How To Conduct Your Own Medical Research To Support Your Claim

The VA regulations allow you to support your claim with medical articles. You should undertake basic medical research to obtain articles in support of your medical theory and to inform yourself of the basic medical issues concerning your disability. We recommend several resources to consult in your medical research:

Online at www.webmd.com, www.merck.com, www.medlinplus.com, and www.mayoclinic.com. We also recommend Google Scholar for other useful articles on scientific and medical topics.

In the library, we recommend you consult the Merck Manual, Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary and, if your claim involves a mental disability, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. 1994).