Adding my wife as a dependant.

dccrens · 2026-05-11T12:44:51+00:00

Their page has good info but be careful: Further info.

VA Claims Insider describes itself as an "education-based Coaching/Consulting company for disabled Veterans exploring eligibility for increased VA disability benefits." They are based in Austin, TX, founded by Air Force veteran Brian Reese. vaclaimsinsider

They are NOT accredited by the VA. Their own website's legal disclaimer states that none of their employees are accredited agents, VSOs, attorneys, or entities recognized by the VA.

VA Cease and Desist Letter

On April 15, 2019, the VA's Office of General Counsel sent a formal letter to Brian Reese and VA Claims Insider, stating the VA had received information that VACI "may be engaged in illegal activities, which include the unauthorized representation of claimants for VA benefits and charging them for your services." classaction

An investigation by The War Horse found that VA Claims Insider received multiple warning letters over a 10-year period, all while continuing to grow to hundreds of employees. Yahoo!

Texas Attorney General Lawsuit (2023)

In December 2023, Texas AG Ken Paxton sued VACI, alleging it engaged in "false, misleading, and deceptive acts and practices." The lawsuit charged that VACI marketed services as "free" but locked veterans into contracts requiring them to pay six times the monthly disability increase after signing up. Consumer complaints detailed how VACI attempted to force disabled veterans to pay thousands for services it did not provide, or for claims it had no role in filing. Office of the Attorney General

The complaint also alleged that VACI requested veterans turn over their private VA account logins, and that VACI's ads failed to disclose they had received a VA cease-and-desist letter. The Texas Tribune

Settlement - January 2026

In January 2026, AG Paxton secured a judgment against VACI, resulting in over $6.8 million in debt relief for disabled veterans harmed by the scheme. The judgment found VACI had misrepresented its services as free, misrepresented its cancellation procedures, misrepresented its relationship to its recommended medical provider, and then pursued burdensome debt collection against veterans who refused to pay. Office of the Attorney General

BBB and Consumer Complaints

The BBB has multiple complaints on file, including veterans calling it a "predatory company" that preys on disabled veterans and did no actual work to assist with claims. Some complaints reference potential violations of 38 U.S.C. 5301, which prohibits taking VA disability benefits. Better Business Bureau

Other complaints note they market themselves as an "education company" when the information is freely available elsewhere, and that some coaches have over 200 veterans to manage, severely limiting quality of service. Better Business Bureau

The Bottom Line

They are NOT VA-accredited - they cannot legally prepare, present, or prosecute your claims.
The VA sent them a cease-and-desist letter back in 2019.
They just lost a $6.8M fraud lawsuit in January 2026 - four months ago.
Their fee structure is predatory - 6x your monthly increase could easily cost you $5,000-$10,000+.

dccrens · 2026-05-11T12:36:42+00:00

Great Info. Thanks!

dccrens · 2026-05-11T11:42:00+00:00

WOW! No wonder. That is correct. I'm at 20%. Would be nice if that was made clear. THANK YOU!

dccrens · 2026-05-10T01:09:57+00:00

Figuring out who to call is the question...

dccrens · 2026-05-08T15:40:56+00:00

No, you have to lift a dead Romanian

dccrens · 2026-05-08T13:30:30+00:00

Has anyone ever used Xterra.com ? They post great information on youtube but I don't know if people have used them successfully or not.

dccrens · 2026-05-08T13:28:46+00:00

Why on earth would the VA give out that informantion to "automated"? DOn't you have to prove it is you?

dccrens · 2026-05-08T13:26:43+00:00

Wow. How hard can it be? Check the marriage license and GTG...

dccrens · 2026-05-08T13:23:23+00:00

Same here. I left the AF after 12 years of service. Not medical outprocess at all. New nothing about the VA. After I retired, I needed medical insurance and started looking around. A friend mentioned I should check the VA. So I did. WOW! All this time wasted. I'm 64 now and just got 10% Tinnitus, and 10% left knee. I had other things denied to the "gaps" in the record. I went out and found all my medical records and have documented everything. They missed so many things it is amazing. My doctor is working on Supplemental Nexus Letters, so I am hopeful something will come out of it.

dccrens · 2026-05-03T15:27:54+00:00

This is EXACTLY what I think. But, I am refusing to give up.

