{"data":{"id":"us/38-cfr-21.31","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"38 CFR 21.31","heading":"Informal claim.","body":"Any communication or action indicating an intent to apply for rehabilitation or employment assistance, from a veteran, a duly authorized representative, or a Member of Congress may be considered an informal claim. Upon receipt of an informal claim, if a formal claim has not been filed, an application form will be forwarded to the veteran for execution. In the case of a claim for rehabilitation, or employment assistance, the formal claim will be considered filed as of the date of receipt of the informal claim if received within 1 year from the date it was sent to the veteran, or before cessation of the course, whichever is earlier.","path":["Title 38—Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief","CHAPTER I—DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS","PART 21—VETERAN READINESS AND EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION","Subpart A—Veteran Readiness and Employment"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-38.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:25:50Z","sha256":"808c82909ee9f47ab1d2fa1eeedf703f6a52e4c4df810c453b4c7a56da5a38e0","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/38-cfr-21.30","next":"us/38-cfr-21.32"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}