• Your DD-214 or discharge paperwork
• A list of the conditions you are claiming, including secondary conditions
• Medical records you already have access to (VA or private)
• Dependent information if your claim involves a spouse or child
• Legal paperwork demonstrating eligibility for the benefit applying
• A short timeline of when the issue began, what changed, and how it affects daily life

A one-page summary of your conditions and the evidence you have for each will make the appointment far more productive than a stack of loose paperwork

• Which benefit option is right for me?
• Which conditions should I claim, and is anything missing? 
• Could any of my conditions be secondary to another?
• What evidence is still missing for each condition?
• If I was denied, which decision review lane fits my situation?
• What are my deadlines, and how do I protect my effective date?
• Anything else you want to know

When filing a compensation claim, the goal is to arrive with your conditions listed, your evidence sorted by condition, and your questions written down.

Other application types will require different forms of evidence to support the application. A brief search online should help answer initial questions about what may be needed.

Being prepared for your visit not only saves time, it will allow the VSO to provide you with optimal customer service.