Company: VA Disability Increase
Industry: Veterans Benefits Services
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Use Case: Automating VA Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) for veterans filing disability claims
Forms Automated: 15+ VA DBQ forms across multiple body systems and conditions
Challenge: Preserving pre-filled provider credentials while automating veteran-specific information
Solution: Instafill.ai with the prepopulated fields feature
Executive Summary
VA Disability Increase helps veterans file and appeal VA disability claims. The process requires completing Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), standardized medical forms issued by the VA that vary by condition and body system. Each form must include detailed provider credentials such as medical license number, NPI, specialty, and contact information.
The company had created a library of over 15 DBQ forms with their provider information already filled in. The challenge was automating the completion of veteran-specific medical information while preserving the pre-filled provider credentials that should remain constant across all forms.
Instafill.ai solved this with a prepopulated fields feature that preserves filled field values when forms are saved, allowing those fields to remain constant across all future uses while enabling automation of the remaining fields.
About VA Disability Increase
VA Disability Increase is a veteran’s benefits service provider based in Las Vegas, Nevada, specializing in helping veterans file disability claims, appeal denied claims, and pursue increased disability ratings.
The company gathers medical information through veteran consultations and translates it into properly completed DBQ forms that support disability compensation claims.
Understanding VA Disability Benefits Questionnaires
The VA uses DBQs to gather consistent, standardized medical evidence for disability claims. Each form follows a specific template depending on the claimed condition (mental health, musculoskeletal, respiratory, etc.).
Key characteristics of DBQ forms:
- Highly standardized formats: Consistent field structure across submissions
- Mix of static and dynamic data: Organizational information remains constant; veteran and clinical data vary
- Multiple stakeholders: Completed by healthcare providers, reviewed by veterans service organizations, submitted to VA
- Compliance-critical: Errors or omissions can delay claims or result in denied benefits
- High volume: Veterans service organizations process hundreds to thousands annually
The repetitive nature of these forms, combined with the serious consequences of errors, makes them ideal candidates for intelligent automation.
The Forms
VA Disability Increase works with DBQ forms across multiple medical categories, including:
Musculoskeletal Conditions:
- Ankle, Back, Foot, Hip, Knee, Lumbar Spine, Neck, Shoulder, Wrist
Neurological Conditions:
- Bilateral Upper Extremity Nerve, Migraine, Peripheral Nerves
Other Conditions:
- Erectile Dysfunction, GERD, Hypertension, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Rhinitis
Each form follows a similar structure but asks condition-specific medical questions.
The Challenge
VA Disability Increase had created a library of DBQ forms with their provider information already filled in. This included:
- Examiner’s name and credentials
- Area of practice/specialty
- Contact information
- National Provider Identifier (NPI) number
- Medical license number and state
- Examiner’s address
The challenge was how to automate form completion while preserving this pre-filled provider information. Standard form automation would clear all existing data when processing new information.
The company needed a solution that would:
- Preserve the pre-filled provider credentials
- Automate the entry of veteran-specific information
- Work across all their DBQ forms
- Maintain consistency across multiple forms for the same veteran
The Solution
VA Disability Increase implemented Instafill.ai, using the prepopulated fields feature to solve their specific challenge.
How Prepopulated Fields Work
Step 1: Upload and Fill the Form Once. VA Disability Increase uploaded their DBQ forms (which already contained their provider information) and filled them once with sample data or completed an initial form.
Step 2: Save Fields as Prepopulated. In Instafill, they filled in the provider credential fields that should remain constant across all forms:
- Examiner’s name and credentials
- Area of practice/specialty
- Contact information
- NPI number
- Medical license number and state
- Examiner’s address
Once saved, these filled fields automatically become prepopulated data that persists in the form template for all future uses.
Step 3: Automated Reuse. Once saved, the fields containing provider credentials are automatically included in all future uses of that form. When completing DBQs for different veterans, only the fields without pre-filled data need new input:
- Veteran’s name and contact information
- Service dates and military history
- Symptom descriptions
- Medical history details
- Condition-specific clinical information
Result: Each completed DBQ contains the provider’s credentials (from prepopulated fields) combined with the veteran’s unique medical information (from new input data).
What Changed
Elimination of Repetitive Data Entry. Provider credentials no longer need to be manually entered into each form. The pre-filled information is automatically preserved and included in every completed DBQ.
Consistency Across Forms. Provider information is identical across all forms because it comes from the same source. This eliminates inconsistencies that can occur with manual re-entry.
Focus on Medical Content. Staff time shifts from repetitive data entry of provider credentials to the substantive work of documenting veteran symptoms and medical findings.
Streamlined Multi-Form Processing. When a veteran’s claim requires multiple DBQs, all forms can be processed in a single workflow with consistent provider information across the entire package.
Technical Implementation
The solution required custom development to handle pre-filled forms:
Challenge Identified: The client had 15+ forms already containing provider information. They needed a way to preserve this data while automating veteran-specific information.
Feature Request: The client needed to upload pre-filled forms and preserve the data in those fields as constant (static) across all future uses while other fields would be filled with veteran-specific data.
Solution Developed: Prepopulated fields functionality that automatically preserves filled field values when forms are saved. Any fields containing data become “static” and are reused in all future instances of that form, while empty fields remain available for new input data.
Result: Provider credentials are maintained across all form uses while veteran-specific fields are populated from input data.
Learn more about how to prepopulate PDF form fields with static data.
Why This Matters for Veterans Services
Two-Tier Information Structure
DBQ forms contain both provider-level information (which stays constant) and veteran-specific information (which changes for each case). This dual structure is common in:
- Veterans benefits services
- Medical practices conducting VA examinations
- Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs)
- Disability attorneys preparing claims
Traditional form automation doesn’t provide a way to designate which fields should remain constant versus which should be filled with new data. The prepopulated fields feature solves this by letting users manually select which values to protect and reuse.
Volume Processing
Veterans often claim multiple conditions, requiring numerous DBQ forms per case. Service providers handling multiple veterans’ claims face significant form completion burden when provider credentials must be manually entered on every form.
Accuracy Requirements
VA disability ratings determine monthly compensation amounts. Errors or inconsistencies in DBQ forms can delay ratings or affect compensation levels. Automated preservation of provider credentials eliminates one source of potential errors.
Implementation for Similar Practices
Veterans benefits service providers, VSOs, disability attorneys, and medical practices can implement a similar approach:
- Prepare Your Forms: Download DBQ forms from the VA website.
- Upload to Instafill.ai: Upload the forms to the platform.
- Fill Once and Save Static Fields: Complete the form once with your provider information and save it. The filled fields are automatically prepopulated and remain constant across all uses, while empty fields remain available for case-specific information.
- Set Up Your Workflow: Develop a process for gathering veteran information and condition-specific details.
- Process Claims: Select appropriate DBQ forms and complete them with veteran-specific information while prepopulated provider credentials are automatically included.
- Maintain Your Library: Update saved forms with new provider information as needed (all filled fields will be saved as prepopulated data), and add new DBQ forms as the VA releases updates.
Related Resources
Similar Case Studies:
- Veterans Services Case Study: Enhancing Complex VA Disability Benefits Questionnaire Processing
- How Silverwings Benefits Grows from 100 to 5,000 Government Forms Monthly with Instafill.ai
Technical Documentation:
Official Resources: