Common Veterans Administration (VA) Abbreviations
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses many acronyms and abbreviations for VA terms. The following list should help you read VA records and understand VA shorthand.
| A&A | Aid and Attendance |
| AAO | Assistant adjudication officer |
| ACAP | Annual clothing allowance payment |
| AGG | Aggravated in service |
| AIDS | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
| AIRS | Appellate Index Retrieval System |
| AO | Adjudication Officer or Agent Orange |
| AOJ | Agency of original jurisdiction |
| APA | Administrative Procedures Act |
| AR | Army regulation |
| AWOL | Absence Without Official Leave |
| BCD | Bad Conduct Discharge |
| BCMR | Board for Correction of Military Records |
| BCNR | Board for Correction of Naval Records |
| BVA | Board of Veterans' Appeals |
| C-file | Claims File |
| CAVC | U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims |
| CBD | Chief Benefits Director |
| C&C | Confirmed and Continued (rating decision) |
| CD | Clemency discharge |
| C.F.R. | Code of Federal Regulations |
| CHAMPUS | Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services |
| CHAMPVA | Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs |
| COG | Convenience of the government |
| COLA | Cost-of-living adjustment |
| Comp. | Compensation |
| C&P | Compensation and pension |
| CTA | Centralized transcription activities |
| CWT | Compensation work therapy |
| DC | Diagnostic code |
| DD | Dishonorable discharge |
| DEA | Dependents' Educational Assistance |
| DIC | Dependency and indemnity compensation |
| DNA | Defense Nuclear Agency |
| DOD | Department of Defense |
| DRE | Discharge Review Board |
| DSMIV | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) |
| DVA | Department of Veterans Affairs |
| EAD | Entry on active duty |
| EAJA | Equal Access to Justice Act |
| EOD | Entry on duty |
| EPC | End product control |
| ESG | Environmental Support Group (see USASCRUR) |
| ETS | Expiration of term of service |
| EVR | Eligibility verification report |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act |
| FR index | Federal Register Index |
| FTCA | Federal Tort Claims Act |
| GAO | General Accounting Office |
| GC | General Counsel |
| GD | General discharge |
| GPO | Government Printing Office |
| GSW | Gunshot wound |
| HB | Housebound |
| HD | Honorable discharge |
| HPV | Human immunodeficiency virus |
| HO | Hearing officer |
| IME | Independent medical expert |
| INC | Incurred in service |
| IT | Incentive therapy |
| RI | Individual unemployability |
| NAP | Income for VA purposes |
| JAG | Member of Judge Advocate General's Corp |
| LOD | Line of duty |
| LSA | List of Sections Affected (C.F.R.) |
| MAPR | Maximum annual pension rate |
| NA | National Archives |
| NAS | National Academy of Sciences |
| MIL | Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma |
| NOA | Notice of Appeal |
| NOD | Notice of Death or Notice of Disagreement |
| NPRC | National Persoimel Records Center |
| NSC | Non-service-connected |
| NSLI | National Service Life Insurance |
| NSO | National service officer |
| NVLSP | National Veterans Legal Services Program |
| OGC | Office of the General Counsel (VA) |
| OMPF | Official military personnel file |
| OPC | Outpatient clinic |
| Op. G.C. | Opinion of the General Counsel |
| Op. Gen.Coun | Opinion of the General Counsel |
| OPT | Outpatient treatment |
| Op. VA Gen. Counsel | Opinion of the General Counsel |
| PCT | Porphyria cutanea tarda (a liver dysfunction) |
| Pen. | Pension |
| PIF | Pending issue file |
| PLEP.L. | Public Law |
| POA | Power of attorney |
| POW | Prisoner of war |
| PRES | Presumption |
| PT | Permanent total disability |
| PTSD | Post-traumatic stress disorder |
| Pub. L. No. | Public Law |
| RAD | Release from active duty |
| R.C. | Regional counsel (the chief legal authority in a VARO) |
| RE code | Reenlistment code |
| REPS | Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors |
| RH | Insurance policy designation for veterans with service-connected disabilities |
| RI | Rating increase |
| RPC | (VA) Records Processing Center (StXouis) |
| RSFPP | Retired Services Family Protection Plan |
| SBP | Survivor Benefit Plan |
| SBP-MIW | Survivor Benefit Plan-Minimum Income Widow |
| SC | Service-connected |
| SDN | Separation Designator Number |
| SDRP | Special Discharge Review Program |
| SF | Standard Form |
| SFW | Shell fragment wound |
| SGLI | Servicemen's Group Life Insurance |
| SIRS | Special Issue Rating System |
| SMC | Special Monthly Compensation |
| SMifi | Supplementary medical insurance benefit |
| SMP | Special Monthly Pension |
| SMR | Service medical record |
| SOC | Statement of the Case |
| SPCM | Special court-martial |
| SPD | Separation Program Designator |
| SPN | Separation program number |
| SRD | Schedule for Rating Disabilities |
| SSA | Social Security Administration |
| SSDI | Social Security Disability Income |
| SSI | Supplemental Security Income |
| SSOC | Supplemental Statement of the Case |
| STS | Soft tissue sarcomas |
| TDRL | Temporary Disability Retired List (uniformed service) |
| TIN | Transaction Identification Number |
| TPQ | Third-party query |
| UCMJ | Uniform Code of Military justice |
| UD | Undesirable discharge |
| UOTHC | (Discharge) under other than honorable conditions |
| USASCRUR | United States Armed Services Center for Research of Unit Records |
| US.C.S. | United States Code Service |
| U.S.C.A. | United States Code Annotated |
| USCCAN | United States Code Congressional and Administrative News |
| VA | Department of Veterans Affairs (also used for old Veterans Administration) |
| VACO | VA Central Office |
| VACOLS | Veterans Appeals Control and Locator System |
| VADEX | VA Index |
| VAMC | VA Medical center |
| VAOPC | VA Outpatient Clinic |
| VAR | VA Regulation |
| VARO | VA Regional Office |
| VBA | Veterans Benefits Administration |
| VD | Venereal disease |
| VEAP | Veterans' Education Assistance Program |
| VGLI | Veterans' Group Life Insurance |
| VHA | Veterans Health Administration |
| VJRA | Veterans' Judicial Review Act of 1988 |
| VSO | Veterans service organization |
