How to become a VA-accredited claims agent

A VA-accredited claims agent is someone the VA Office of General Counsel (OGC) has authorized to prepare, present, and prosecute claims for VA benefits on behalf of veterans and their families. Accreditation is the legal key that unlocks this work: under 38 U.S.C. 5904, no one may represent claimants for a fee without it. Becoming an agent is not quick, but the path is a defined sequence, and every step is run by OGC. This guide walks through it in order, using OGC's own published procedures.

Who grants accreditation, and what it actually is

All accreditation decisions come from OGC's Accreditation, Discipline, and Fees program. The legal framework is chapter 59 of title 38, United States Code, which governs representation of claimants and accreditation of representatives, agents, and attorneys, implemented by 38 CFR 14.626 through 14.637. OGC is direct about what accreditation means: it is for the sole purpose of providing representation services to claimants before VA. It does not imply VA endorses you, and it may not be used to market financial products or promote a financial services business.

There are three accredited categories: claims agents, attorneys, and VSO representatives. Claims agents are the independent, non-attorney path: you qualify by application, a character and fitness review, and a written exam. You do not need to be a veteran, and you do not need a law degree.

The five steps, in order

1. Confirm you are eligible. OGC screens for character and fitness, and certain statuses disqualify you up front.
2. File VA Form 21a. The application for accreditation as a claims agent or attorney goes to OGC by mail, fax, or email.
3. Pass the character and fitness review. OGC must affirmatively determine your character and fitness before you may sit for the exam.
4. Pass the accreditation exam. The online exam is offered several times per year; you need 75 percent to pass.
5. Complete final review. After you pass, OGC collects your character references and issues the accreditation.

Step 1: Confirm eligibility

The eligibility standard comes straight from the regulation. You must establish that you are of good character and reputation, are qualified to render valuable assistance to claimants, and are otherwise competent to advise and assist claimants (38 CFR 14.629(b)(2); the statute sets the same standard at 38 U.S.C. 5904(a)(2)). This is a whole-record judgment by OGC, not a checklist, and it is based on your Form 21a answers, your attachments, and your references.

A few bright lines: OGC says a federal employee generally cannot provide representation before VA, and VA will not accredit someone suspended by any court, bar, or federal or state agency who has not been reinstated (38 CFR 14.629(b)(5); 38 U.S.C. 5904(a)(4)). The application asks about employment and military history, prior representation before federal agencies, and criminal history, so gather records before you start. Our character and fitness guide goes through the review in detail.

Step 2: File VA Form 21a

You apply on VA Form 21a, Application for Accreditation as a Claims Agent or Attorney. Use the current revision (the April 2025 form states that previous versions will not be used), answer every item, and attach explanations for any background answers that need them. OGC accepts the application three ways: mailed to the address on the form, faxed to OGC at (202) 495-5457, or emailed as a PDF to the OGC accreditation mailbox.

One piece of the application deserves early attention: character references. Page 3 of the form asks for professional references, and OGC encourages applicants to personally collect responses from 3 professional character references and submit them with the application. Because OGC has accumulated a backlog processing claims agent applications, it changed its procedure to wait to request any outstanding character references until after the applicant passes the exam, but submitting them yourself up front is the fastest way to keep your file moving. The step-by-step Form 21a walkthrough covers the form line by line.

Step 3: Pass the character and fitness review

Before a claims agent applicant may take the exam, VA must make an affirmative determination of character and fitness (38 CFR 14.629(b)(1)(i), (b)(6)). In practice this is the longest phase. OGC reviews the full application file, and if it proposes to deny, you have a right to challenge the proposal. OGC says claims agent applications take about one year on average to process, largely because of these review steps. You cannot skip ahead to the exam while this review is pending, which makes a complete, well-documented application the single biggest timeline lever you control.

Step 4: Pass the accreditation exam

Once OGC approves you to sit, you take the claims agent examination, which OGC offers online several times per year on pre-determined dates. The dates OGC lists are August 25, 2026 and January 26, 2027 (tentative). The passing score is 75 percent.

OGC publishes the exam's topic scope: compensation and pension programs, claim procedures, appeals, agents' fees, and waiver of indebtedness. It recommends studying title 38, United States Code, chapters 1, 11, 13, 15, 51, 53, 59, 71, and 72, and title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, parts 1, 3, 4, 14, 19, and 20, and notes that exam questions are primarily based on information found in those statutes and regulations. That is a large syllabus, which is why a study plan matters: our exam format guide, study plan, and sample questions are built directly on this topic list.

Step 5: Final review and accreditation

After you pass the exam, OGC requests any outstanding character references (the step it now defers until post-exam) and completes its final review. When everything checks out, OGC issues your accreditation. At that point you can be appointed as a claimant's representative, typically through VA Form 21-22a, and begin practice. See after you pass: how to start your practice for what comes next.

What accreditation lets you do

An accredited claims agent may prepare, present, and prosecute claims for VA benefits, including representing claimants through the appeals system. That authority is real and broad, but it comes with hard boundaries. You may charge fees, but in most cases only for representation provided after the agency of original jurisdiction issues notice of its initial decision on the claim (38 U.S.C. 5904(c)(1); 38 CFR 14.636(c)). Fees must be reasonable: a fee of 20 percent or less of past-due benefits is presumed reasonable, and a fee over 33 1/3 percent is presumed unreasonable (14.636(f)(1)). The fee guide breaks down the triggers, the 20 percent rule, and direct-pay fee agreements.

You also operate under the standards of conduct in 38 CFR 14.632, must complete continuing legal education to maintain accreditation (see the CLE guide), and remain subject to OGC discipline, including suspension or cancellation under 14.633. And remember OGC's purpose statement: accreditation is for representation services only, not an endorsement, and not a marketing tool for financial products.

Your timeline at a glance

Plan on about one year from application to accreditation, per OGC's average, with the character and fitness review consuming most of it. The exam itself is only offered on set dates several times per year, so align your study schedule with the next listed date. The two avoidable delays are an incomplete application (OGC does not process incomplete ones) and slow character references, which you can preempt by collecting the three professional references yourself and submitting them with Form 21a. The timeline guide has the full breakdown.