By U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs     October 2026

Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) is for service members who know their retirement/separation date and want to file a disability claim before leaving active duty.

Note: Reservists and National Guard members can use the BDD program, but only if they are separating from a qualifying period of full-time active-duty or full-time National Guard/Reserve duty (such as Title 10 or Title 32 orders) lasting at least 180 consecutive days. You must file for BDD between 180 and 90 days before separation, allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the opportunity to review medical treatment records, schedule exams, and begin evaluating the claim before your discharge.

There are a lot of advantages to filing a BDD claim, one of which is that it speeds up the process of receiving your disability benefits —whether that’s medical care, monetary, or simply documentation and information that may prove useful later. BDD claims can be completed within one to three months after retirement, versus regular claims that can take six to 12 months after discharge, if not longer in some instances.

It is vitally important to give yourself adequate time to review your own service records, allowing you to obtain other official medical records, such as dental and behavioral health files. Also recommended is documenting a complete list of current health concerns before leaving the service.

Highlights:

It's never too early to prepare for your transition. Get all your medical issues and concerns documented, no matter how insignificant they may seem to you now.

Do not miss appointments/exams after they are scheduled.

Do not attempt to use BDD if you are going through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) as part of the medical retirement process. You cannot do both!

Only work with a VA-accredited national service officer and never pay for services as part of the BDD process.

Remember, using the VA’s BDD process to expedite your claim decision helps support your next steps in this exciting and transformative next chapter and helps you navigate your VA disability benefits.