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.

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.

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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 this form stands for

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.

What you'll need

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.

Ready to start?

Docgle asks calm, plain-English questions and keeps the official source attached for review.

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