… The VA immediately disagreed and issued a denial.
What changed the case outcome?
The veteran came back to us, and we were able to get them service-connected by using the appropriate "at least as likely" statement (meaning there is less than a 50% chance the condition was caused or aggravated by service).
We also argued the denial reason...
... Which stated there wasn't a medical connection between mental health conditions and the medical mechanism of the throat collapsing resulting in apnea episodes. There IS a connection here, and we successfully argued this case.
What veterans can learn from this for their own VA disability claim
A medical opinion becomes more persuasive when it deals honestly with the inconvenient evidence, not when it completely ignores it.
VA trends we're seeing this month
What we've seen happening at the VA recently...
Overconfident medical opinions
A confident conclusion is not the same thing as a well-supported conclusion. Opinions that skip competing risk factors or provide little reasoning result in more questions than they answer.
Symptoms described only at their worst.
Some veterans take the poor advice they hear online to only describe their absolute worst days, leaving out the full picture. A more credible record describes the good days, bad days, triggers, flares, and functional impact.
Evidence that doesn't match the requested conclusion.
Sometimes records support some of the medical connection theory, but not all of it. Credibility improves when the evidence is allowed to lead into the conclusion rather than desired outcome directing how the evidence is interpreted.
VA updates this month
News from the VA that veterans should be aware of
VA disability mental health rating changes still to come this year
The VA will proceed with VA disability mental health rating changes this year. However, changes for tinnitus and sleep apnea have been moved back to at least April 2027.
The VA backlog falls below 70K
The VA backlog falls below 70K. Faster processing is good news for everyone! On our end of things, we have been seeing faster processing in recent weeks.
Read more here.
This month's evidence tip
Something you can enhance your claim with today
Don't hide the evidence that doesn't help you...
Instead, ask: "Can this be medically explained?" It often can, and adding that to your claim makes a massive difference.
Action Step:
Look through all of your medical evidence and consider which components could be explained medically. Are you missing an important link that a medical professional could explain?
Evidence Takeaway:
Don't hide evidence that you think is unhelpful. Include it, explain it (medically if possible), and add CONTEXT to fully explain your medical background like a story.
Questions we're hearing this month
What we've been hearing from veterans in recent weeks regarding VA claims...
Does the VA believe my private doctor is less than a VA doctor?
No, not necessarily. The source of the opinion matters, but other factors play a heavy role as well. The qualifications of the clinician, factual accuracy, record review, medical reasoning, and supporting evidence can all affect how useful an opinion is.
Is a longer Nexus Letter better?
No, length does not equal quality. A concise opinion grounded in the veteran's actual history and supported by clear medical reasoning can be a lot more useful than a lengthy report filled with a bunch of generic or repetitive information.
Can one innaccurate statement hurt my entire VA claim?
Not necessarily. Medical records often contain errors or incomplete histories. It depends what the error is and whether it affects a material part of the claim. Important inaccuracies should definitely be addressed rather than ignored though.
This month's takeaway:
Credible medical evidence doesn’t require a perfect medical history. It requires an honest and medically supportable explanation of the history you actually have.
Ready to strengthen the medical evidence for your VA claim?
We help veterans build strong, credible medical evidence for their VA disability claims. Discover how we make navigating the VA disability system simple:
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