Free tools. More room to move forward.
$352,500Estimated potential fees avoided47 × $7,500 assumed fee.Illustrative calculation—not measured savings.See calculation & limitations →
Veterans · First responders · Families
Your benefits.
Your future.
Take control.
Make your next step clearer with free claims education, benefits tools, and community resources.
One mission. Two horizons.
Two ways forward.
Find practical help you can use now, or get involved in AFL’s long-term mission.
Get help today.
A free digital hub for claims education, benefits tools, and community resources. Take one manageable step at a time.
Explore claims and benefits →Help build the future.
A vision for a 100+ acre healing retreat with outdoor skills, equine therapy, service dogs, and community. This is a future goal, not a currently available service.
Learn about The Sanctuary →Resource Radar / Local & national support
Find resources
in your state.
Explore community resources and veteran-connected businesses by state.
The map uses AFL’s directory feed. A listing is a starting point: confirm availability and suitability directly with the provider.
Open the full directory ↗Explore the map or choose your state.
The full directory is always available.
Listings per state01–34–910+
Select a state to open its directory results.
The directory feed loads as you approach this section. State navigation is always available.
Your next useful tool
Find your way forward.
Six starting points below. Search or choose a topic to explore all 30 tools, guides, and resource pages.
VA Claims Help
Build the claim first, then use the reference tools when you need them.
See the full claims path, your saved progress, templates, and the next recommended step.
→ Claims step 1Records DetectiveFind the service records, medical records, and evidence you already have.
→ Claims step 2Body InventoryWork from head to toe so injuries, symptoms, and limitations are not overlooked.
→ Claims step 3Body Region GuideExplore possible condition leads by the part of the body that is affected.
→ Claims step 3Mental Health AssessmentDocument mental-health symptoms, treatment, and daily impact in plain language.
→ Claims steps 4–5Exposure Review & Connect the DotsMatch each condition to service events, exposures, records, and a claim pathway.
→ Claims step 6Claims BuilderTurn your findings into organized condition files ready to review and print.
→ Planning toolDisability CalculatorEstimate a combined VA disability rating using VA math.
→ Rating referenceDisability Rating LibraryLook up rating criteria and understand what VA considers for a condition.
→ Regulation referenceeCFR LibraryGo directly to the federal rules behind VA disability decisions.
→ Exposure guidePACT Act GuideReview covered exposures, locations, presumptive conditions, and next steps.
→ VA healthcareEnrollment GuideUnderstand eligibility and the process for enrolling in VA healthcare.
→ Beyond compensationOther Veteran BenefitsExplore benefits outside education and disability compensation.
→Education Benefits
Compare programs for veterans and eligible family members.
Compare the major education programs before choosing a benefit.
→ GI BillPost-9/11 & Montgomery GI BillUnderstand how the two programs differ and what each may pay.
→ Chapter 31VR&ELearn how employment-focused training and support may work.
→ Tuition supportYellow Ribbon ProgramSee how participating schools may help cover higher tuition.
→ Chapter 35Dependents’ Education AssistanceReview education support for eligible spouses and children.
→ Survivor educationFry ScholarshipLearn about education benefits for eligible surviving family members.
→Community Resources
Find programs, organizations, and practical help beyond VA claims.
Search approved resources by location and type of need.
→ Community networkResource Radar & Business DirectoryFind community resources and veteran-connected businesses.
→ Shared knowledgeCommunity TipsRead practical recommendations or submit something that helped you.
→ Specialized supportCancer Support & RecoveryFind support created for veterans, first responders, and their families.
→Connect With AFL
Share your experience, contribute, or follow the mission.
Read experiences shared by people AFL has helped.
→ Give your timeVolunteer With AFLLearn where your time, knowledge, or skills can support the mission.
→ Build with usIdea IncubatorShare an idea that could improve support for the community.
→ Help guide AFLCommunity SurveyTell AFL which needs and services matter most.
→ Stay connectedSocial MediaFollow new resources, explanations, and AFL updates.
→ Keep resources freeSupport AFLHelp sustain AFL’s free tools and community programs.
→Legal & Site Information
Understand the role and limits of AFL’s educational resources.
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Try a broader word, such as “benefits”, or clear your filters.
One manageable step at a time
Know what happens next.
A preview of the six-step path. These tools help you prepare and learn; they do not provide accredited representation or guarantee an outcome.
- FIRST / START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
Gather your records.
Locate service records, medical records, and the evidence already available to you.
Find your records → - THEN / CONNECT THE DOTS
Organize your evidence.
Review symptoms, conditions, and service events using the intermediate steps.
Explore the next steps → - FINALLY / GET READY TO REVIEW
Build your claim file.
Bring your findings together into organized condition files to review and print.
See the claims builder →
New to this? Start at Claims Mission Control for the full six-step path →
People behind the numbers
Real experiences.
In their own words.
There is a person behind every number. Read the experiences shared with AFL, then choose the next step that fits your situation. Individual results vary.
Read veteran stories →Transparent numbers
Behind the fee estimate.
View the illustrative calculation, assumptions, and sources
The estimate multiplies AFL’s reported number of veterans helped by an assumed outside claims-assistance fee. It assumes every person would otherwise have paid that fee; AFL has not established that this happened. Actual avoided fees may be lower or zero. This is not compensation recovered, a benefit award, or a promise of claim outcomes.
The original homepage cited the following background reading. These sources do not validate AFL’s count or the $7,500 assumption:
- VA fee-agreement guidance (PDF)
- Kansas legislative research on claims-assistance fees
- Washington Post investigation
AFL provides educational tools. It is not a law firm or an accredited representative. Read the full disclaimer.
Before you take the next step
A few straight answers.
Are the AFL tools really free?
Yes. The claims education, benefits tools, and resource pages linked here are free to use. A donation is not required to access them.
Does AFL represent me in a VA claim?
No. AFL provides education and preparation tools. It is not a law firm or an accredited representative. Read the full disclaimer.
What is The Sanctuary?
The Sanctuary is AFL’s long-term retreat vision, not a currently available retreat service. Learn about the vision or view the existing fundraiser through Support AFL.
Make the next step easier for someone else
Be in someone else’s corner.
Support the mission, share a useful resource, or give your time. Choose the contribution that fits you.