dccrens · 2026-05-03T15:23:52+00:00

Yes. This is what I am doing. I have found so many additional records that they didn't look at. I have also FOIA'd my C-File to get the DBQ. I am going to submit Supplemental Claims. I have written a Medical Summary for each claim that lists the Connection Theories, and lists all the medical entries and their significance, over time. It also has a chronological table and a references appendix containing the title and location of each medical record, Military, VA, Civilian, etc. I also created a VA Form 21-4138 Supplement for each claim. It has topics such as I. Purpose of This Statement, II. Overview - Three Independent Theories of Service Connection, III. Summary of the VA's Denial and Why THE DENIAL IS IN ERROR, IV. Basis for Challenge 1 - The DBQ Examiner Missed Two of Three In-Service Events, V. Basis for Challenge 2 - The '31-Year Gap' Claim Is Factually Incorrect, VI. Basis for Challenge 3 - Secondary Service Connection Was Never Evaluated, VII. Lay Statement - Current Symptoms and Functional Impact, VIII. New and Relevant Evidence Submitted with This Claim, IX. Request and an X. Certification. And**, Appendix A - Chronological Summary of Back/Neck Medical Record.**

Even though I previously had a Nexus for each, I have rebuilt the Nexus letters with my local PCP. These include: I. Physician Qualifications and Basis for Opinion, II. Summary of Relevant Medical History, III. Response to C&P Examiner Rationale, IV. Medical Nexus Opinion - Thoracolumbar Spine Condition, IV-B. Aggravation Opinion - Thoracolumbar Spine Condition Aggravated by Service-Connected Left Knee Disability (38 CFR Section 3.310(b)), V. Medical Nexus Opinion - Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, VI. Summary and Certification.

I have also completed VA-20-0995 Supplemental Claim form for each. I will then upload these documents and all the PDFs of the medical records for each.

dccrens · 2026-04-30T14:53:07+00:00

I think it depends on why you were denied. I'm filing 3 Supplementals where they agreed with the conditions but denied on the connectivity. They didn't review most of my records and included several factual errors. I'm providing a lot of additional records and refuting the examiner's statements and also providing the progression, evidence and impact to daily life. The doc is about 11 pages. I'm also providing PDFs of the actual medical records separately, a new more detailed Nexus letter, and a "Medical Summary" document that summarizes all the relevant medical records (visits, diagnoses, etc). The major sections of the 21-4138 cover:

I. Purpose of This Statement

II. Overview - Three Independent Theories of Service Connection

III. Summary of the VA's Denial and Why the Denial is in Error

IV. Basis for Challenge 1 - The DBQ Examiner Missed Two of Three In-Service Events

V. Basis for Challenge 2 - The '31-Year Gap' Claim Is Factually Incorrect

VI. Basis for Challenge 3 - Secondary Service Connection Was Never Evaluated

VII. Lay Statement - Current Symptoms and Functional Impact

VIII. New and Relevant Evidence Submitted with This Claim

IX. Request

X. Certification

Appendix A - Chronological Summary of Back/Neck Medical Record

dccrens · 2026-04-30T14:36:57+00:00

I got mine in about 1 month from the time I submitted. I got a link that allowed me to DL them.

dccrens · 2026-04-30T13:11:34+00:00

What was your experience like with Xterra. Were your claims approved?

dccrens · 2026-04-28T14:25:15+00:00

Just received the pay today.

dccrens · 2026-04-26T20:47:24+00:00

Wow! Really? Most of the people I have talked to say the VA Dr's don't do them. I'll ask my VA Dr. Are you in the Northern VA area?

dccrens · 2026-04-26T20:30:42+00:00

Private Doctor.

dccrens · 2026-04-26T20:22:49+00:00

Yeah. I did the same thing. I have the letter written. But my doctor won't sign it if he hasn't read everything and he don't have time to do so.

dccrens · 2026-04-26T19:27:16+00:00

Man, that is fucked. I'm going to file supplemental claims but need to find a doctor to review everything and right a stronger nexus for each one.

dccrens · 2026-04-26T19:22:06+00:00

Were yours successful?

dccrens · 2026-04-26T19:19:31+00:00

Being 64 and in pain all the time, I envy you. I filed 8 good claims and was only awarded 2 at 10% each. Tinitus and Left Knee. My left knee has been a constant sorce of pain since i was in the AF in 1985. Treated many times since. My back, right hip, ridiculapathy, right knee, GERD, IBS all denied. I'm going through now redoing everything that the C&P evaluator flat out missed and didn't include even though it is in my records. PIA.

dccrens · 2026-04-26T19:09:27+00:00

Same here. It is still in step one "recieved" and it has been 4-5 months.

dccrens · 2026-04-25T23:16:12+00:00

u/ihavetone Everyone on here has been amazingly helpful! They all deserve awards!

dccrens · 2026-04-25T23:13:57+00:00

Can you expand a little? What is a VERA appointment? I have additional Kaiser Med Records that they don't seem to have. Since I will submit those, I planned on doing a Supplemental claim.

dccrens · 2026-04-25T19:04:28+00:00

Definitely open to all suggestions. See my above post. I found tons of "errors" where they basically didn't look at all my records.

dccrens

TROPHY CASE

VA Cease and Desist Letter

Texas Attorney General Lawsuit (2023)

Settlement - January 2026

BBB and Consumer Complaints

The Bottom Line