The Department of Veterans Affairs has internal data connections that power their website. You can access some of this information directly if you know the right web addresses.
Getting Started:
First, you need to sign into your VA account at the main veterans website. Once you’re logged in, you can open new browser tabs and visit specific web addresses to see your data.
Different Types of Information You Can Access:
Benefits Applications:
Visit: https://api.va.gov/v0/benefits_claims
Shows: All your submitted benefit applications with their reference numbers
Individual Application Details:
Visit: https://api.va.gov/v0/benefits_claims/[YOUR_ID_HERE]
Shows: Specific details about one application, including estimated processing dates
Appeal Information:
Visit: https://api.va.gov/v0/appeals
Shows: Any appeals you have filed
Disability Ratings:
Visit: https://api.va.gov/v0/rated_disabilities
Shows: Your current disability ratings and medical codes
Account Details:
Visit: https://api.va.gov/v0/user
Shows: Your basic account information
System Status:
Visit: https://api.va.gov/v0/backend_statuses
Shows: Whether VA systems are working properly
Reading the Results:
The information appears in a format called JSON. Chrome browser has a “Pretty-print” option that makes it easier to read. You can also copy the text and paste it into online JSON viewing tools.
Important Warning:
This method only works while you’re logged into the VA website. The estimated dates you see might not be accurate, and the VA could change how this works at any time. Use this information carefully and remember that dates are just estimates.
this is actually pretty cool! tried the claims endpoint yesterday and it worked, but i had to refresh my login session first - otherwise just got empty results. heads up though: all these API calls show up in browser history, which could be a privacy issue if you share your computer. also, the json format looks messy on mobile, so use desktop if you can.
These endpoints can be temperamental depending on your VA region. The appeals endpoint sometimes shows outdated info compared to what my VSO sees - there’s definitely lag between internal updates and the API calls. I was surprised to find old claim data that never showed up on the regular website, apparently from applications I’d submitted years ago that got lost during system transitions. The user endpoint’s great for checking your contact info matches their records, since wrong addresses delay payments. Just remember these are developer tools not meant for public use, so expect things to break without warning.
I’ve been using these endpoints for six months and they’re great for tracking claims without constantly refreshing the main portal. The disability ratings endpoint often shows more detail than the regular website - like individual rating percentages you can’t see elsewhere. But heads up: during peak hours or maintenance, these API calls will timeout or error out even when you’re logged in properly. Some endpoints need extra authentication tokens beyond just being logged into the main site, so don’t panic if you get access denied errors. The backend status endpoint has saved me tons of phone calls to customer service - turns out my claims weren’t stuck, the systems were just down for maintenance.