These discounts and incentives are the community’s way of saying thank you for your service. Veterans Day is also a good opportunity to file what VSO’s refer to as an, “INTENT TO FILE.” An Intent to File (ITF) is a formal notification by a potential claimant that they (claimant) will be filing a formal claim with the VA within the next 365-day period.

The ITF establishes an initial pay date for favorably adjudicated claims, including pension claims, disability claims, and survivor benefits claims. Think of an ITF as a kind of savings account for claimants. If you’ve read my past articles, you know that I always encourage my clients to file an ITF annually whether or not you plan on filing a claim.

Not having an active ITF on file is often an opportunity missed. Because an ITF can only be filed once a year, Veterans Day seems like an easily remembered date to file your ITF.  You can reach out to the VA directly at 1-800-827-1000 to file your ITF, or reach out to Fannin County Veteran Services for assistance. You can also file an ITF online if you’ve set up a user account at va.gov, which I also highly recommend.

As always, many thanks to our Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. Happy Veterans Day and happy birthday wishes to the United States Marine Corps which celebrates its 250th birthday on November 10th. Semper Fi, Marines. Paul Chandler, Fannin County Veteran Services Officer: (903) 912-0036 or vso@fanninco.net.