U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Share Your VA Records with Someone You Trust (VA Form 21-0845)
Give VA written permission to share your benefit or claim information with a person or organization of your choice.
What is 21-0845 used for?
VA Form 21-0845 is the official form to authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to release your personal benefit or claim information to a specific third party — such as a family member, attorney, or veterans service organization.
Authorize a trusted person or organization to access and manage your VA benefit or claim information without needing to be present for every interaction.
This authorization replaces any prior VA Form 21-0845 you have on file. You can only have one active authorization at a time.
Time, difficulty & who this form is for
Average time
5–10 minutes
Difficulty
simple
Best for
Veterans and VA beneficiaries who need a family member, attorney, VSO, or other representative to access their VA claim or benefit information on their behalf.
What do I need before I start?
- Veteran's full legal name, Social Security Number, and date of birth
- Veteran's VA file number (if known)
- Full name and mailing address of the person or organization you want to authorize
- For organizations: the names of individual representatives who should have access
- A decision about whether you want to share all information or only specific types
How the walkthrough is organized
Who Is Authorizing This Release?
Identify whether you are the veteran or a non-veteran VA beneficiary (such as a surviving spouse).
Veteran's Identity Information
Provide the veteran's name, Social Security Number, date of birth, and optional VA file number.
Non-Veteran Beneficiary Information
If you are not the veteran, provide your own name, address, and phone number.
Who Gets Access?
Choose whether VA should share your information with a specific person or an organization, and provide their contact details.
What Information Can Be Shared?
Choose whether to authorize all VA benefit information or only specific types (claim status, payment history, etc.).
Security Question
Select one security question VA will use to verify the authorized party's identity when they contact VA.
Sign and Certify
Sign and date the authorization to make it official.
What happens after I complete it?
Answer the questions, review your document, then follow its official signing and delivery instructions. Downloading does not submit the form.
Start va-21-0845-information-release-authorization walkthrough